Focus showcases first UV LED press

The headline news was a demonstration of UV LED curing on an e-Flex servo press, with Phoseon TargetCure UV LED system fitted, including the white station. The press was demonstrated running at 150m/min. The job also included a high-build varnish from Flint Group, applied using specially selected anilox rolls supplied by Cheshire Anilox Technology. 

The UV LED-equipped e-Flex is a test bed for Focus and for Phoseon, which supplied the UV LED systems and Flint Group, which provided the inks. Testing of low migration (LM) UV LED inks will be a particular focus. 

‘The knowhow we gain will allow us to give our customers guidance in investment costs and overall lifetime costs, savings and benefits using LED technology,’ said Antony Cotton, sales manager at Focus. 

The lamps are air-cooled, meaning there is none of the ducting or chiller units associated with water-cooled lamps. Being fully selfcontained, retrofitting is much easier. 

‘The lamp becomes part of the fabric of the press, as you are not continually having to replace lamps as with an arc-UV lamp,’ said Rob Karsten, Phoseon’s regional director EMEA, who was on hand to talk about the TargetCure UV LED system fitted to the e-Flex. 

A striking feature of the UV LED-equipped print stations was the lack of noise, which Karsten puts down to the advanced thermal management of the TargetCure system. ‘With TargetCure the lamp temperature remains stable across all ambient operating temperatures and continually monitors the lamp’s efficiency, adjusting output over the lamp’s lifetime.’ Karsten estimates LED lamp life with TargetCure at around 20,000 hours. 

Thermal stability translates into better process control, ‘which makes it easier to control curing on LM UV LED inks,’ according to Karsten. 

Barry Deri, UK-based technical sales manager at Flint Group Narrow Web, was equally enthusiastic on the future of LM UV LED inks, particularly when curing more opaque colors like whites at full press speeds. ‘And using UV LED on whites you don’t get an “orange peel” effect as you sometimes can with arc-UV.’ The Focus e-Flex press was also fitted with chill rolls. Along with the low heat output UV LED lamps, this extends the press’ substrate capabilities to heat-sensitive unsupported films. 

Digital imaging 
Focus showed its d-Flex hybrid digital-flexo press for the first time with Konica Minolta’s latest KM1800i printheads, with digital print engines supplied and integrated by Cambridge, UK-based Industrial Inkjet (IIJ). 

The KM1800i images at 600dpi with a 3.5 picoliter drop size and uses the ‘independent’ firing technology already well proven in the 1024i series. 

IIJ says the heads are suitable for use with recirculating ink systems for jetting white or metallic inks. The heads can be used in binary or grayscale (3bit) modes. 

Focus also unveiled new partnerships to enhance the d-Flex’s digital front end and workflow integration. The Hybrid ‘Pacz’ software now allows operators to adjust colors more easily on the press, without going back to pre-press, and also to better manage workflow integration. 

Both inkjet and UV LED are now available options on all Focus servo-driven presses, including their latest Proflex and Reflex models, as well as the full servo e-Flex. 

The overall impression of label converters at the event interviewed by L&L is that with these developments and partnerships, Focus Label has ‘stepped up a level’ in terms of offering state-of-the-art systems with a strong focus on innovation.