Sheetfed Drying/Curing — A Cure-All for UV Inks

In UV applications, three factors are of vital importance, according to Bob Sweetman, president of UVDoctors. Two deal with the UV lamps—power and heat management. A third is the ink and coating chemistry, particularly with hybrid ink technology.

“Power and heat management are competing factors,” Sweetman says. “In general, the higher the power level, the greater the need for more sophisticated heat management technology. Faster production speeds on the newer sheetfed presses dictate higher power levels,” he adds. “You need to balance power level with cost—cost increases as the maximum power level of the UV system increases.”