Print Monthly feature Benford UV
You can read the full article here – Print Monthly – Drying Technology
Reliability and Flexibility
Elsewhere, Benford UV supplies drying systems to a range of customers, both for new presses or retrofits to older presses. Marketing manager Don Broughton, says a good curing system needs a customised design to provide maximum reliability and flexibility, all while keeping it as simple as possible.
“Simplicity of design and the compactness of the lamp technology means it is easy to install, operate, and maintain over an extended period,” Broughton explains, adding: “The system is however, much more than just a drying lamp. There are also cooling, electrical, and control systems which also need to be easy to integrate, operate, and maintain.
“The system needs to be safe and reliable, meaning reduced outages and less lost production time for the printer. There are a number of drying technologies available, such as UV, LED UV, ECO UV and IR. Printers need the right technology in the right place on the press. Purchasing from a vendor who has been in the field for a long time, you can be confident that they can advise you correctly for your requirements.”
With this, Broughton issues a warning against underinvesting in drying technology, saying that this could have a significant impact on production, which could in turn then mean additional costs and lost revenue opportunities.
“Not having the right curing technology available may mean the printer will produce lower quality products for their customers, or mean they cannot address some customer requirements,” Broughton explains.
Curing for Narrow Web & Label Printing
As such, he advises that PSPs should aim to complete the entire print process with one pass and move to postproduction almost immediately after a job comes off the press. Quality and making the right investment may mean an initial higher up-front cost, but over time, he says the total cost of ownership can be lower.
He advises that LED UV uses up to 70% less energy, produces less heat, and turns on and off instantly, however the LED UV inks are more expensive, adding that these costs need to be understood with energy costs rising, and also as environmental credentials are becoming more important to all organisations.
Looking to how Benford UV can help, Broughton says the company moved into the narrow web and label market four years ago, and its LED UV systems have been proving popular in the UK ever since.
“Also, as LED UV technology has become more established, we find that our sheet-fed customers are requesting LED UV for inter deck but are going back to conventional UV for delivery lamps and curing coating,” Broughton says, adding: “This is mainly because the coating itself is much cheaper and more flexible.
“Most of our sales are in the US with retrofits to existing sheet-fed presses most commonly from Komori, Heidelberg, KBA, and RMGT. Our in-house design teams are continually looking to innovate and improve on the design of all our products. Our USP is that our systems are designed and manufactured here in the UK, using only the best quality components and making our systems almost ‘fit and forget’.”