One flexographic printing company specializing in label production, with a fleet of seven printing machines, faced a decision to platernize its pre-press. So far, it had been using classic fluorescent lamps for exposing printing plates, but a planned investment in new equipment - including a CtP laser and a platern exposing machine - opened up the possibility of implementing more efficient technologies.
The customer was looking for a solution that would not only maintain high print quality and repeatability, but also improve reproduction parameters such as linearity and minimum point reproduction. It was also important to obtain compatibility with UV inks used in label printing and the possibility of stable use of hybrid rasters. At the same time, the printer wanted to retain the ability to process solvent plates in-house, without giving up its current technological independence.
After a detailed analysis of the needs and available options, it was proposed to implement UV LED technology supported by the QUICKER device. The customer had the opportunity to test the device before making a decision - the tests confirmed that the solution meets all quality and technological requirements.
The introduction of a UV LED light source has brought significant improvements in process quality and reproducibility. Stable and homogeneous light emission made it possible to achieve uniform polymerization and better point reproduction, often achieving better performance than in the previous fluorescent system. This made it possible to maintain the expected level of print quality, while upgrading the entire infrastructure.
The high intensity of the UV LED light also opened the way to the reliable and reproducible use of hybrid rasters, which provided greater flexibility in the execution of orders and even better control over the detail. In turn, the repeatability of the process, resulting from a precisely defined light source, minimized variation between operator changes, reduced color discrepancies on resumes, and reduced downtime and complaints.
The new device has also reduced die processing time and energy consumption. The ability to accurately determine the lighting time directly affected the operational efficiency of the entire pre-press.
Thanks to the implementation of UV LED technology, the printing house quickly modernized its plate-making process, while gaining better quality, higher productivity and greater reliability. The lower purchase cost of the QUICKER UV LED device - noticeably more favorable compared to solutions such as XPS Crystal or CDI Crystal - also played an important role in the decision, which surprised the customer and significantly accelerated the entire investment process.
