UV Coating equipment

[bhm8hwcm]

I will be in the market soon for an offline UV coater and wanted to see if people out there had any feedback on machines etc.

A few years ago (3) when I went to Graph Expo there were only a couple of suppliers with coaters and now it seems like everybody has one. Back then it seemed like the long conveyor was important for flow out on the coating and now many conveyors are shorter...or even non existent. Equipment vendors say the coatings have changed so this is not necessary anymore. Companies like Tec Lighting and FMA (some of the originals guys in it) have not done away with their conveyors so is this due to the fact you really do need the long conveyor, or are they just not adapting/keeping up with the times?

I spoke with a Duplo dealer as well about their machine and it looks quite good but costs quite a bit more.

I presently do AQ on cards and personally am not a big fan of UV as I prefer the look of gloss AQ. I also need things to be writeable as many people want to be able to write on the cards. I do understand there is some writeable UV coatings as well as less glossy coatings available. I am getting some samples done up.

Any thoughts.

[Craig]

I was pretty impressed with Tec Lighting at Graph Expo this year, very simple and easy to operate.

[Internal_R&D_Analyst]

If the coating machine has IR on it the convener can be shorter and still give good results.

[Mike Barisonek]

One of the key changes in UV coating over the last few years is the use of Anilox metering systems versus roller metering.

All the high end offset presses that coat in line use Anilox versus roller metering, because it is more user friendly, more repeatable ,and applies satin, matte and specialty coatings without streaking.

Coating formulations have improved substantially also, so that flow out is not nearly the problem it
has been in the past.

Visit Epic Products International, Inc. [ Coaters - Delta Dampening System - and more... ] for more information on Anilox versus roller metering and it's application
on Digital and offset output

[fmatheus]

My Name is Frank Matheus and I am VP of Sales for FMA.

The flow out issue is being debated and will be debated for many years.

Bottom line Flow out is based on the viscosity of the fluid. Manufactures like Kelstar and Nicoat are manufacturing fluids at a much lower viscosity then they previously did. With these lower viscosities flow out takes less time then it did before.

If any one has questions regarding equipment or capabilities of U.V. please call me at 949-697-0502

[ballykea]

FYI- IR dryer does not work on UV and will do nothing to shorten table. It is used only for drying Aqueous coatings. UV is cured not dried.

If the coating machine has IR on it the convener can be shorter and still give good results.

[fmatheus]

You are correct that UV Coating is cured and not dried. Although IR does help with shorting the conveyor because IR will allow the coating to flow out quicker. There are 2 ways to assist in flow out:

1) Time----The longer it takes the sheet to see the lamp the smoother the coating will be.

2) Heat-----Heat will allow the coating to flow out faster in turn giving you a smoother coating. So heat can shorten the dwell time between the coating head and the lamp.

[Internal_R&D_Analyst]

Thanks Frank, what you said is what I was implying.

Most of us realize UV coating needs Ultra Violet light to cure.

[digital-labels]

If you have an email to forward_ I can send you a quick video 18" feed small footprint hand feed or auto ahndfeed is $9999 FOB Grand Rapids, MI.
We have coated primarily glossy-matte finish may be writable glossy is not.
Our main emphasis has been on coating digital output.

We are a dealer for Nicoat too-they are the best.
email to :digital-labels@comcast.net

I will be in the market soon for an offline UV coater and wanted to see if people out there had any feedback on machines etc.

A few years ago (3) when I went to Graph Expo there were only a couple of suppliers with coaters and now it seems like everybody has one. Back then it seemed like the long conveyor was important for flow out on the coating and now many conveyors are shorter...or even non existent. Equipment vendors say the coatings have changed so this is not necessary anymore. Companies like Tec Lighting and FMA (some of the originals guys in it) have not done away with their conveyors so is this due to the fact you really do need the long conveyor, or are they just not adapting/keeping up with the times?

I spoke with a Duplo dealer as well about their machine and it looks quite good but costs quite a bit more.

I presently do AQ on cards and personally am not a big fan of UV as I prefer the look of gloss AQ. I also need things to be writeable as many people want to be able to write on the cards. I do understand there is some writeable UV coatings as well as less glossy coatings available. I am getting some samples done up.

Any thoughts.

[OutSourceD]

We are looking for a UV coater that will lay a coat on output from the Bizhub 6500.