Strong partnership between technology leaders leads to innovative solutions for flexible and highly productive printing processes.
Heraeus Noblelight, a specialist for industrial light source solutions, supplies UV LED curing systems for Peak Performance Speedmaster presses from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft. This DryStar LED curing system was developed in close cooperation and today equips more than 1,000 printing units with over 250 UV LED bars. The innovative solutions from Heraeus Noblelight with ultraviolet and infrared light sources are tailored to the needs of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen printing presses and provide reliable, powerful and efficient drying and curing processes.
Increased production and expanded printing capabilities
DryStar LED and other products in the Heraeus UV LED "Semray" family have special micro-optics on the LED arrays which collect and optimise UV radiation and minimise stray light. The UV LED unit emits up to 30 percent more active UV energy to the product, resulting in high print production speeds and the ability to print on heat-sensitive substrates. The negative effects of heat in the process can be eliminated. Printers using the new LED curing technology can accept new types of print jobs to expand their customer base and grow their business.
"The system runs with the lowest energy consumption and still delivers maximum performance during standby, rinse and make-ready times. It automatically reduces power consumption to near zero," says Martin Zibold, Product Manager DryStar Technologies at Heidelberg Sheetfed.
When entering the sheet format at the Prinect Press Center, the automatic format setting automatically sets all LEDs in the bars according to the lateral and circumferential direction of the sheet format - with an accuracy of up to 1 mm. This results in additional energy savings of up to 40 % in standard format production sheet by sheet.
"The intelligent temperature management of a DryStar LED cooling unit brings additional savings in energy calculation. In this precision, a unique and outstanding advantage for achieving highly productive and ecological UV curing results with the lowest energy consumption costs," says Frank Mohr, Key Account Manager for Heidelberg presses at Heraeus Noblelight.
The unique technology of Heidelberg's DryStar LED system is designed to meet the high demands of Heidelberg's sheetfed offset printing operations: Thanks to its revolutionary optical concept, it delivers the highest dose at long working distances. DryStar LED achieves the best curing results even with high ink and coating coverage on paper and board, whether coated, metallized or uncoated, and especially on heat-sensitive materials such as plastics or foils. Combined with a higher production bandwidth and no waiting times with instant start and stop functionality, the system can offer an optimized price/sheet or sheet/hour performance compared to conventional technologies.
