Simon Roberts, managing director of Integration Technology
Two decades of UV curing
Founded in 2000 by Adrian Lockwood to develop UV curing solutions, Integration Technology’s (ITL) early pioneering UV Arc solutions for inkjet printing are described by managing director Simon Roberts as having “quickly dominated the wide-format graphics industry”.
Having started out at the turn of the digital revolution, ITL’s research and development centre adapted quickly and embraced the concept of using semi-conductors as a light source. Since 2002, the company has been developing UV LED technology and as a result, ITL says it holds some of the earliest patents dating prior to the commercialisation of this process.
In recent times, ITL recalls seeing significant growth in demand for its series of UV LED solutions in many print and industrial sectors such as coatings, adhesives, and electronics. Operating a flexible business model, the company offers everything from fully configured solutions to core technology components and product licencing.
The Pincure Z UV LED offers a compact and lightweight solution for high-speed pinning between inkjet print heads
In 2015, ITL became part of the Metz Holding Group and with over 600 combined staff around the world, the company can offer an extensive portfolio of UV and UV LED solutions in partnership with IST Metz.
Today, ITL is made up of 48 staff members and operates out of a 1,800sq m site. Serving OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), integrators, and advanced manufacturing technology developers globally, the company has direct regional offices in Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Far East.
Strong values
Being pioneering, innovative, and flexible are three key values that ITL operates its business around. As well as this, the company has strong social responsibility and environmental goals which Roberts explains in more detail.
“We are committed to being a responsible business and firmly believe that corporate responsibility is integral to our success. Ensuring the welfare of our employees, local communities, and the environment will minimise the impact our activities as a business have, and also make a sustainable difference.
We are committed to being a responsible business and firmly believe that corporate responsibility is integral to our success”
“We offer a comprehensive returns programme for our equipment which ensures they are recycled and/or disposed of according to environmental regulations and in the best way possible. We comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances) directives. We work with hardware suppliers to ensure they also comply with RoHS regulations.”
In addition to this, Roberts explains how ITL’s office environment also incorporates a number of energy-saving features and the company’s waste streams are monitored and controlled in a bid to reduce waste output and recycle as much as possible.
Another example of the company’s environmental efforts is its action towards the SME Climate Commitment which includes committing to halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and disclosing its progress yearly.
“In doing this, we are proud to be recognised by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign and join governments, businesses, cities, regions, and universities around the world that share the same mission,” Roberts says.
Configurations for any need
Historically, mercury lamps were always the standard way of generating a high intensity source of UV light to cure. But according to ITL, today, UV LED curing systems are more commonly the technology of choice across sectors such as wide-format inkjet and 3D printing.
In terms of the products offered by ITL, the company produces a range of UV lamp and UV LED curing systems for a wide range of applications including labels and packaging, container decoration, digital printing, wire and fiber coatings, electronics, automotive assembly, medical devices, wood furniture, and more.
Used widely in the label printing, wide-format print, and medical device manufacturing industries, the UK-made UV lamp and UV LED systems are available in a range of configurations and can be sold standalone or as part of a fully integrated modular system.
One of ITL’s products is the Z Series of air-cooled UV LED solutions which offer several ranges of standard light UV curing and UV LED curing sources. This range includes two technologies: STEADYcool for water, and VARIcool for air cooling. With XT8 UV LED booster technology, the latest systems also produce a high output and dose which in turn increases cure speeds and provides more opportunities for applications.
The VZX offers 22W/cm2 of high dose UV output with air cooled LED technology for high-speed single pass applications
LAMPcure UV curing solutions serve the digital inkjet market and the miniature SubZero is described as taking ITL’s range of UV systems one step further. Designed specifically for inkjet curing applications, the reduced footprint and ultra-light weight allows for use in small UV inkjet systems, which the company says has not been possible until now.
ITL also offers portable UV curing solutions in the form of the AC-500 and the AC-850. The AC-500 is described as the highest intensity UV LED handheld product available and is used for automotive and industrial UV curable paints, fillers, adhesives and topcoats. The AC-850 operates at 850mW/cm2 and has a 125x125mm curing area with no heat, no mercury, and no ozone which allows for a safe and fast curing system.
Organic growth
Since its inception, Roberts says the company has achieved organic growth through increased sales, and most recently achieved a turnover of $8m (£5.92m). As part of this growth, ITL has made a number of strategic appointments as it targets growth for 2022.
Jamie Fenn has joined the team as sales and business development manager alongside Neil Stickland who was recently appointed as marketing manager. Fenn has worked in business development in the UV technology industry for almost ten years and will oversee the sales and business development in the UK for ITL and IST Metz. Stickland also has a decade of experience and has previously worked in the inkjet sector at Global Inkjet Systems and Domino Printing.
In 2015, ITL became part of the Metz Holding group which now has over 600 combined staff around the world
Roberts says: “We are pleased to have welcomed Jamie Fenn and Neil Stickland to the Integration Technology team. These new appointments and our ongoing growth in headcount form an integral part of our overall growth strategy, as we target an increase in Integration Technology’s market share with expansion in key areas.
“Bringing experienced industry colleagues into the fold will allow us to keep forming and nurturing our much-valued strategic partnerships and keep delivering on our commitment to excellence in UV LED technology.”
Despite growing steadily over the last two decades, the running of the business hasn’t gone without any challenges. Reflecting on some of these, Roberts says “Covid-19, short-term dips in sales leading to cultural changes, hybrid working, and utilising tools like Teams and Zoom” have all impacted business in some way. Despite this, the company has achieved growth to pre-pandemic levels.
Bringing experienced industry colleagues into the fold will allow us to keep forming and nurturing our much-valued strategic partnerships”
Looking forward to the coming year, Roberts says the company plans to expand into other regions and applications. “ITL has launched a United States-based sister company, Integrations Technology America (ITA), a wholly owned subsidiary of ITL, as part of our growth strategy as we move to meet intense demand for high-quality, high-performance UV technology in the growing US market.
“With our ambitious plans for growth, new additions to the team and more developments in the pipeline for 2022, it’s an exciting time for Integration Technology."
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