UV printing: print on any material

UV printing is a unique digital printing method that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to dry or cure ink, adhesives or coatings as soon as it touches paper, aluminum, foam board, or acrylic, in fact, as long as it fits into the printer. , can be use to print almost any material.

UV technique, the photochemical drying process, was originally introduce as a fast drying means of gel nail polishes use in manicures, but today it has been adopt by the graphics industry, where it is use to print on any material, from posters and brochures to beer bottles. The process is the same as traditional printing, the only difference is the inks use and the drying process.

In traditional printing, solvent inks are use; These can evaporate and release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are harmful to the environment. The method also produces, and uses, heat and an accompanying odor. Plus, it requires additional powder sprayers to help with the ink make-up and drying process, which can take several days. Inks are absorb into the media, so colors may appear wash out and wash out. The printing process is mainly limit to paper and card media, so it cannot be use on materials such as plastic, glass, metal, aluminum foil, or acrylic, such as UV printing.

Bet on a greener system

In UV printing, mercury / quartz or LED lights are use to dry instead of heat; The specially design high intensity UV light closely follows as the specialty ink is distribute on the print medium, drying it as soon as it is applied. Because the ink transforms from a solid or a paste to a liquid almost immediately, there is no possibility of it evaporating and therefore no VOCs, toxic fumes or ozone are release, making the technology ecological with an almost zero carbon footprint.

The ink, adhesive, or coating contains a mixture of liquid monomers, oligomers (polymers consisting of few repeating units), and photoinitiators. During the curing process, light of high intensity in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, with a wavelength between 200 and 400 nm, is absorb by the photoinitiator which undergoes a chemical reaction (chemical crosslinking) and causes the ink, the coating or adhesive hardens instantly.

Increase your productivity and efficiency

It is easy to see why UV printing has overtaken traditional thermal curing processes based on water and solvents and why its popularity is expected to continue to grow. Not only does the method speed up production, which means more gets do in less time, but reject rates drop as quality gets high. Wet ink droplets are remove, so there is no rubbing or smudging, and since drying is almost immediate, there is no evaporation and therefore no coating thickness or volume is loss. All this allows for much definition and sharper and more vivid colors since there is no absorption in the printing medium: choosing UV printing over traditional printing methods could be the difference between producing a luxury product and something much less superior.

The inks also have improve physical properties, improve gloss finish, better resistance to scratches, chemicals and solvents, better elasticity, and the finishing product also benefits from higher resistance. They are also more durable and weather resistant, and offer greater resistance to fading, making them ideal for outdoor signage. The process is also more profitable: more products can be print in less time, with better quality and with fewer rejects. The lack of VOCs emit almost means that there is less damage to the environment and the practice is more sustainable.

There are several types of UV printers

• Flat table : for rigid materials up to 15 mm high.
• Roll to Roll : for flexible materials that require fast drying and strong printing.
• Hybrid : the most versatile machines on the market, they allow printing on both rigid and flexible materials.