GEW develops UV water-cooled reflector profile for wide web

GEW (EC) Limited has announced the development of ISO-cure, a new concept in UV curing with water-cooled reflector profile designed for processing a variety of substrates on printing presses in the mid and wide web range; from 450 mm (18”) to 1450 mm (57”). The ISO-cure design is optimized for situations where the UV lamp head has to be integrated in a compact space on machines such as central impression, flexographic printing presses for flexible packaging.

ISO-cure features the energy saving, e-brick electronic power supply and new lamp reflector design from GEW with all electric shutter operation for maximum performance and cure efficiency. Commenting on the development, managing director Malcolm Rae stated: ‘The design of the reflector on the ISO-cure includes a specially developed glass dichroic surface that enhances UV output whilst maximizing the absorption of IR. Research has shown that this reflector construction gives the best performance for optimizing the ratio of UV reflection to IR absorption.  Additionally, the life of the reflector has been shown to be extended, further reducing operating costs.’

ISO-cure includes a built-in heat exchange system that reduces exhaust air temperatures to a minimum. The extruded aluminum reflector support assemblies are water cooled for cooler running when open with no heat transfer to the substrate during stoppages when the reflectors are closed. The lamp head outer casing is fully water-cooled reducing heat transfer to the press to zero.  Each ISO-cure lamp head can be configured to suit almost all precise machine requirements. Options include an inert gas atmosphere curing chamber, dedicated refrigeration system and UV monitoring on-line or through a docking station with hand held monitor.

Rae concluded: ‘In the past we have supplied UV lamps up to 2,000 mm (78”) wide, generally in a situation where each system was engineered and manufactured on a bespoke, one-off basis.  Now that we are seeing a significantly greater demand for wider UV curing units, from both press manufacturers and end-users, we took the decision to design a new range of lamp heads for this market that are modular in nature and constructed as a standardized product line.  Our drive for delivering value products embodying the very latest technology will continue. We expect the ISO-cure to be adapted for sheet-fed presses in the very near future.’