What is LED UV Curing?
UV LED curing is a photochemical process using longer UV wavelengths (365, 385, 395, 405 nm) to instantly bond inks, coatings, and adhesives by altering their molecular structure. Unlike drying, UV LED curing doesn’t involve evaporation, as its formulations are 100% solids, with no water or solvents.
In contrast, drying requires evaporating liquid carriers (water or solvents) from conventional formulations to adjust viscosity and apply resins. This process is slower, requires large drying tunnels, and uses energy-intensive heat sources.
What can LED UV do for my business?
Is an LED UV retrofit worth the investment? What do I get for my money? That is the voice of the minder, the director and the production manager looking to protect their business. The truth is that LED-based UV curing provides multiple solutions to issues encountered with heat-set drying and traditional UV curing technologies, including the following:
- Faster turnaround: Instant ink drying allows for immediate finishing, so sheets can be folded, cut, and processed right away, reducing lead times and work-in-progress.
- Print on any material: LED UV inks work on nearly all stock types, including PE, PET, and synthetic paper, adding value and enabling more product variety with coated, uncoated, plastic, and laminated sheets.
- No marking or extra chemicals: Sheet marking during printing is eliminated, and there's no need for varnish, sealer, or spray powder, reducing contamination and cleanup.
- Sharper prints and vibrant colours: LED UV curing delivers sharper dots and more vibrant colours for a higher-quality finish.
- No heat damage: LEDs produce less infrared heat than UV lamps, preventing issues like curling and moisture loss in heat-sensitive materials.
- Increased productivity and reliability: No moving parts and no warmup time means less downtime, while GEW’s 3-year LED warranty offers peace of mind.
- Energy savings: LED’s instant on-off feature and high efficiency reduce energy use by up to 70%, compared to traditional lamp systems.
- Fully cured instantly: UV LED inks and varnishes cure instantly with LED lamps, ensuring a flawless finish.
What do our sheetfed offset customers say?