Successful UV-Technology
Specialising in UV printing can pave the way for users to enter profitable niche markets.
Thirty years ago UV curing was practically unknown in the printing industry. Since then an estimated 65,000 units worldwide have been installed in this market. It is now hard to imagine life without UV curing for many application and it now dominates some sectors of the market. The benefits of UV curable inks and varnishes are also being used increasingly by sheetfed printers to offer products and services which enable them to differentiate themselves from competitors. This explains why the market segment for UV curing has been growing for years, even during the recent recession experienced by the print sector.
UV curing was first used in the printing industry towards the end of the 1960s. A few years earlier UV was used in industrial production for the first time to cure the filling compound used to prime wood panels.
First patents in 1946
The idea of curing printing inks with UV light had been around for a long time, as shown by the patents taken out by Sun Chemical Corporation in 1946 and Miehle Goss Dexter in the fifties. Records at IST Metz show that in Germany in 1970 Mohndruck launched a first trial project for the UV curing of record sleeves. The Nürtingen-based company, which was initially active in the wood industry, delivered its first UV system for sheetfed printing in 1974 to the company Falschachtelwerk Fritz Herrmann GmbH in Düren.
Breakthrough at Drupa 1982
Joachim Jung, Managing Director of IST METZ, remembers 1982 as the year in which UV technology made its breakthrough in the German market. In particular, printers of folding boxes for high quality cosmetic packaging followed the lead set by CD Cartondruck in Obersulm after Drupa in 1982. The company had already installed a sheet-fed offset press with UV in 1978.
Innovations lead to performance advances
In the following 25 years numerous technical developments lead to great advances in performance in UV printing. Noteworthy innovations include dichroic reflectors and cooling concepts such as the BLK system launched by IST Metz in 1994, which combines different cooling methods using air and water and provides a customised heat management system.
Other innovations such as inertisation were first introduced to the printing industry from related areas of application such as silicone coating. In inert systems UV curing takes place in an oxygen-reduced atmosphere. This makes it possible to print at higher production speeds even at a lower energy output. This also avoids any excessive heating of the substrate. At Drupa 2000 IST Metz launched the BLK-U UV system for the printing sector. In Spring 2003 Heidelberg Druckmaschinen AG finally brought an oxygen-reduced system for sheetfed offset printing onto the market.
Demonstration of the possibilities of UV technology
The live demonstrations carried out at Drupa this year by IST METZ on a Heidelberg CD 74 with six printing units showed the potential of UV technology. Visitors to the IST stand could see for themselves the numerous possibilities created by UV technology for high-quality inline finishing, special effects and printing on difficult substrates. It enables printers to enter new market segments and provide profitable niche-market applications.
One example of this is the sample included in this issue of a folding box made of plastic. It is printed on 300 µm transparent PET material and the colour sequence used is yellow, magenta, cyan, black. The striking metallic effect is produced by the MetalFX-System from Eckart which is a combination of basic silver ink with standard inks. The opaque white was printed in the last printing unit. The press was fitted with five IST UV lamp units to cure the inks, three for interdeck drying and two for end-of-press drying.
More than just UV technology
To print such a product requires not only suitable equipment but also specialist knowledge about the UV curing process. IST METZ aims to provide support to customers in all aspects of UV technology and therefore established the UV Technology Center (UVTC) in Nuertingen two years ago. The main aim of this Center and of the exhibition stands at Drupa 2004 is the transfer of information. First-time UV users or print companies interested in UV can get support here on all questions about UV technology.
Deutscher Drucker (DD): How significant is UV technology in the graphics arts industry today?
IST METZ: After a turbulent development phase in the 70s and 80s, UV technology has established itself in specialised market segments. Since then it has become a mature technology and, in addition to the advantages it offers in terms of production processes, it also offers environmental benefits.
DD: What are the latest developments in the UV sector?
IST METZ: A new generation of reflectors promises increased efficiency. The recently introduced URS® UV Reflector System results in around 20 % more UV energy reaching the substrate for the same electrical output. There are also new developments in the area of power supply devices. The new series of ELC® (Electronic Lamp Control) power supply devices operates at an increased efficiency factor which allows a more efficient use of the energy used for the UV curing process.
DD: Is there still potential for further innovation in UV technology?
IST METZ: The key for future progress lies in the optimization of the system as a whole. The demand for compact lamp units, which allow futher increases in productivity, can only be met by improving the fine tuning between the essential component of a UV system to optimise performance.
