APPLICATIONS

3D Curing FRPE Hardening Ink and Lacquer Drying Photopolymers Sunlight Simulation UV Glue Processing Wood Lacquering

Offset Inks

In the printing industry stable inks are preferred on the presses. This can be achieved with UV inks, as no solvents are released and the viscosity is not altered. Therefore the points are not widened. Once the ink has hardened under the lamps, it is completely dry. Printed matter can be stacked immediately without using powder. This explains why offset printers are highly interested in UV technology.

We also find UV in all sectors of offset: packaging, labelling, can printing, continuous forms and plastics. Advantages of UV in offset include:

• low energy consumption for drying
• no solvents
• wet-in-wet-print is possible with only one final drying
• immediate drying what makes further handling possible
• no powder is necessary for piling
• higher gloss
• thin ink layers

Flexo

UV flexo is a development of the last 10 years. It is found in labels and printed packaging material applications. UV flexo affords the ability to use thicker ink layers than offset, but still with high speed. It is not possible to print wet in wet, so after each color the printing has to be dried. Because of the compactness of UV dryers and the continuously increasing capacity of the lamps, UV is now widely accepted as the preferred drying technique in flexo printing.

Lacquers

UV varnishes or UV lacquers have become an alternative for both water tank lacquers and laminates. The advantage of an UV lacquer is its high gloss and scratch resistance. UV lacquer is popular on printed packaging material and on magazine covers. The lacquer is applied with roller coaters, in specialized companies that apply UV lacquers on traditional printed matter. More and more lacquer towers are used on offset presses so that it is possible to lacquer in-line.

Silkscreen printing

In silkscreen printing UV has grown slowly in popularity. Silkscreen printing ink is applied thickly, up to 20m , so that depigmentation will absorb too much UV light. The problems have been addressed and solved: finer screens for thinner ink layer, aqueous UV-inks, etc. UV ink now has become a valuable alternative in silkscreen printing. Solvent inks are not as popular as they once were, having been established as a possible cause of OPS (painter's disease). Applications in silkscreen printing include vinyl stickers, paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, copper (for the production of printed circuit-boards), compact discs and more.