LED Technology Gains in Importance as UV Curing Solution

UV LED technology

Printers working with UV curing have a new technology to learn about, if they are not already acquainted with it: UV LED

Curing inks and coatings with ultraviolet (UV) radiation has long been SOP for many printers, especially those producing packaging and labels. But, as well established as it is, conventional UV curing has had persistent drawbacks: high operating temperatures and energy requirements; ozone emissions; safety concerns about skin and eye exposure; and regulatory issues stemming from the presence of mercury in standard UV lamps.

Although conventional UV curing remains the norm for most kinds of printing, an alternative to it is making rapid technical advancements and is starting to attract the kind of attention that leads to mainstream adoption. This is curing with UV radiation generated by light emitting diodes, or UV LED for short. Its proponents say the technology works well with all printing processes and may even become the curing method of choice in some applications that now belong to conventional UV.

The general focus was on UV LED for print and packaging, but also noted was its increasing importance in non-print uses such as outdoor displays, plastic cards, automotive interiors, wallpaper, flooring, furniture and fixtures, plumbing, and ceiling tiles. Research from RadTech indicates that sales in some of these UV and EB applications are growing by as much as 7% annually.

“UV LED systems set themselves apart from the other methods by being longer lived; more consistent in UV output; more energy efficient; simpler to work with because of their fast on/off operation; cooler in curing and therefore easier on heat-sensitive substrates; and free of ozone and mercury.”

Jennifer Heathcote, Phoseon Technology

The scientific difference between UV radiation from LEDs and conventional, mercury-based lamps is in wavelength. The spectral output of UV LED lies in a narrow band of wavelengths from about 355 to 415 nanometers, just below and slightly overlapping with the spectrum of visible light. (Wavelengths from conventional UV units are more broadly distributed and produce more types of UV radiation.)

With their microchip-like arrays of miniaturized diodes, UV-emitting LED units bear little resemblance to the designs of the mercury-using arc lamps and microwave lamps that are the fixtures of conventional UV. As one conference speaker, Jennifer Heathcote (Phoseon Technology), put it, “the construction and operation of a UV LED curing system has more in common with a smart phone and a tablet” than with either of the conventional sources.

In practical terms, said Heathcote and other experts, UV LED systems set themselves apart from the other methods by being longer lived; more consistent in UV output; more energy efficient; simpler to work with because of their fast on/off operation; cooler in curing and therefore easier on heat-sensitive substrates; and free of ozone and mercury (the latter coming under increasing regulatory pressure, especially in Europe).

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