LE UV uses the traditional UV lamp technology, which has been used for almost 40 years, so it is a proven and well-established system. The lamps, however, are not mercury doped as in conventional or full UV but iron doped, making the system more environmentally friendly. The system does not emit any infrared light and much less ozone. Compared to conventional UV systems, DryStar LE UV requires fewer light sources to dry the ink on the substrate, thereby reducing the required energy to run the system and making it more attractive price-wise.
LED UV uses light emitting diodes to initiate the curing process. The high performance diodes of the DryStar LED system use even less energy than the iron doped lamps of the DryStar LE UV system. The total life time of the light emitting diodes incorporated in the DryStar LED system is up to 25,000 hours of production time, - and they don’t require any warm up or cooling down times. The LED bars are divided into separate modules. Each of the modules on the sides are turned on or off according to the print image. These features lead to even greater energy savings and environmental friendliness with no infrared light or ozone emitted. As the LED’s are a fairly new technology in the printing industry, the investment is slightly higher than for LE UV.
Both systems are based on conventional UV application but use highly reactive inks, which contain more and different photoinitiators compared to a full or conventional UV system. These photoinitiators cause the immediate drying process and lead to the big advantage of a dry sheet once it comes off the press. It’s also these photoinitiators which make the highly reactive inks more expensive, therefore both applications are most economically used for short runs and a high share of 4/4 or 5/5 jobs.
The dry sheets do not require protection coatings as we often see in conventional printing. The coating unit can now be used for special effects or the investment can simply be saved. As the inks are dry or cured much faster than conventional inks, they basically stay on the sheet surface, so depending on the substrate the colors look brighter and the whole printed image appears sharper.
You are interested in stepping into LE UV or LED UV printing and are looking to invest in a new printing press? Available in all format classes, the Speedmaster is your ideal choice of equipment for LE UV and LED UV printing. From the attractively equipped Speedmaster SX and CX presses right through to the Peak Performance models, from the small to the large-size formats, we offer unbeatable productivity in LE UV and LED UV printing. Let us help you find the perfect machine configuration for your requirements.
You already have a Speedmaster press and would like to move into LE UV or LED UV printing? Take advantage of our innovative DryStar upgrades and of our unique expertise and know-how in LE UV and LED UV printing. DryStar UV upgrades from HEIDELBERG are powerful, scalable drying systems that facilitate entry into the LE and LED UV markets and open the door to new customer segments and profitable growth. The systems are suitable for commercially printed products, with or without coating, produced on any Speedmaster press. The DryStar LE UV and DryStar LED solutions are also available for specialty printing and packaging, depending on application requirements and substrates, including some limited use with PET, SBS, foils and IML.
Use our Saphira consumables to achieve optimal print results on your LE UV and LED UV equipment. HEIDELBERG offers a wide and coordinated range of consumables for LE UV and LED dryer technology. All consumables in the range such as inks, coatings, dampening solutions, and washing fluids as well as rubber blankets are tested for their suitability in advance and coordinated. This makes it possible to get started with production straight away, without having to perform complex and cost-intensive material tests.
The UV radiation in the printing press and the use of aggressive UV inks and washing fluids are the reason why printing presses used for UV printing require a special UV preparation. The contents of the preparation may differ, depending on the press series. In any case, the right preparation is required to work usefully, productively, and safely with this technology.
Heidelberg is the only supplier able to prepare a Speedmaster press for LE UV or LED UV printing.
No other provider can offer such a preparation on a Heidelberg printing press. Compare for yourself!
LE UV and LED UV offer printers new possibilities for the process-optimized
manufacture of print products with an extended range of applications.
But how can these technologies help your print shop remain competitive in the future?
Which technology should you choose? And how should you implement it?
