Home and dry
To put it simply, if your drying technology is not up to scratch, you are likely to be slowing down production. Printed work will remain wetter for longer, meaning you cannot move to the next stage of the process until it has dried, leading to – often unnecessary – delays.
However, the good news for print service providers (PSPs) is that there are plenty of new and innovative options when it comes to drying print. Adding this technology to your set up will help increase production and allow you to take on more work as a result.
Here, we speak with several providers of drying solutions to find out more about their latest technologies and how integrating this kit can help PSPs to improve their overall production.
Maximise energy
First up is print brand Komori. Craig Bretherton, EMEA product marketing manager for Komori Europe, says with energy prices as they are at the moment, efficiency is key, and drying can play a major role with this.
“The best UV drying systems use reflectors to ensure the maximum amount of UV energy is directed towards the sheets being printed,” Bretherton says, adding: “The geometry of these reflectors is critical for efficient drying.
Additionally, a by-product of the UV drying process is infrared energy which can generate heat.
“The reflectors Komori uses are ‘dichroic’ which means they allow the excess heat to pass through lowering the demand on the lamp cooling components and crucially keeping heat away from the sensitive materials being printed.
“Komori was also the pioneer of H-UV printing in 2009. It was an innovation that changed the direction of many printers and with over 700 installations globally it continues to be hugely successful. The systems are highly energy efficient as several inks can be cured using a single lamp.
“Komori now also offers H-UV L that employs LED UV, which reduces power consumption by using on/off technology. LED UV has no infrared energy present which means no heat is introduced into the sheets which can be a huge benefit for printers of plastic and other sensitive materials.”
Komori offers HUV-L that employs LED UV, which reduces power consumption by using on/off technology
As to the danger of not investing properly in this technology, Bretherton explains inefficient curing or drying is a potential disaster for printers. If the curing fails, it can result in marked print, or worse still, sheets stuck together in the piles, which almost certainly means reprints for the printer and lost time on press and additional waste.
Therefore, he says that it is very important to consult with manufacturers to establish which kinds of materials they wish to print to establish the type of drying they need.
Casting an eye over the latest developments at Komori, Bretherton says that H-UV remains enormously popular and orders for new presses fitted with this and H-UV L are always in process. However, he is keen to highlight a new innovation to benefit commercial printers that want to do more with less.
“We have a number of successful installations of our G38 web presses, which are fitted with either H-UV or H-UV L (LED) drying instead of the costly-to-run gas drying systems typically fitted to web presses,” Bretherton says, adding: “This has been a game changer for those that have made the switch.
Some of Komori’s G38 web presses have been fitted with either H-UV or H-UV L (LED) drying instead of gas drying systems
“With speeds of up to 30,000 folded 16pp sections being produced every hour, this technology can allow a printer to replace several long perfectors fitted with reel sheeters with a single output device, saving space, and removing work in progress in the finishing department.”
Reliability and flexibility
Elsewhere, Benford UV supplies drying systems to a range of customers, both for new presses or retrofits to older presses. Marketing manager Don Broughton, says a good curing system needs a customised design to provide maximum reliability and flexibility, all while keeping it as simple as possible.
“Simplicity of design and the compactness of the lamp technology means it is easy to install, operate, and maintain over an extended period,” Broughton explains, adding: “The system is however, much more than just a drying lamp. There are also cooling, electrical, and control systems which also need to be easy to integrate, operate, and maintain.
“The system needs to be safe and reliable, meaning reduced outages and less lost production time for the printer. There are a number of drying technologies available, such as UV, LED UV, ECO UV and IR. Printers need the right technology in the right place on the press. Purchasing from a vendor who has been in the field for a long time, you can be confident that they can advise you correctly for your requirements.”
With this, Broughton issues a warning against underinvesting in drying technology, saying that this could have a significant impact on production, which could in turn then mean additional costs and lost revenue opportunities.
“Not having the right curing technology available may mean the printer will produce lower quality products for their customers, or mean they cannot address some customer requirements,” Broughton explains.
Benford UV says since it moved into the narrow web and label market four years ago, its LED UV systems have been proving popular in the UK
As such, he advises that PSPs should aim to complete the entire print process with one pass and move to postproduction almost immediately after a job comes off the press. Quality and making the right investment may mean an initial higher up-front cost, but over time, he says the total cost of ownership can be lower.
He advises that LED UV uses up to 70% less energy, produces less heat, and turns on and off instantly, however the LED UV inks are more expensive, adding that these costs need to be understood with energy costs rising, and also as environmental credentials are becoming more important to all organisations.
O Factoid: UV LED drying brings cost savings due to increased productivity, higher uptime, no bulb replacements, and long product lifetime O
Looking to how Benford UV can help, Broughton says the company moved into the narrow web and label market four years ago, and its LED UV systems have been proving popular in the UK ever since.
“Also, as LED UV technology has become more established, we find that our sheet-fed customers are requesting LED UV for inter deck but are going back to conventional UV for delivery lamps and curing coating,” Broughton says, adding: “This is mainly because the coating itself is much cheaper and more flexible.
“Most of our sales are in the US with retrofits to existing sheet-fed presses most commonly from Komori, Heidelberg, KBA, and RMGT. Our in-house design teams are continually looking to innovate and improve on the design of all our products. Our USP is that our systems are designed and manufactured here in the UK, using only the best quality components and making our systems almost ‘fit and forget’.”
Consider your options
Meanwhile, another advocate of investing in high-quality drying kit is Phoseon Technology. Marketing communications manager Stacy Hodge says PSPs interested in utilising UV drying machinery should compare the differences in performance of the various UV-based systems and take a closer look at the capabilities and reputation of the machinery supplier.
“Printers and converters interested in purchasing a UV drying solution have the option to select either LED-based drying systems or traditional mercury-vapor UV lamps,” Hodge explains.
Printers and converters interested in purchasing a UV drying solution have the option to select either LED-based drying systems or traditional mercury-vapor UV lamps”
“LED drying systems have gained worldwide adoption and continue to replace traditional mercury bulbs because of all the advantages. UV LED brings cost savings due to increased productivity, higher uptime, no bulb replacements, and extremely long product lifetime. If engineered correctly, LED technology ensures reliability with consistency, process stability, and improved print quality.
“Traditional mercury arc lamps bring longterm recurring costs with bulb replacements and other spare parts, along with significant downtime and maintenance required. Mercury-vapor UV lamps generate a tremendous amount of heat that requires a significant amount of electricity to operate.”
With this, Hodge advises PSPs to ask their suppliers a series of key questions to understand the investment they are going to make. What cooling method is required? What emitting window is needed? Does their system meet the irradiance and energy density requirements to guarantee a full cure? What is the expected lifetime of the product? Are product demos available so you can test it with my materials? What product features are available to enhance performance? Do they have case studies with applications similar to yours? What type of worldwide sales and technical support does the company offer?
Hodge says Phoseon is able to answer all these questions and more, as well as provide customers with effective solutions. Phoseon products use 365nm, 385nm, 395nm, and 405nm wavelengths and offer product families with both air-cooled and water-cooled UV curing systems.
First, FireJet ONE air-cooled UV LED systems are aimed primarily at the inkjet, flexographic, and screen printing markets where high power, in a compact form factor, is a key requirement. The FireJet ONE lamps, in emitting window widths from 75 to 375mm, scale simply by placing units next to one another, daisy-chaining them together. Phoseon’s unique optics ensure consistent uniformity at the substrate surface.
Phoseon’s FireJet ONE air-cooled UV LED systems are aimed primarily for the inkjet, flexographic, and screen printing markets
Elsewhere, Nexus ONE UV LED products are designed for flexographic printing applications. Nexus ONE premium UV LED curing lamps deliver maximum power and dose of UV energy for the flexographic markets.
“By enabling quality applications at faster press speeds, the Nexus ONE is truly the all-in-one UV LED curing product for flexographic printing,” Hodge says, adding: “Nexus ONE UV LED curing solutions offer many benefits to printers and converters including a five-year warranty.”
Also from Phoseon, FireEdge FE410 UV LED products come with advanced features that Hodge says delivers up to 50% higher irradiance, power, and dose than the original FireEdge FE400.
“This will help customers who need increased process speed for improved throughput but still prefer the small form factor,” Hodge says, adding: “With built-in intensity control options, the FireEdge FE410 can be used for both full cure and pinning applications such as inkjet pinning, 3D print, and adhesives curing.
Hodge also highlights Phoseon’s patented TargetCure Technology for LED curing that delivers the specific target irradiance ensuring each job is consistent and reliable. Hodge says this precise curing ability remains stable across ambient operating temperatures and continually monitors the lamp’s efficiency to adjust the output over the lamp’s lifetime.
In addition, Phoseon developed WhisperCure Technology to provide a quieter solution with high UV output and small form factor. WhisperCure Technology uses proprietary and patented Phoseon innovations to provide a unique, compelling solution.
It is clear from speaking to manufacturers and suppliers that investment in quality drying technology is of paramount importance. Underinvestment could lead to a host of issues that could cost you money, repeat business, and new customers in the long run.
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