UV LED print curing – Integration Technology Ltd (ITL) expands ‘unrivalled’ UK Customer Centre
A dedicated centre for showcasing and testing ground-breaking applications in high-output UV LED print curing has been expanded with the opening of a new customer application development facility.
British-based UV LED pioneer Integration Technology Ltd (ITL) has extended its Customer Centre to take in a range of printing and application machinery (Editor: see Notes below)
Unrivalled by any other UV LED equipment maker, the ITL Customer Centre, originally opened in December 2009, now offers practical applications testing in addition to meeting facilities and marks the opening of the sixth building at ITL’s Heyford Park Campus near Oxford.
For use by potential clients as well as ink and applications development partners, the £100,000 extension to the customer application development facility is primarily equipped to test and assist in the development of new LED inks for a variety of different market applications under actual printing conditions.
A pioneer in UV technology, ITL has seen growing interest in potential application for its products in product decorating, product packaging, printed electronics, and photovoltaics as well as wide format digital printing where the company has significant market share.
The company is a consistent investor in rolling out ever more advanced solutions to market.
“Despite the recent recession we have continued to invest over eighteen per cent of total overhead in R&D and applications development,” says managing director Adrian Lockwood.
“This latest development demonstrates our long term commitment to bringing cutting edge UV cure solutions to current and emerging markets.”
EDITOR’S NOTES:
Summary of printing and application machinery installed at new ITL application development facility at July 2010 as follows:
- 1.8 M flatbed and roll-to-roll UV inkjet printer, production capable with a 12 x RICOH print head engine complimented by full UV LED curing rated for maximum output speeds;
- Digital label web printer equipped with XAAR, HP and other print heads complemented with both UV LED pinning and final cure stations;
- Heidelberg QM 46-2 sheetfed offset printing press with built in UV LED curing for the testing / development of UV LED offset inks;
- RK Flexiproof 100 fitted with UV LED’s for the development of UV LED flexographic inks, and capable of producing sample prints at speeds of up to 100 metres / minute;
- Ink draw-down and coating facilities to accurately test varying ink films or thicknesses of coatings, which can then be cured either using a precision X axis table or by passing through a conveyor capable of accepting any of ITL products. This equipment has been custom manufactured by ITL especially to enable such testing.
July 2010 and is filed under Technical Centre