UV curing specialists GEW have announced the launch of a major new product for both the company and the narrow web printing market. AeroLED is a fully air-cooled, high power UV LED system for full cure, printing, coating and converting applications up to 60cm wide. AeroLED delivers power and reliability with a unique concept which eliminates many of the operational problems in existing air-cooled LED systems on the market. Moreover, the innovative design makes AeroLED extremely cost-effective, and step changes the accessibility of LED printing.
 
Unique air-cooling process
In an AeroLED system, the first significant innovation is in the air-cooling process. Cool, filtered air is distributed from a single centralized fan sited away from the press and exits through the UV lampheads, for quiet and reliable operation. The remote positioning of the fan avoids common problems caused by ink mist and dust ingress, while large air filters reduce the filter replacement cycle. There is no need for integrated fans or electronics in the individual lampheads, which eliminates the high-pitched noise and contamination issues that these bring. AeroLED features the same LED chassis and core components as GEW’s LeoLED lamphead, for proven reliability straight from launch day. As with LeoLED, the new lamp uses GEW’s standard cassette design for easy maintenance, with tough watertight seals to protect the LED modules from ingress and to make cleaning easy and safe. Every aspect of the design has been carefully considered to deliver robust performance and long-term reliability.
 
Low energy usage matters
AeroLED’s efficient optical design enables the lowest energy usage of all GEW products. This delivers energy savings of typically 50-70%, when compared to a conventional UV arc system. In addition to offering greatly reduced operating costs, printers upgrading to LED can free up a significant level of mains capacity, which can then be used to install new machinery and subsequently increase production capability. Two AeroLED systems have a lower electrical supply requirement than just one conventional arc UV system.
 
Easy to install, easy to retrofit
In addition to the sustainability benefits of AeroLED, GEW highlight the ease of installation to those considering a retrofit upgrade. Robert Rae, Managing Director of Sales at GEW, explains: “As AeroLED has GEW’s familiar E2C cassette design, upgrading an E2C system with RHINO/RLT power only requires switching to the AeroLED lampheads and the addition of a fan filter unit. All other components on press remain the same. This means that a retrofit upgrade can be implemented in as little as one day and makes AeroLED the most cost-effective route to LED printing available, worldwide.” He adds: “Those new to GEW products will find the cost of a complete new AeroLED upgrade to be highly competitive, and something that pays for itself typically within two years through energy savings, not to mention the increased productivity that LED systems bring to press.”
 
A further advantage of LED in the curing process is its predictability and stability of UV output. AeroLED delivers a step change in process control by ensuring stable UV output year after year, and eliminates the uncertainty of conventional UV lamps, reflectors, and mechanisms to ensure consistent production quality.
 
RHINO and Industry 4.0 Remote Monitoring
As is the case with all new GEW UV products, AeroLED uses GEW’s RHINO power supply and control range, for ultimate reliability with Industry 4.0 approved, IoT Remote Monitoring as standard. GEW’s Remote Monitoring platform has come as standard with all GEW systems since 2018, and the company now boast over 21,000 installations worldwide. Remote Monitoring is an ‘Internet of Things’ technology where every lamphead is connected online and reports data back to GEW live, and for the entire service history of every lamphead. GEW can see a variety of key data points for each lamp, including voltage, current, temperature, downtime, lamp on/off, running speed, and more. Once this data is collected from the press, it is passed on to the Cloud at 10-minute intervals, where GEW can then access this data for fast service response; at no point do GEW have access to client servers or databases when this technology is in place.
 
There are numerous benefits of this system for customers. Firstly, it enables GEW to offer the fastest service response on the market. They can make changes remotely to any system, view the system to analyze problems, spot trends in lamp usage that can or have caused problems, and issue updates for the customer to download. This means they can solve many service issues quickly and remotely, without having to go to site.
 
The second benefit is that issues with the system cannot be miscommunicated, as can happen when problems are dealt with by a phone call. As the system is integrated into the press on installation by GEW’s service team, they can see every button push and every signal the machine sends to the UV system. This allows GEW to see all necessary aspects of the UV system, to ensure it is running correctly, 24/7/365.
 
The third benefit is preventative maintenance. This is a service GEW offer free of charge to every customer with Remote Monitoring installed, whereby GEW technicians monitor every system on an ongoing basis and proactively recommend any changes necessary, such as software updates or operational adjustments.
 
What do users say about AeroLED?
UV LED is no longer just a technology for the future, it has become an essential technology for the present day. This change has been driven by the recent and dramatic increases in global energy prices, creating an unprecedented demand for low-energy, sustainable LED solutions, as well as improved ink technology and availability. Technological advancement is leading to ever more efficient and cost-effective UV LED products, as is demonstrated by the introduction of AeroLED.
 
The benefits are best summarized by Mark Freestone, Operations Director at Label Express Ltd in England; Label Express were among the first users of GEW’s ground-breaking new UV LED system: “We were keen on the idea of LED, but we have a preference for air cooling, as all our other systems are air-cooled. So, when GEW suggested we upgrade to AeroLED it was an easy choice because the energy use is so low without a chiller, and we did not need any new power drops. Installation was very fast, as the existing power cabinet and all the mounting brackets remained the same. With perfect curing from day one we are convinced AeroLED is the future for Label Express, both for productivity and profit.”
 
AeroLED in summary
Robert Rae concludes with his view on the current market: “At GEW we are seeing a record number of orders across all system types and LED business significantly increasing from both OEMs and end customers alike. In the next two years, LED could reach 50% of GEW’s output and we are gearing up for this, with a recent major investment in further new UK production facilities.” He concludes: “With the introduction of AeroLED, with its unique concept and highly competitive cost, the case for printers to upgrade to LED is stronger than ever before. The opportunities are huge, and we are convinced LED will soon become the dominant technology in our narrow web market.”
 
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About GEW
 
GEW designs and manufactures Arc and UV LED curing systems for printing, coating, and converting applications. The company is the leading manufacturer of UV systems for label and narrow web printing, with a world-class production facility at its UK headquarters, subsidiaries in the USA and Germany, and an extensive network of worldwide distributors.
 
GEW has over 30 years of experience in the UV curing industry and recently celebrated installing its 20,000^th UV curing system. With over 130 employees worldwide, GEW is well positioned to supply, support and service the label and narrow web market worldwide alongside its distributors.