The prospect of retrofitting a busy, working press with a UV curing system can be daunting. How long will the retrofit process take? How much production time will be lost? How will it affect the press? What if there are unforeseen problems? Will technical support be provided? Our Retrofit Spotlight video addresses these and many other questions, in detail.
Whatever the machine type, our retrofit process is designed to ensure that press downtime is kept to an absolute minimum, by taking a ‘less-haste-more-speed’ approach. More time is spent on the upfront engineering of the system, to ensure that the integration and installation are seamless. The same detailed planning process is methodically followed for every installation, whether it is for a label or sheetfed offset press, coating or converting machine, or for a specialist UV system for an industrial application.
What is a UV retrofit?
A UV retrofit is an installation of UV curing equipment onto a printing machine that is already installed or in use at the end customer. GEW can retrofit both mercury arc and UV LED curing equipment.
The new UV can replace or sit alongside existing drying technologies such as powder spray, infrared, hot air, electron beam or old arc and microwave UV.
Retrofits can refresh existing technology at the end of its life, increase productivity or speed of the machine and expand the range of manufactured goods. And increasingly UV LED retrofits can transform sustainability credential and deliver huge energy cost savings.
GEW have successfully undertaken retrofits in almost every conceivable printing, coating or converting application and can provide detailed return on investment calculations for any situation.
Why retrofit with GEW UV technology?
Overall benefits
- Increase capacity fast:
- A new UV or LED system for your press can drastically change the productivity of the machine
- GEW offer the fastest retrofit delivery (as little as 6 weeks) available anywhere
- Access new business and create new products:
- UV allows printing on materials that were previously inaccessible
- UV achieves higher quality, more durable print and packaging
- Step change your energy use and sustainability credentials:
- LED retrofits can reduce energy consumption by typically 50-70%. High energy costs in today’s world mean ROIs often less than 24 months
- No ozone or mercury and huge carbon footprint reductions make LED a sustainable choice for you and your customers
- There are ArcLED benefits for customers who want mercury arc and UV LED on the same press.
UV LED benefits
For printers with UV curing equipment on their machinery:
- Step change process control:
- UV LED output is consistent over its lifetime, giving perfect UV process control when compared to the more variable output of conventional arc systems
- Cut your energy costs:
- Reduce energy costs typically 50-70% and deliver ROIs in less than 2 years
- Faster curing:
- Industry-leading dose output supports the market’s fastest printing speeds
- Print without limitations:
- Unsupported films, shrink sleeves and other delicate materials can be processed without heat damage
UV LED benefits
For printers without UV curing equipment on their machinery:
- Sharper dots and vibrant colours, resulting in a better product
- No more marking and scratching in the delivery or perfecting process, no more sealer
- Instant drying means much faster turnarounds
- UV LED polymer inks allow successful printing on almost all stock types
- Reduced energy consumption