Why Converters are Upgrading from Mercury UV to LED Curing

UV LED curing technology continues to replace older mercury-based UV technology because it brings sustainability, reliability and productivity to printers and converters. UV LED curing technology is being adopted rapidly by converters and becoming the new standard for UV printing because the advantages are so significant.

The long life and reliable output of UV LED lamps provides consistent cure and process stability. This translates into improved up-time and predictability of cure which benefits all who are involved. Since UV curing issues on press are typically the result of a faulty mercury lamps, the formulation, or the converting process, the use of UV LED technology eliminates the UV curing system as the source of the problem. This saves time in troubleshooting and ultimately has a positive impact on the bottom line. UV LED opens the door to new revenue opportunities with the ability to print on heat-sensitive and thinner substrates, offering increased profitability for printers and converters.

Phoseon Technology’s Nexus ONE™ UV LED curing products for flexographic printing applications bring sustainability, ensure reliability, and increase productivity. Nexus ONE premium UV LED curing lamps deliver maximum power and dose of UV energy for the flexographic markets where high performance is a key requirement. By enabling quality applications at faster press speeds, the Nexus ONE is truly the all-in-one UV LED curing product for flexographic printing.

Sustainability

Phoseon UV LED curing products provide significant energy savings, prevent pollution, and reduce waste compared to mercury UV. Collectively, Phoseon UV LED lamps have eliminated millions of pounds of CO₂ emissions. With traditional UV curing processes, the tremendous heat associated with mercury UV lamps require a significant amount of electricity to operate. Phoseon UV LED technologies provide energy savings up to 85 percent compared to traditional mercury-vapor UV lamps. With Phoseon light sources, there is no need for fume extraction units to remove the gases generated by mercury-vapor UV lamps. Conventional mercury lamps have a very short lifetime and need to be replaced every 1,000-1,500 hours. UV LED curing lamps extend beyond 60,000 hours, if maintained properly. Upgrading to UV LED technology eliminates these replacement costs, offering significant environmental benefits with the elimination of mercury.

Proven Reliability

Phoseon’s Nexus ONE™ UV LED curing solutions include the industry’s first 5-year warranty to ensure reliability. Nexus ONE has a proven long lifetime in a manufacturing environment, offering a rugged, field-tested industrial design for narrow web presses. With an easily replaceable protective glass plate, and minimal maintenance required during the lifetime of the product, Nexus ONE was crafted with integrity at its core. In addition, Phoseon uses patented air-cooled thermal management techniques that remove excess heat from the system while providing a consistent operating temperature for the diodes to function at maximum performance over their operating lifetime.

Increased Productivity

Phoseon’s fully integrated UV LED curing solutions bring higher profits through increased press uptime, scrap reduction with increased yields, and overall increased productivity compared to mercury UV. The intense UV output of Nexus ONE paired with UV LED flexo inks achieves record press running speeds. Due to the long wavelength range of UV LED, Nexus ONE products have the ability to cure difficult inks with reliably higher quality at faster speeds. Nexus ONE runs up to 220 m/min curing speed, with web widths of 375, 450 & 525mm, 65 watts per LED array segment, and is an air-cooled solution (no chiller required).

Upgrade Your Press Today

If you find yourself interested in UV LED curing, consider upgrading one or two stations on your press to see how the UV LED system performs. This is the best way to become familiar with what is possible and demonstrate first-hand the many ways in which UV LED systems are superior to mercury arc lamps. Phoseon’s fully integrated UV LED curing solutions bring higher profits through increased press uptime, scrap reduction with increased yields, and overall increased productivity compared to mercury UV.

The intense UV output of Nexus ONE paired with UV LED flexo inks achieves record press running speeds. Due to the long wavelength range of UV LED, Nexus ONE products have the ability to cure difficult inks with reliably higher quality at faster speeds. Nexus ONE runs up to 220 m/min curing speed, with web widths of 375, 450 & 525mm, 65 watts per LED array segment, and is an air-cooled solution (no chiller required). 

For more information about Phoseon Technology products and services, visit phoseon.com.