Consumables
NEW UV PRODUCTS WITH LED TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY-SAVING POTENTIAL
Tuesday 22. June 2010 - A strong international presence is a must in the printing and surface technology sector, therefore IST METZ presented at the IPEX, the printing industrys leading international trade fair held in Birmingham from 18th to 25th May, four innovations to an international audience, all designed to enable energy efficient yet powerful curing of paints and lacquers using UV radiation. The innovative LUV UV LED system was sure to attract particular attention.
LUV is an innovative LED system for curing paints and lacquers and features a huge power density. LUV is a cascadable system, in which module lengths can be created as a multiple of 70 mm. Individual modules can be switched on or off depending on the geometry of the required irradiated area. The UV power is available immediately after connection. The system can also be spontaneously turned off.
The modular base body can be fitted with freely selectable wavelengths (365 – 395 nm) and thus allows adaptation to the absorption properties of the lacquers and paints. Five different wavelength zones are possible within a module. The light yield of the LEDs always remains constant if individual ones fail. Current regulated operation detects the failure of individual LEDs.
The technology has established itself in individual areas such as UV inkjet printing. The extent to which the new LED technology will be feasible in other applications from a production and economic perspective has to be determined by a detailed technical analysis and a cost of ownership calculation.