UV Printing: An Emerging Technology In The Packaging And Printing Industry 96539

What is UV Printing and how can it help you?

UV printing is a type of digital printing that uses ultraviolet light to Full Color UV Corporate Printed Products dry or cure the ink as it gets printed on the surface. As the printer goes on to distribute the ink on the surface of a material, the Ultraviolet lights follow close behind, "drying" or "curing" the ink instantly.

This technology offers direct printing capabilities onto a virtually limitless range of flat and 3D media, allowing easy and quick product customization. Ultraviolet printing is a popular choice for packaging companies. When the UV ink is printed directly onto a substrate, it becomes solid from the liquid when it is exposed to ultraviolet light.

How does it work?

Conventional printing uses inks with special solvents, which evaporate in the air after they are applied to the material. The evaporation of solvents facilitates the absorption of ink into the material, and once the solvents get evaporated, the ink dries up, leaving a digital image. The process might require different spray powders to aid drying. The printing process cannot be used on plastics, acrylics, and foil.

Ultra-Violet (UV), Printing - Procedure

UV printing uses ultraviolet lights to dry the ink as it is printed. The printer distributes the ink on the material's surface, and the UV lights follow from behind, drying the ink instantly. Ultra-violet printing is a trending topic in the printing sector right now and is more sustainable than conventional printing.

This technology offers direct printing capabilities onto a virtually limitless range of 3-D media, allowing quick and easy product customization. When the UV ink is exposed to ultraviolet light, the ink changes from liquid to solid almost immediately. As there is very little evaporation of the solvents and almost no absorption of the ink into the paper, you can print virtually on whatever stuff you want using UV inks.

As UV inks dry immediately and release no VOCs into the environment, UV printing is considered a green technology, safe for the environment, and leaves a negligible amount of carbon footprint.

LED UV Printing

Led-UV Printing (or Led-UV Printing) is an advanced form of UV Printing. This UV Printing technology generates wavelengths at a light spectrum between 385-395nm. This light is safer than its counterpart. The results are by far more effective as compared to traditional UV printing.

Led UV printing is definitely more cost-effective in many ways. First, unlike UV printing, led UV does not require mercury lamps to cure inks. This makes it safer and more affordable. Second, the UV-A spectrum light is used to create the UV-A spectrum. The same protection is provided for the UV-B version. Secondly, the power consumption is lesser than conventional UV printing.

Luxury businesses are looking for long-lasting UV printing. High-quality finishing can be applied to the printed products, allowing the consumer to enhance their colors. This will leave a lasting impression on the buyer. The faster drying time gives a better turnaround time, making it a reliable printing technology for the pharmaceutical and FMCG industries.

The best part is that LED-UV printing is eco-friendly and green technology as there is no VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emission during the printing process. To set up LED printing units, companies need to spend less infrastructure. The end result is a higher quality product that has a shiny and glossy finish.

UV Print Technology in the Food Packaging Industry

Globally, product personalization is a huge business. Digital UV printing gives you the opportunity to satisfy this demand, increase sales and remain competitive.

The conventional print methods were harmful as there were high chances of food getting contaminated when the ink substances get transferred to food items inside the packaging. These inks could not be cured and were always susceptible to contamination. Also, the final packaging of the foods was not up to the mark.

The food packaging industry has seen great success with UV printing. UV inks get cured during the printing process leaving behind no harmful solvents that can contaminate the food inside the packaging. This method is being used by more food manufacturers around the world to produce customized food packaging.

UV Printing in Pharmaceutical Industry

Every label is different. Different applications require different printing technology. Each label is unique, regardless of whether it's for pharma, sports or food. A form of security printing, UV printing, is used extensively in the pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical labels include drug and medical labels, among others. They are susceptible to forgery and counterfeiting, which makes them different from other types of labels. The pharmaceutical industry uses UV printing to protect itself against these bad practices. It can also be used with serialization.

Pharmaceutical printing uses invisible UV inks. It is one of the most successful techniques to prevent counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry. These inks can't be seen by the naked eye but can still be seen when UltravioletLEDs are used. These invisible UV inks are used to identify pharmaceutical products and prevent them from being counterfeited.

The Untold Benefits of UV Printing

It is clear that ultraviolet print is the future for the packaging and printing industry. As suggested by Grand Prints, it is economical and ecological and offers business-generating benefits such as:

A wider range of print applications: LEDs have a lower heat output and are cooler to the touch. This is why they have a broader scope of print applications. You can print easily on heat-sensitive substrates, such as thin slides or self-adhesive sheets.

It's faster than traditional printing: UV printing can be done much quicker than conventional printing. The ink doesn't dry in time because it dries during the photochemical process. It can be done almost immediately.

Cost-Effective: You can save lots of money as it offers faster drying time. You can print more because the product dries quicker. Also, when packaging is printed using this technique, no aqueous coatings are required as in the case of conventional inks.

Vibrant Finish: UV printing gives you a brighter finish. The UV lights don't allow ink to soak into paper/material. Photo-realistic printing is achievable using this technique.

The Bottom Line

UV printing is a growing industry trend. It will continue to rise in the coming years and will find its applications in more industries. UV printing is the future of packaging and printing.