UV Light Curing: A Solution to Reduce Print Downtime

In the printing and packaging processing industry, the maintenance of equipment and the downtime of the printing press are very important for increasing the profit of the company and increasing the return on investment (ROI). This is mainly due to the fact that most of the equipment in the company is in several shifts, and if it is shut down at inappropriate times for a few hours, it will cause major losses. There is no solution to reduce printing equipment downtime, the answer is yes, UV curing technology is one of its solutions.

Of course, when it comes to UV light curing, it is a strange word. Because UV light curing is a very reliable curing technology that can replace hot air dryers and other drying technologies, it has been widely used in the printing and packaging processing industry.

UV light curing technology advantages

One of the main advantages of UV curing technology is that the initial investment of UV curing system is less. Compared with the investment of hot air drying equipment, the UV curing system can save 80% of the capital in equipment investment. The other advantages of UV light curing are improved productivity, improved print quality, and diversified print products. In addition, the most prominent advantage is UV light curing that does not emit VOCs (organic volatiles) in the press room and surrounding environment.

UV light curing system is easy to repair and operate, which is also an advantage of UV light curing. UV-curing systems are advanced technologies that may feel somewhat complicated to repair and control UV-curing systems when they are first used. However, in practice, the operation and maintenance of a UV curing system is very simple, the downtime is optimized to a minimum, the maintenance of the UV light curing system is easy, and the operation is simple.

The key to maintaining a UV system is to develop a preventive maintenance plan and maintain the UV light curing system according to this plan. This means that a thorough inspection of the UV light curing system is required, including thorough inspection from top to bottom. Inspections include UV bulbs, lampshades, and mirror liners, as well as inspections of mercury relays, capacitors, and other electronic components.

UV system maintenance

The UV bulb is the heart of any UV system. Correct maintenance and handling of the UV bulb not only increases the lifetime of the UV bulb, but also ensures that the UV bulb operates at maximum luminous intensity. UV bulb inspections are performed once a week to find out if there are any of the following signs:

·Expansion of UV bulb ends

· UV bulb ends curled

·UV bulb ends white

Dust and waste deposits on quartz glass

·The end of the UV bulb is black

If one of the first three items appears, the UV system requires air conditioning or water conditioning (incorrect cooling of the UV curing system).

In addition, it is also necessary that the UV lamp is properly handled. Instead of holding the glass of the UV lamp itself, you can only hold the ceramic end, or wear non-cloth gloves. The oil on the skin adheres to the quartz glass. After a while, the grease burns the UV lamp under the effect of heat. Whenever you need to touch the UV bulb, you can remove the grease from the bulb by scrubbing the UV bulb with an alcohol cleaning solvent after the contact.

The UV lamp itself also requires weekly cleaning and inspection. Careful inspection of the UV light shielding device ensures that there is no leakage of excess UV light while ensuring that air can flow into the UV light curing system. The air intake filter should be kept clean with no dust and debris remaining on its surface. If a quartz plate is used during the UV light curing process, the quartz plate should be periodically cleaned to ensure that the nature of the transmitted UV light is still valid.

A good UV lampshade should use air filter and valve working mechanism, so that the UV light curing system can maximize the effectiveness and reliability. The filter should be clean and dust free so that the air flow is not limited.

UV mirror inspection and maintenance is another simple method to ensure the maximum efficiency of the UV light curing system. For printing and finishing applications, the UV mirrors are mainly used for focusing, and the drying prints to be cured are exposed to the maximum UV light. Since 75% of the UV light reaching the print surface reflects UV light, it is very important to keep the liner clean. When the mirror finish of the mirror is reduced, it must be replaced immediately.

There are many shapes, sizes, and configurations of UV power supplies. Most power supply units are equipped with mercury relays and capacitors for the purpose of controlling the power output. The more advanced the power output technology provided by UV light curing system manufacturers, the UV light curing system power supply can provide unlimited variable output. The HMI-equipped PLC provides a graphical interface that allows it to control and track the operation of the UV light curing system.

Precautions

When you purchase a UV curing system, consider the following factors:

· Can your factory's maintenance personnel easily handle electronic components?

Is the transformer compatible?

• Can the electric box cool down and does it have a lot of filtered air?

Before purchasing a UV curing system, taking into account the above issues, you can save time and money.

The above mentioned steps for using and maintaining the UV light curing system may sound a bit costly, but they are really a good way to save time. Make an hour each week to do some preventive maintenance work. Record the maintenance log. The printing staff and the post-printing staff can make their UV light curing system work at their best, and the equipment will be repaired and shut down. The time is reduced to a minimum. To facilitate trouble shooting, operation, and maintenance of the UV light curing system, the UV light curing system manufacturer will provide a control platform that gives the user full computer control of the operation.

In the printing and finishing industry, press downtime is unavoidable. When UV light curing will increase productivity, improve print product quality, and diversify print services for printing and finishing, preventive maintenance measures are an easy way to prevent printers from shutting down when they are uncomfortable. Before purchasing a UV-curing system, keep in mind that the system's maintenance features are in compliance with UV-curing system standards so that your company's press downtime will be minimized.