Key Applications of UV LED Curing in the Field of Coating and Printing

UV LED Curing utilizes UV light to change adhesives, coatings, and inks into fixed-in-place solids via polymerization. As technology is evolving, an immense rise is noticed in the adoption of UV LED Curing. It’s mainly because of the cost, performance, and sustainability benefits it brings.

UV LED coating printing is more energy-saving and environmentally friendly during the entire printing production process, with a longer life, can reduce energy consumption by up to 70 to 80%, and has outstanding effects on printing materials adapt.

In this article, we will shed light on the key applications of UV LED Curing in the fields of coating and printing. Without further delays, let’s begin the journey of exploration!

An Overview of the UV LED Curing Technology’s Growth

It’s one of the fastest-growing markets in the coating and paint industry. Back in 2008, the market analysis for this technology was expected to witness a growth of 8% to 13% over the coming five years. Later in 2011, the statistical results were astonishing, as the UV/EB-formulated products' use in North America was 120000 metric tons. Specifying to wood finishes only; the usage went from 14900 metric tons in 2001 to 23200 metric tons in 2011.

In 2013, Radtech biennial market held a survey in which the usage percentage of UV/EB formulated products was calculated. According to this survey, the usage percentage was 19% for wood, representing a sharp annual growth rate of 5.8% for flooring and 6.3% for wood stains.

Applications of UV LED Curing in the Field of Coating and Printing

Compared with traditional coating methods for home building materials, UV LED will not affect the moisture content of the substrate. The construction process of UV LED rapid curing is fully realized by sealing primer, color correction, and top coat.

It eliminates the wastage of time in long dying and curing time of traditional wooden/marble tile bottoms and topcoats and the complicated process of low-solid multi-channel spraying and construction. It can realize full-line mechanized and assembly line operations.

In this section, we have highlighted the use of this type of curing in coating fields. Let’s hop on!

LED Wood Coatings

One of the motivations behind the development of LED wood coatings was to expand the application of UV curing to heat-sensitive wood substrates, including mahogany, pine, fir, and other resinous, oily woods.

Heat-sensitive wood materials may experience issues when exposed to conventional UV lamps. A resinous wood, like pine, can become overheated, and the resins or pitch "bleed" to the surface, producing issues with coating adhesion and discoloration.

For instance, the scrap rate considerably rises when the surface temperature of a pine board surpasses 50 °C. The traditional UV unit converts 65 to 70% of its input power into heat. Whereas the temperature of the UV LED light source is much lower, it’s just 40 to 50 degree Celsius. This is another leading cause of increasing the use of UV LED Curing in the wood coating.

Below are some of the applications of UV LED Curing in wood coating; let’s have a look at them!

1. Roller Coating

UV LED makes a perfect fit for gelling and dull-cure stations in roller coating. The perks of using this advanced technology in this field include the alleviated operating cost, inexpensive input stock due to lack of infrared heat, shorter and more efficient lines, minimal to no degradation in the UV output, and more. This advanced technology also eliminates the need for getting pricey air ducting systems.

2. Edge Coating

In Edge Coating, UV LED Curing implementation has made things much more convenient. As machines can be made in compact form, saving loads of space. Moreover, the consistent UV output also increases the speed of the machine. With it, we can also skip using multiple mercury lamps placed at various angles to cure shaped surfaces. Alternatively, it’s done by using the diffusive nature of LED light.

3. Digital Printing

Digital printing is an important part of wood coating in which eye-catching patterns or sceneries are digitally printed on wood to make it more presentable. It’s mainly used for accent and decorative purposes. UV LED Curing can obtain perfect printing results with a long-lasting impact.

UV LED Printing

Nowadays, UV LED Lamps are used in the printing industry to effectively cure UV LED ink. The top-notch prints obtained using this technique are mechanical, chemical, and scratch resistant. One can obtain both prints with glossy or prints with an opaque finish. These LED Lamps are specifically placed after the print heads so they can immediately cure and lock the ink into its place.

Almost all such lamps come with instantly operating ON/OFF switches. You can save lots of energy by switching ON the lamp only when required, i.e., in the curing phase of the printing.

Moreover, you can also control the print width using the partialized emitting window to adjust the intensity of certain lamp segments.

1. Flexographic Printing

This printing technique is used for creating packaging materials and labels. It usually involves the transfer of a flexible plate to transfer the image to media. The implementation of UV LED Curing technology gives tighter process control and eliminates the need for chill rollers.

2. Digital Inkjet Printing

In this printing, you can obtain a variety of pleasing printing results at increased speeds. Digital Inkjet Printing can be used for making labels, packaging, posters, 3D objects, and more.

3. Screen Printing

The low heat consumption and high energy output make UV LED a great fit for screen printing. This type of printing is used for tube decoration and direct bottle printing. This eliminates the need for getting labels.

Where to Get the Best UV LED Printing Curing Systems?

After having a look at a few of the endless applications of UV LED Curing in the field of curing and printing, you might want to get a UV LED Printing Curing System for your business. If that’s the case, Tianhui has covered you!

It’s one of the best UV LED manufacturers providing a range of UV LED Solution and UV LED diodes. You can get hands-on experience with their TH-92 365nm 385nm 395nm 405nm for gravure printing, TH-105 365nm 385nm 395nm 405nm for Commercial Printing, and more. Their top-notch quality and reasonable pricing will surely leave you impressed.

Wrapping Up

That was all about the key applications of UV LED Curing in the field of coating and printing field. Hope you find this brief yet comprehensive article worth reading.