Constantia Flexibles has announced the inception of LED UV technology at its facility in Mason, OH, USA. Flint Group Narrow Web and Phoseon Technology have worked with the company since 2014 to implement the technology in its Spear printing presses.

The initial discussion revolved around the various ecological and economical advantages available when running LED UV lamps and inks. The Spear plant was interested in the possibility of increased run speed, improved performance and the reduced energy consumption as compared to a conventional mercury system.

Constantia Flexibles decided to retrofit existing presses with UV LED lamps.

“For us, the initial investment into LED started with a challenge; screen ink curing is the limiting factor when it comes to speed,” explains Bob Feldman of the Spear plant. “We wanted Flint Group to help drive our costs down and the biggest obstacle was run speed. Flint Group came in with an Uptime Solutions program aligned to our Lean Six Sigma. Using both, we initiated a challenge to test the limits of our press. Over the course of one week, a 12-person team performed 48 different trials with six inks, two curing systems and two workflows in two press conditions. Performance indicators were defined and measured carefully.”

The Mason plant experienced over 50% run speed improvements with UV flexo and screen inks. In addition, the LED UV system used 25% of the power that a conventional mercury system used.

“What really excited us was speed improvement,” adds Feldman. “With LED UV curing, we were able to increase our speeds by 50% of our baseline, and that was just the initial result. Operating temperatures were lower than with mercury curing equivalents. And, there were no cure issues and no discernable performance differences with ink coverage and mileage.”

The lamps chosen for the Spear plant are Phoseon Technology Firepower LED lamps and the LED UV inks by Flint Group Narrow Web are under the brand name of EkoCure.

“Flint Group and Phoseon would like to thank Constantia Flexibles for the opportunity to perform extended tests with LED UV,” says Guillaume Clement, vice president, Global Narrow Web. “This testing helps both companies, and the industry, see the true possibilities that can be achieved with new technology. Innovation, which delivers sustainable economical advantages for our customers, is our mission. It is greatly appreciated to have a partner like Spear, who is willing to push the technological boundaries of success.”