THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY FOR THE RIGHT JOB IN CURING

For a long time, using UV or LED UV was one of the key questions when designing a printing press. But given the growing diversity of substrates, ink and coating systems – as well as applications – that question is no longer enough. Neither conventional UV curing, LED UV nor thermal drying can be 
the optimum solution for every application.

Therefore, more relevant is the consideration of how the most suitable technology can be used for each job, without committing the press to that technology for its entire service life.

This is exactly the purpose of swap4cure. The concept is not primarily about changing a curing module more quickly. It is also based on a more fundamental idea of decoupling the printing press from any single curing or drying technology.

“swap4cure provides a shared modular platform”

The requirements within a modern printing press can vary considerably. Conventional UV systems offer high performance and a broad range of applications. LED UV provides high efficiency, targeted power control and instant operational readiness. On the other hand, water-based inks and coatings require a controlled thermal process using heat and airflow. The conclusion is simple – the technology should adapt to the application, rather than the application to the available technology.

swap4cure provides a shared modular platform for conventional UV, LED UV, infrared and hot air. Standardised interfaces and compact modules enable technologies to be changed within the same press architecture.

For press manufacturers, this creates the opportunity to implement different configurations on a common platform. For printers and converters, it means that the technology selected when investing in a press does not necessarily have to remain the same throughout its entire service life.

Technological openness does not mean replacing established technologies. Instead, it means using its respective strengths to deliver the greatest benefit. With MBS C and QNX, swap4cure integrates high-performance conventional UV technology with an output of up to 200W/cm. Quick-change modules combine the UV lamp, reflector and mechanical components in a precisely matched unit. URS® reflector technology directs the UV energy precisely onto the web. At the same time, it reduces heat input, supporting high curing performance and stable processes.

Two different cooling concepts are available – MBS C with air cooling and QNX with water cooling. Both systems can also be equipped with FREEcure. This means that the platform is not only designed for established UV applications, but already provides the system-level foundation for integrating additional curing concepts.

Therefore, conventional UV is not a technology of the past, but one of several options within an open and evolving platform.

LEDcure NX brings the latest generation of LED-UV technology to the same platform. 
The system operates at a peak wavelength of 395nm, delivers a maximum optical output of 38W/cm and achieves an efficiency of more than 50%.

Although, maximum output alone is not the decisive factor. A newly developed radiation design creates a broad, homogeneous intensity plateau, distributing UV energy evenly across the web. LED zones can also be activated according to the format, directing energy specifically where it is required.

This is complemented by SMARTcure, IST METZ’s AI-supported assistance system for LED curing processes. SMARTcure analyses production parameters and colour data. Concurrently, it supports the operator in determining the required UV dose and optimising suitable power settings. Format-dependent LED zone control and data-driven recommendations help to avoid unnecessary energy use while supporting process control and reproducibility.

The principle behind both technologies is the same. An efficient light source alone does not make an efficient process. The objective is not maximum output, but the right dose for the specific job.

Technological freedom of choice does not end with the decision between UV lamps and LEDs. Water-based inks and coatings require targeted heat and controlled airflow to reliably remove moisture from the process. With THERMOcure, swap4cure also integrates infrared and hot air into the platform.

Medium-wave infrared (IR) emitters, carbon emitters and precisely controlled airflow deliver energy directly to the wet film and remove moisture from the process. Temperature and power output can be adjusted to production speed, film thickness and formulation. As a result, a platform for different radiation sources becomes an architecture capable of accommodating different chemistries and processes.

“With THERMOcure, swap4cure also integrates infrared and hot air into the platform”

Perhaps the most important advantage of a modular platform becomes apparent not in applications that are already established today. It is in those that are only beginning to emerge.

FREEcure is one example. The technology uses a significantly increased proportion of high-energy UVC radiation below 220nm. Through the coordinated interaction of plasma technology, lamp material, reflector, filter and control system, the UVC component is specifically increased.

The fact that both the air-cooled MBS C and the water-cooled QNX can be equipped with FREEcure illustrates the platform philosophy behind swap4cure. This is that new technological possibilities should not necessarily require a new press architecture.

In combination with appropriately tailored ink and coating formulations, FREEcure can create new opportunities to reduce the use of conventional photo-initiators. In addition, depending on chemistry and process conditions, it can potentially enable applications free from photo-initiators. This offers particularly interesting perspectives for sensitive packaging and labelling applications.

The key question is not when a specific new technology will become standard. What matters is whether the press architecture is prepared for it.

Those designing or investing in a printing press today cannot know with certainty which substrates, formulations and requirements will be relevant in five or ten years’ time. It is therefore almost impossible to select a single curing technology that will optimally address every future requirement. What can be influenced, however, is the press’s ability to respond to change.

swap4cure follows exactly this platform approach. It uses the most suitable technology for today’s job and responds to new materials and requirements tomorrow. 
It also integrates new technological possibilities over the longer term.

Future proofing does not mean predicting today which technology will dominate tomorrow. It means avoiding an unnecessary commitment to just one.

For press manufacturers, this creates a common architecture for different requirements. For printers and converters, it preserves technological freedom of choice throughout the service life of the press.

The question is therefore no longer simply UV or LED UV. It is which technology is right for a specific job and how choice for the next one is ensured.