What is UV printing? February 26, 2018 – Posted in: uv printer
At IEHK we hear the question, “what is a UV printer?” quite often. Since we offer numerous UV printing machines, we thought we’d take a moment and write a post about what UV printing really is.
In this post we will cover what UV printing actually is, the benefits of using UV printers versus others, and adding a UV printer to your production capabilities could be great for your business… and your customers.
The UV printing curing technology
Fundamentally, the major differentiator that sets a UV printer apart from other printers is its ultraviolet (UV) curing technology.
UV printers are a form of digital printer that uses ultraviolet lights to dry and cure the ink as it is being printed. UV lights are located directly behind the ink cartridges, and they cure the ink instantly. So, while the UV printer delivers ink onto the surface of your material (the “substrate”), the UV lights are curing the ink instantly.
4 Big Benefits of UV Printing
1. Printing with UV curable inks provides the ability to print on a very wide variety of substrates such as plastics, paper, canvas, glass, metal, foam boards, tile, films, and many other materials.
3. Also, once UV ink is cured, the ink remains weather-resistant and reduces fading or aging.
4. The UV curing process is more environmentally friendly than other ink curing processes. It is more environmentally friendly because UV curing is a low temperature process, a high-speed process, and a solventless process. The process produces very few volatile organic compounds (“VOC’s”) or odor.
Advantages of UV Printing for Your Business
The primary advantage of curing inks with ultraviolet is the speed at which the final product can be readied for shipping. In addition to speeding up production, this also can reduce flaws and errors. This can increase the quality of the finished item, and allow for greater consistency.
Another less obvious benefit is that your business can devote less warehouse space to finishing products, since you don’t have to wait for products to dry. This creates an efficiency that ripples through your entire manufacturing process.