Screen Printing - June/July 2019 - 24

The switch to UV LED lamps on Omso's ServoBottle machine has
reduced its environmental footprint while lowering maintenance
costs and increasing reliability. Courtesy of Omso.

Frey regards digital technology as complementary to
the screen-printing systems: "Inkjet is meant for small runs
with customized graphics and high-resolution images. It is
doubtful that digital will gain a large market share in the
text-rich graphics of packaging for personal care products,
home goods, or pharmaceuticals."

#4: M&R OFFERS A UV LED CURING UNIT
In 2017, M&R introduced the Photon UV-LED curing system.
When used in conjunction with M&R's Insignia multicolor
carousel printer, the curing system enables screen printers to
print with multicolor UV onto thermally sensitive substrates. 
A powerful turbine holds down lightweight substrates while
the chamber is air cooled. The LEDs have high megajoule and
wattage output.  
M&R reports the heat output from the LED is so low the
cooling can be provided by the building's ambient air. Exhaust
air doesn't have to be vented outside and replenished, which is a
plus for clean-room manufacturing environments.
And because the system has no reflectors or rotating
lamps, the Photon curing unit is easier to clean and maintain,
according to the company. The conveyor belt lasts longer
because it isn't exposed to as much heat.
According to Glen Carliss, M&R director of sales, the
Photon curing unit uses less electricity because the LEDs
are turned on only when sheets are being run through. "Since
the LEDs are rated at 395 nm, you need to use inks with the
corresponding photoinitiators," he says. "Those inks tend to
be a little more expensive." Although some screen-printing
companies have achieved positive adhesion results when they
tried curing standard UV inks with the Photon, that might not
24

SCREENPRINTING

always be the case. Carliss reminds printers to thoroughly
test any ink before specifying it for an upcoming job.

#5 SCREEN-PRINTING SHOPS OF ALL SIZES
CAN BENEFIT
In addition to Empire, other well-known screen-printing
companies successfully using UV LED inks include
Screenprint/Dow (screenprintdow.com), Serigraphie
(serigraphierichford.com), and Nameplates Inc. (NPI;
nameplatesusa.com). But UV LED curing can benefit
smaller shops, too. According to Higgins, many smaller
screen-printing operations face limitations in the amount
of electrical power their shops can consume. If they reduce
the amount of power they utilize in their curing lines, more
energy will be available for other steps in the process. Plus,
if small shops can replace a thermal oven that's 50 feet long
and 6 feet wide with a unit one-tenth that size, they can make
room for other equipment.
Empire Screen Printing began investigating the use
of UV LED curing after a company executive read about
its benefits for wide-format inkjet printers in 2008. Since
then, screen printers working with UV inkjet printers for
shorter-run jobs have seen the benefits of UV LED curing on
their inkjet systems. Higgins believes "The digital UV LED
market has played a big role in proving the technology to
the point that screen printers want to take advantage of the
benefits and add UV LED to other equipment."
Eileen Fritsch is a Cincinnati-area-based freelance writer who served
as assistant editor of Screen Printing magazine in 1994 before being
named a founding editor of Big Picture magazine.
http://www.screenprintdow.com http://www.serigraphierichford.com http://www.nameplatesusa.com
Screen Printing - June/July 2019

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