It's Gotta Be Good

UV and EB curing are catching converters' attention and here's why.

IT SEEMS TO be all the rage in the converting world—ultra violet (UV) and electron beam (EB) curing. There are plenty of benefits of the two sciences—the curing is safe, environmentally friendly, and instantaneous. But along with those comes a few negatives, such as the initial cost of capital. So packagePRINTING spoke with a few converters who recently completed a curing equipment shopping spree to see why they chose the equipment they did.

New ownership

Becoming a new owner of a converting company is like becoming a parent for the first time—neither comes with an instruction book. You just try to do the best with what you know and with what you have, and hope for the best. But much unlike naughty children, converting equipment can be bought and sold to make the printing process easier, less expensive, and more convenient for the converter.

Eric Jones, general manager, The Label Company (TLC), has been in the package printing business for the past nine years, and became owner of TLC about two years ago. His company prints for a wide variety of industries, from food to durable goods, and from entertainment to neutraceuticals. But even in his short time in the business, he realized quickly that almost all of the consumer product companies (CPCs) he prints for were interested in UV inks and coatings for various reasons.

"Some of the reasons include brilliance of color, durability, and the environmentally friendly characteristics of UV technology," Jones said.

When Jones and other members of his staff noticed this trend, they put on their shopping shoes and set out to make sure the company would be able to compete favorably in the highly competitive landscape. Jones' first step was to put the company's specs out to bid to several companies. They wanted something that was easy to run, but also a robust machine that could withstand the rigors of a 24/7 operation. "They all came back with impressive proposals," he said. But obviously one company had to stand out from the rest, based on what TLC needed.