Drying and curing news

UV success up their sleeves

Debuting at drupa is GEW's NUVAplus, a UV curing system designed for curing heavy lay-downs of both traditional and cationic inks and coatings on thermosensitive substrates at high press speeds.

A 'clean cool' airflow system with integral filter in the lamp head is claimed to eliminate dust or ink mist contamination and any disturbance from airflow to the web. Power ratings up to 230W/cm for print widths up to 150cm can be supplied. For the most heat sensitive materials, such as sub 40 micron film or shrink film, NUVAplus FILM is available, with its own water cooled chill roll integrated into the dryer housing.

Also new at drupa is the company's Jetcure UV curing system. Designed for the inkjet market, it is compact and lightweight with adjustable power up to 200W/cm, and with an integral fan in each lamp head.

A NUVA water cooled UV curing system is fitted on an 800mm wide eight colour Soma CI flexo press recently installed at CASIA, Trutnov, in the Czech Republic. The Soma Flex MINI UV press is used to print and convert high quality, flexible packaging and shrink sleeve labels in PE, PP and similar thermosensitive extensible substrates for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries.

Comprising eight water cooled UV lamp heads, the UV curing system features seven after each print station around the CI drum and an eighth unit on a remote drum used for varnish curing. UV lamp arc length is 800mm and up to 200W/cm, enabling the operator to run the press at up to 200m/min. The installation has resulted in the company winning a number of new contracts from the gravure sector and it has now moved to a new and larger cleanroom facility.

GEW regional manager Wolfgang Ziebell states: "We needed to provide a UV curing system which has the power to cure at high speeds and yet does not build up heat on the thermosensitive materials around the CI drum."

Peter Blasko, Soma Engineering's marketing manager adds: "The press at CASIA is equipped with full UV and includes a corona treater and web cleaner for processing film, plastics, paper and board substrates. It is equipped with our CDTS (Central Drum Thermal Stabilisation) feature that eliminates problems associated with press frame temperature fluctuations.

"Press operators at CASIA like the Soma's user friendly interface, quick job change-overs, easy roller handling and reliability. GEW was selected as our partner for this project because of its reputation and experience of UV printing processes and ability to meet our needs with a compact, cost effective system.

  "CASIA likes the UV flexo process for its low ink consumption, no ink degradation and the ability to run process colours for most jobs. The installation has enabled it to penetrate and compete effectively in the high quality, rotogravure market segment of the Czech Republic as well as in Poland and Slovakia."

Spooner installations circle the globe

Web handling and drying of the demanding porous plug wrap paper at Voith Paper – China is achieved using a specially developed variant of the Spooner air turn and the High Performance Compact (HPC) version of its PorousFloat nozzle system. Fans and heaters are located above and below the web within the 2.75m length dryer enclosure to eliminate space usage on the drive side of the machine.

An unnamed "prestigious" coating line machinery builder has selected Spooner as a partner to deliver air flotation drying systems as an integrated part of its complete coating line. Two current installations include a converting plant of a UK paper mill and at a film manufacturing facility where Spooner air flotation dryers form an integrated part of a new BOPP film coating line. Total length of air flotation drying included in these projects is 87m.

In another project last year, a UK customer took delivery of an air flotation dryer. It was the fourth Spooner system to be delivered to the customer's mill sites, and is fitted with the PorousFloat nozzle system designed for stable flotation of non woven and high porosity products.

Spooner Industries claims considerable experience in working with customers to provide control systems whether the requirements are traditional hardwired systems or intelligent fully integrated DCS, PLC or SCADA based solutions. On recent projects it has installed controls based on a variety of systems from suppliers including Siemens, Allen Bradley and Mitsubishi. These included a variety of different human machine interfaces (HMIs) including WINCC, touch screen and screen keypads.

Development delivers electrodeless microwave powered improvements

Better performance and reliability is claimed for the recently launched next generation of Primarc electrodeless microwave powered bulbs. The move follows "an intensive development programme and significant investment in plant and equipment at the company's new purpose built facility in Slough".

The standard electrodeless bulb has a mercury fill, but the spectral distribution can be modified by the addition of special metal halides. Primarc's range is available in six types: mercury, mercury plus, gallium, iron, indium and lead, and the company's R&D department says it is happy to work with a customer to identify the correct bulb for the particular application.

"One of the main advantages of the microwave powered bulb is that there are no electrodes to react and deteriorate. "Consequently, spectral output remains constant throughout the lifetime of the bulb and longer bulb life is achieved, resulting in lower maintenance costs," says Primarc. Bulb replacement is also quicker since the lamp is a push-fit and no connections are required." The company's electrodeless microwave powered bulbs are available in six and 10in lengths. Since there are no electrodes at either end, the full length is available for curing. "As a result of the small bulb diameter a tighter focus is achieved, giving better light penetration and improved cure performance, whilst also radiating less heat," it adds.

Quicksilver safely contained

As UV curing lamps contain a small amount of mercury they are subject to stringent health and safety regulations. Now Heraeus Amba, which offers advice to its customers on safe handling and disposal of UV curing lamps, has introduced the 'Lamp change and mercury spillage kit,' said to provide users with everything they need to operate within the Health and Safety Executive guidelines.

It includes all that is required to handle the delicate process of lamp changing, and also to clean up safely in the event of accidental damage to the lamps. Data sheets and information on the safe handling of UV lamps and a copy of the HSE guideline EH17 for the safe use of mercury are also contained in the kit, which comes in a handy case. It can be prominently located within the factory where UV equipment is operated, explains the company.

Heraeus Amba also offers a free lamp collection and disposal service to its UK customers. Here lamps are returned to the factory where they are collected and the components recycled for use in other applications.

The company claims to be the only British UV lamp manufacturer to attain the ISO9001 Quality System accreditation for the design development and production of UV curing lamps, metal halide lamps and transformers.