Air Motion Systems to Unveil High-Power LED UV

RIVER FALLS, WI—September 2, 2009—UV systems leader Air Motion Systems, Inc. announces the first look at its PEAK LED-UV product series at PRINT 09, an all-new high power LED-based UV curing technology slated for general availability in the digital, offset and flexographic industry segments immediately following the show.

The patent-pending PEAK LED-UV design from AMS is built around a high brightness chip platform that achieves at least twice the radiant power available from recent-generation UV LEDs, and operates at just 20% of the electricity required of a conventional mercury arc lamp.

The PEAK LED-UV technology from AMS represents a revolutionary step forward in the graphic arts industry and the UV curing arena. As a 100% solid-state device, there are no moving parts to maintain in the LED UV module, no heat is emitted from the light source, and at a 20,000+ hour estimated life of the light-emitting diodes, and the system potentially never requires a lamp change.

“LED is an easier, brighter and greener method of producing UV light,” says Steve Metcalf, President and CEO of Air Motion Systems. “But until now, the lack of high power, high intensity UV LEDs has limited its adoption in printing, where line speeds are high and variable distances to substrates are required. With our breakthrough PEAK LED-UV modular technology, the power gap has closed and the commercialization of high-power LED UV light sources is now a reality.”

Available in Variety of Widths
The PEAK LED-UV architecture is available in an ultra-compact, 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) square module format that produces an intense, uniform band of pure UV along an arc that scales from 3 inches (8 cm) to over 80 inches (2 m) wide. The system, which takes advantage of a patent-pending optical, thermal and interconnect design, will be offered in a package format that simplifies operation, allows interchangeability of modules on a machine and greatly eases integration with current and future machine designs.

“A problem with current LED UV devices is that they are optically limited to very close curing distances to the substrate in order to achieve maximum power and uniformity.” comments Hans Ulland, Vice President of Sales for AMS. “Our PEAK LED-UV modules were designed for flexible positioning in any type of machine without significant loss of intensity, uniformity or curing power.”

“Ink and coating formulators are rapidly developing a new breed of LED-based UV chemistries that offer an engineered match to the precision wavelengths produced by LEDs,” adds Metcalf. “For this reason, the PEAK LED-UV modules were also designed to accommodate multiple wavelengths to facilitate optimization of the curing process.”

The first production PEAK LED-UV units will be available for delivery immediately following the show. AMS (booth 3053) will offer demonstrations of the technology at PRINT 09 in Chicago. For additional information or to make further inquiries, visit www.airmotionsystems.com or call (715) 425-5600.

Air Motion Systems
Based near Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, Air Motion Systems (www.airmotionsystems.com) is one of the world’s leading providers of UV curing technology to the graphic arts industry. AMS has long been a pioneer in the development of new UV technology, and its award-winning P3 UV system is now the leading arc lamp UV system for the printing industry in North America, with numerous successful installations on a wide array of machines. AMS also maintains relationships with a number of original equipment manufacturers in the industry to ensure optimal integration of its equipment.