UV: A Healthy Alternative to Ink
Perfection Dryers from Carol Stream, Ill.-based supplier Prime UV Systems can run at 60,000 perfecting impressions per hour (iph), compared with 15,000 iph with UV sheet-fed presses. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends the UV process as a "best available control technology." ,Courtesy of Prime UV Systems, based in Carol Stream, Ill.
Since UV printing's introduction more than 30 years ago, incremental quality improvement and careful customer adoption of the technology have proved that it's a healthy alternative to traditional inking methods.
UV and electron beam (EB) curing uses visible light to polymerize a combination of monomers and oligomers into a substrate, according to RadTech International, a Chevy Chase, Md., non-profit group that promotes the use and development of the technology. UV and EB material may be formulated into ink, coating, adhesive or other materials.
Just like conventional heat, UV light can be used to dry a variety of substrates, including coated and uncoated papers, paperboard, plastics, films, foils, vinyl, and more. The light spectrum in a UV lamp and electrons in EB curing interact to cure inks and coatings much faster and cheaper than other methods, according to RadTech.
Prime UV Systems, a supplier based in Carol Stream, Ill., entered the UV market 15 years ago, soon after the technology had caught on in a number of print markets, including forms, book covers, direct mail, security products, tags and labels, packaging, and envelopes. The promotional printing market, which began to explode about 10 years ago, also adopted UV printing technology because of its widespread commercial applicability.
Historically, most of these products have been printed on coated or uncoated paper with oxidized inks and dried by exposure to heat. Unlike a traditional print system that requires a large gas dryer to burn solvents that help lay the ink, UV ink doesn't contain water or solvent. Nothing needs to be removed from it.
A Case for UV
The Company: New Jersey Business Forms (NJBF), a manufacturer in Englewood, N.J. The firm was founded in 1976 with John W. Harnett as president.
Evolution: In 1995, the company introduced cut sheets, jumbo rolls, integrated labels and UV printing to its customers, who widely accepted these products as revenue producers.
Why UV Printing: David Harnett, vice president of operations, says UV inks improve print quality on products such as jumbo rolls, integrated cards and pressure-seal forms. The company's UV printing capability allows the firm to print up to eight colors in configurations of 4/4, 6/2 and 8/0. The jobs have higher profit margins because of the added value, Harnett says. NJBF can print up to 26-inch-wide forms in sizes of 14, 17 and 22 inches.
Ink Supplier: Kohl & Madden, Fort Lee, N.J. "The ink industry is very proactive in supporting web printers, and we're implementing many of the quality-control processes suggested to us," Harnett says.
The Investment: Speed, quality and low operating costs drove NJBF's investment in UV printing. "Our customer base wanted the best quality and the most competitive pricing, and our 1,000 feet-per-minute UV systems meet that criteria," Harnett says.
Future UV Printing Applications: The company expects to grow its coated cut sheet business. It wants to compete with commercial sheet-fed printers on quantities from 100,000, with distributors driving the business.
UV Printing Advice: Focus on quality and consistency with regard to product and customer expectations, Harnett says. Use industry resources when making process changes. With regard to internal operations, "listen to what your press operators are saying," he says. "They're the ones making the company look good."
Offering Unmatched Quality
As print buyers' demand for quality crept up, more printers turned to UV printing to improve the product, says Erich Midlich, vice president of sales at Prime UV Systems. "Demand for high-density color and heavier overall ink coverage drew customers in the direction of UV printing," he says.
UV ink is ideal for many applications, even the most heat-sensitive substrates such as thermal papers and films. "Conventional systems rob the paper of its inherent qualities by drying out the paper with heat," Midlich says. Further processing such as slitting and folding requires placing water back onto the paper. There is a need to control moisture for proper ink lay and finishing, unlike the UV process, which provides total control of the cure temperature.
The tag and label industry is a frequent user of UV systems because customers expect strict color consistency, especially for prime labels used for branding and packaging. Because UV ink remains true to form, "it's very easy to maintain consistent color, since in curing the ink you aren't taking away from its quality," Midlich says. "There are also no additives to alter the shape of the dot." Some printers place a UV lamp after every printhead to set the dot and reduce dot gain.
UV ink is resilient. Applications such as checks with security features and lottery tickets often involve specially formulated UV inks to print the base stock, then use UV coating as a protecting sealant over the image. The ink adheres to those products extremely well, making it durable enough to withstand many types of handling and exposure.
Benefiting from Production Gains
Press operators also benefit from UV printing. They receive better images with dry trapping and don't need to control moisture levels, allowing jobs to run at higher speeds. Because UV systems are solvent-free and require a fraction of a second of exposure to dry, productivity gains are remarkable compared with conventional coating techniques. Web line speeds of 1,200 feet per minute and higher are common, and products are ready for inspection and shipment immediately.
"With UV printing, you can take a high caliber press operator, give him more control and make his job easier," Midlich says. Companies and press operators have to be open to change when they add UV systems, but the advantages outweigh objections, he says.
Although the cost of UV consumables is higher initially, the system is less costly to install and operate in the long run. A UV curing system is compact and takes up a fraction of the space of a gas dryer. Because the operator isn't burning anything in the process, a pound of UV ink stretches farther than solvent- or water-based inks. According to RadTech, a UV system beats gas ovens in efficiency because using a UV lamp costs half as much, takes up less space and consumes less energy.
RadTech says other reasons UV systems yield savings include reduced parts in the process and shorter cycle times, which mean lower inventories. Quicker cure with UV ink allows fewer particles to contaminate the surface finish, which minimizes rework and scrap costs.
Environment-Friendly Technology
Almost any press or printing process can add UV drying as a retrofit, Midlich says. Compact UV lamps usually can be installed on existing production lines. The price depends chiefly on press size and configuration and lamp quantity and size. To minimize initial investment, Midlich says, companies can start with a couple of lamps and add more as they realize the benefits of UV printing. UV drying retrofits are versatile and can be moved from press to press in some cases to accommodate other applications and a wide variety of substrates.
UV materials are much less toxic than solvent-based ones and some ingredients in water-based systems UV materials replace. The UV process doesn't yield harmful emissions, and the Environmental Protection Agency calls it the "best available control technology." Among other environmental plusses, UV ink has a very high or no flash point, emits little or no volatile organic compounds, has very low systemic toxicity, isn't regulated as hazardous waste and doesn't appear on any "Community Right To Know" list.
"UV printing is a viable alternative that has seen tremendous success in many markets," Midlich says. If industry awareness, consumer awareness and product development increases, Midlich says, UV printing will continue to grow in existing segments and newer ones such as digital printing.
Dennis McGarry, CDC, is vice president of manufacturer and technical programs at DMIA. Email him your comments at dmcgarry@PSDA.org.
SUPPLIER NEWS
SICPA, Springfield, Va., announced that Wikoff Color Corp., Fort Mill, S.C., has become a distributor of its desensitizing ink. The spot-applied offset ink deactivates selected areas of CF-coated carbonless papers, preventing written information from appearing on underlying sheets of multipart carbonless forms. Wikoff will distribute the ink from its 28 branches nationwide. Call (703) 455-8050 or (703) 455-4518 (fax). Visit www.sicpa.com.
Appleton, Appleton, Wis., recently appeared on the World Business Review Television series to discuss the role of its security products in the industry. The episode aired on public television stations, regional network affiliates and independent carriers in more than 200 U.S. and international markets. The show focused on the need for machine-readable security technologies and why companies aren't doing more to protect documents from fraud. Call (800) 558-8390 or (920) 991-8080 (fax). Visit www.appletonideas.com.
DuPont Nonwovens, Wilmington, Del., introduced a new information packet featuring Tyvek® tags and labels. The packet contains tag and label samples detailing style, printing technique, performance attributes and applications. It also contains hand sheets of different styles and grades, and a performance, application and style guide for Tyvek products. Call (302) 999-3886 or (302) 999-2988 (fax). Visit www.printtyvek.com.
Muller Martini Corp., Hauppauge, N.Y., won the InterTech Technology Award from Graphics Art Information Network for AMRYS, an automated makeready system. The company uses AMRYS on three saddle stitchers, three perfect binding lines, two trimmer models, two hard cover lines, a palletizer model and an on-demand web press. Call (631) 582-4343 or (631) 348-1961 (fax). Visit www.mullermartiniusa.com.
UVitec Printing Ink Inc., Lodi, N.J., introduced a series of fluorescent inks that produce vibrant hues. The inks are available in yellow, orange, red, magenta, green and cyan and can be used on flexo, rotary screen and offset presses. The inks have strong transfer characteristics, throughcure, roller stability and high rub resistance, according to the company. Call (800) 478-6330 or (973) 778-5981 (fax). Visit www.uvitec.com.
R.R. Donnelley Logistics, Willowbrook, Ill., will open a 670,000-square foot facility in York, Pa., this year to enhance its consolidation and distribution network. The center will be completed in two phases and will increase the firm's package-processing capacity by 40 million packages per year, according to the company. Call (800) 800-7447. Visit www.donnelleylogistics.com.
Powis Parker Inc., Berkeley, Calif., upgraded its Fastback® Binder to help book manufacturers achieve high profit margins from short run perfect binding. Depending on the binding style, operators can bind up to four books per minute for approximately 60 cents per book, according to the company. The easy-to-use binder can handle covers produced by offset, inkjet or laser printers as well as covers with heat-sensitive inks or toner-based digital printing. Call (800) 321-2463 or (510) 848-2462 (fax). Visit www.powis.com.
Weber Marking Systems Inc., Arlington Heights, Ill., published "Labeling Systems & Solutions," an 8-page brochure covering Weber's line of pressure sensitive label applicators, label printer applicators and stand-alone printers. It includes information on Weber's Legitronic® Labeling Software, manufacturing capabilities and custom systems. Call (800) 843-4242 or send email to info@webermarking.com. Visit www.webermarking.com.
Tyvek® tags and labels from DuPont.
Weber Marking System's
brochure on labeling systems.
