Product Showcase - February 2015

Drying or curing has long been done with heat lamps, but now UV-LED and electron beam technologies are displacing the older methods and offering new benefits.

Mercury (Hg) UV lamps, once common, are being replaced by arrays of LEDs (light emitting diodes). These arrays emit ultraviolet light that causes a chemical reaction, changing UV ink on a substrate from a liquid to a solid. The end-result is the same as provided by a mercury UV lamp, minus the heat, and although initially more expensive than UV lamps, LED arrays can operate for years without replacement.

EB, or electron beam curing, sends a stream of highly charged electrons that cause a molecular change that dries inks, coatings and adhesives, and increases scratch and abrasion resistance.

Both technologies operate faster than heat curing, cost less per cured part, and largely eliminate VOC emissions. In addition, they require less space, reduce energy costs, and can increase productivity.

Here’s a quick take on just a few of the options available for package printers and converters.

FirePower from Phoseon

The FirePower family of high-power water-cooled products from Phoseon allows new applications in the package printing segment where high speeds demand high-performance curing lamps. FirePower products are available in 12W/cm², 16W/cm² or 20W/cm² peak irradiance and come in various standard emitting windows. The units come with integrated control and user-friendly software for simple integration for customers. —www.phoseon.com

Control, Safety and Experience

The Accu-Cure UV Curing Unit from A.W.T. World Trade provides a combination of performance control and safety features. The unit is engineered for high-speed curing of materials including vinyl, polyester, paper and additional heat-sensitive substrates. —www.awt-gpi.com

The Latest in EB Technology

FlexoBeam from Energy Sciences, a new advancement in electron beam technology, allows for high uptime and reliability and high-speed curing. It offers a small footprint and low profile for new or retrofit installations. It features low electrical and nitrogen usage and SmartBeam technology for beam tracking, tracing and marking. An integrated chill roll option is available. —www.ebeam.com

Cure Specialty Inks and Coating

The ProLED from Mark Andy is an integrated curing solution that uses LED to cure specialty inks and coating on numerous substrates, including thinner filmic substrates. It generates significantly less heat than traditional Hg (mercury) UV systems and has fewer moving parts, making it easier to use and decreasing maintenance. Users can save more than 50 percent energy usage compared to traditional UV solutions. —www.markandy.com

50˝ offline UV Roller Coaters help control conveyor speeds

American Ultraviolet’s recently released 50˝ roller coater features servo motor roller adjustments to help control lamp chamber conveyor speeds. Speeds can be controlled from five to 100 feet per minute with roll to roll, IR heater options, and extended infeed and exits on the conveyor. —www.americanultraviolet.com

High-Powered Curing

The new Lightouch UV-LED Curing Systems from AAA Press provide high-powered UV output in the 395 nm light spectrum at variable outputs. Designed to last for more than 20,000 hours, it offers a 60 percent decrease in energy consumption, an 85 percent reduction in maintenance costs, and an 80 percent reduction in IR energy when processing most substrates. —www.aaapress-uv.com

Reliable and Productive Coating

Energy-efficient arc lamp and LED UV systems provide increased productivity and reliability for ink and coating curing. The E2C system, in conjunction with the new RHINO electronic power supply, uses 46 percent less energy and comes with a five-year warranty. —www.gewuv.com

Curing for Narrow Web

Air Motion Systems | AMS UV, has launched the AMS FLEXO Series UV LED system, designed for narrow web packaging. It is equipped with compact, high-intensity 17W LED lamp modules, designed for quick fitting. This includes slide-in replacement of existing UV lamps on narrow web machines ranging from 8˝ to 25˝ and wider. All AMS LED lamps are fully compatible and are tested with leading UV LED ink and varnish formulations. —www.airmotionsystems.com

A Print Module for UV Curing

The Phoenix from Kirk-Rudy uses high resolution inkjet print head technology to print dates, times, barcodes, serial numbers, variable text and graphics on coated and uncoated substrates. Its modular design allows it to be combined with other technolgoies, including UV curing. —www.kirkrudy.com