Drying/Curing Equipment — Avoid Half-baked Systems

"Equipping a commercial web press for UV coating could provide the print-quality advantage of being able to produce UV coated products, as well as the environmental advantages of not having to use a conventional offset web press dryer to set inks," he says. "However, in most cases, there are major drawbacks that negate these advantages. Web presses equipped for UV coating generally must be run at slower speeds, significantly reducing their productivity. Also, consumables and some press components (i.e., rollers) must be designed exclusively to accommodate the UV coating process. This can significantly limit the versatility of a commercial web press."