The Emerging Technology Of UV Printing Within The Packaging And Printing Industry
What is UV Printing and how can it help you?
UV printing, a form of digital printing, uses ultraviolet light to dry and cure ink. The Ultraviolet lamps follow closely behind the printer as it applies ink to a material. They "dry" or cure the ink in a matter of seconds.
This technology allows you to print directly onto virtually any type of media. Ultraviolet printing is a popular choice for packaging companies. When the UV ink is printed directly onto a substrate, it becomes solid from the liquid when it is exposed to ultraviolet light.
How does it work?
Conventional printing uses inks with special solvents, which evaporate in the air after they are applied to the material. The solvents evaporate in the air, allowing for ink to be absorbed into the material. After the solvents are removed, the ink dries and forms a digital image. Different spray powders may be required to speed up drying. Moreover, this printing technique cannot be used on materials such as plastics, acrylics, or foil.
Ultra-Violet (UV) Printing - Procedure
The ink is dried by UV printing using ultraviolet light. The ink is applied to the surface of the material by the printer. The UV lights then follow behind drying the ink immediately. Ultra-violet printing is a trending topic in the printing sector right now and is more sustainable than conventional printing.
This technology offers direct printing capabilities onto a virtually limitless range of 3-D media, allowing quick and easy product customization. The UV ink is printed directly on the substrate. When exposed to UV light, the ink turns almost instantly from liquid to solid. As there is very little evaporation of the solvents and almost no absorption of the ink into the paper, you can print virtually on whatever stuff you want using UV inks.
As UV inks dry immediately and release no VOCs into the environment, UV printing is considered a green technology, safe for the environment, and leaves a negligible amount of carbon footprint.
LED UV Printing
Led-UV printing is the advanced version of the UV Printing technology generating the wavelength at a light spectrum of 385-395nm (nanometre). This light is safer than its counterpart. The results are by far more effective as compared to traditional UV printing.
Printing with led UV is definitely a better deal in many ways. Led UV is safer than UV printing. It doesn't require mercury lamps to cure the inks. Secondly, the power consumption is lesser than conventional UV printing.
LED UV printing provides a long-standing quality that every luxury business is aiming for. High-quality finishing can be applied to the printed products, allowing the consumer to enhance their colors. This will leave a lasting impression on the buyer. It is a reliable printing technology that can be used in the FMCG and pharmaceutical industries due to its faster drying times.
LED-UV printing is a green and eco-friendly technology. There is no VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), emission during the printing process. Companies need to spend less on infrastructure to set up LED printing units. The end result is a higher quality product that has a shiny and glossy finish.
UV Print Technology for Food Packaging Industry
Globally, product personalization is a huge business. Digital UV printing gives you the opportunity to satisfy this demand, increase sales and remain competitive.
Traditional printing methods can be dangerous because food could get contaminated if ink substances are transferred to food items. These inks weren't cured, https://www.mitmoradabad.edu.in/elearning/profile/a9ebhxm622/ so there was always the risk of contamination. Also, the final packaging of the foods was not up to the mark.
It has proven to be very successful in UV printing food packaging. The UV inks are cured during printing, leaving behind no solvents that could contaminate food. This method is being used by more food manufacturers around the world to produce customized food packaging.
UV Printing in Pharmaceutical Industry
Every label is different. Different applications call for different printing technologies. Every label has its own unique aesthetics. A form of security printing, UV printing, is used extensively in the pharmaceutical industry.
These labels can include medical and drug labels. They can be counterfeited and forgeried more often than any other type of label. To protect against such bad practices, UV printing is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry that can even be complemented with serialization.
Pharmaceutical printing uses invisible UV inks. This is one of the best ways to stop counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical sector. These inks cannot be seen with the naked eye, but can be seen using Ultraviolet LEDs. These invisible UV inks are used to identify pharmaceutical products and prevent them from being counterfeited.
UV Printing: Untold Benefits
Ultraviolet printing is undoubtedly the future of packaging and printing. Grand Prints suggests that it is both economical and environmentally friendly and has many business-generating benefits, such as:
A wider range of print applications: LEDs have a lower heat output and are cooler to the touch. Because of this, they can be used for a wide range of printing applications. Printing on heat-sensitive substrates like self-adhesive sheets or thin slides is possible.
It's faster than traditional printing: UV printing can be done much quicker than conventional printing. You don't have to wait for the ink to dry as the UV ink dries during the photochemical process. It can be done almost immediately.
Cost-Effective: You can save lots of money as it offers faster drying time. Because the finished product is able to dry faster, it can be printed more quickly. Also, when packaging is printed using this technique, no aqueous coatings are required as in the case of conventional inks.
Vibrant Finish: UV printing provides a more vibrant finish because the UV lights give no time for the ink to soak into the paper/material. This technique allows for photo-realistic printing.
The bottom line
UV printing is an industry trend. This industry trend will only continue to grow and find applications in many more industries. UV printing is the future of packaging and printing.