The Emerging Technology Of UV Printing In The Packaging And Printing Industry

What is UV Printing?

UV printing is a type of digital printing that uses ultraviolet light to dry or cure the ink as it gets printed on the surface. The Ultraviolet lamps follow closely behind the printer as it applies ink to a material. They "dry" or cure the ink in a matter of seconds.

This technology offers direct printing capabilities onto a virtually limitless range of flat and 3D media, allowing easy and quick product customization. Ultraviolet is used in packaging solutions companies because of this. After the UV ink has been printed directly on the substrate and exposed to UV light, the liquid instantly becomes a solid.

How does it work?

Conventional printing uses inks with special solvents, which evaporate in the air after they are applied to the material. Evaporation of solvents allows for the absorption of ink in the material. Once the solvents have evaporated, ink dries up and leaves a digital image. The process might require different spray powders to aid drying. Moreover, this printing technique cannot be used on materials such as plastics, acrylics, or foil.

Ultra-Violet (UV), Printing - Procedure

To dry ink, UV printing uses ultraviolet lamps. The printer distributes the ink on the material's surface, and the UV lights follow from behind, drying the ink instantly. The trend in printing right now is ultra-violet printing. It is more sustainable than traditional printing.

Direct printing is possible on virtually any 3-D media. This allows for quick product customization. When the UV ink is exposed to ultraviolet light, the ink changes from liquid to solid almost immediately. Because there is almost no evaporation or absorption of ink in the paper, UV inks can be used to print practically any item.

As UV inks dry immediately and release no VOCs into the environment, UV printing is considered a green technology, safe for the environment, and leaves a negligible amount of carbon footprint.

LED UV Printing

Led-UV Printing (or Led-UV Printing) is an advanced form of UV Printing. This UV Printing technology generates wavelengths at a light spectrum between 385-395nm. This light is safer than the other. The results are by far more effective as compared to traditional UV printing.

Printing with led UV is definitely a better deal in many ways. Led UV is safer than UV printing. It doesn't require mercury lamps to cure the inks. Second, it consumes less power than traditional UV printing.

Luxury businesses are looking for long-lasting UV printing. The consumers can get color enhancements on the final printed products with high-quality finishing that leaves a long-lasting impression on the buyer. It is a reliable printing technology that can be used in the FMCG and pharmaceutical industries due to its faster drying times.

The best part is that LED-UV printing is eco-friendly and green technology as there is no VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emission during the printing process. Companies need to spend less on infrastructure to set up LED printing units. Consumers also get a better product with a glossy, shiny finish.

UV Print Technology in Food Packaging Industry

Personalization is big business worldwide and digital UV printing can help you meet that demand, increase your product sales, and remain competitive.

Traditional printing methods can be dangerous because food could get contaminated if ink substances are transferred to food items. These inks could not be cured and were always susceptible to contamination. Final packaging was also not up-to-standard.

It has proven to be very successful in UV printing food packaging. The UV inks are cured during printing, leaving behind no solvents that could contaminate food. This method is being used by more food manufacturers around the world to produce customized food packaging.

UV Printing in Pharmaceutical Industry

Not every label is the same. Different applications require different printing technology. Every label has its own unique aesthetics. UV printing is a form of security printing that is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Labels for pharmaceuticals include labels for medical and drug products. They differ from any other label type in that they are often subject to counterfeiting and forgery. To protect against such bad practices, UV printing is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry that can even be complemented with serialization.

Pharmaceutical printing uses invisible UV inks. This method is one of most effective ways to combat counterfeiting in pharmaceutical manufacturing. These inks cannot be seen with the naked eye, but can be seen using Ultraviolet LEDs. These invisible UV inks are used to identify pharmaceutical products and prevent them from being counterfeited.

UV Printing has Untold Rewards

Undoubtedly, ultra-violet printing is the future of the printing and packaging industry. As suggested by Grand Prints, it is economical and ecological and offers business-generating benefits such as:

Wider range of Print Applications: LEDs offer a greater variety of printing applications. They are extremely cool and produce very little heat. Because of this, they can be used for a wide range of printing applications. You can print easily on heat-sensitive substrates, such as thin slides or self-adhesive sheets.

Faster than Conventional Printing. UV printing is faster than conventional printing. You don't have to wait for the ink to dry as the UV ink dries during the photochemical process. It's almost instantaneous.

Cost-Effective: You can save lots of money as it offers faster drying time. As the finished product dries faster, you can always print more at the desired time. Also, when packaging is printed using this technique, no aqueous coatings are required as in the case of conventional inks.

A vibrant finish: UV printing produces a more vivid finish than traditional printing because the ink is not allowed to soak into the material/paper. This technique allows for photo-realistic printing.

The Bottom Line

UV printing is an industry trend. UV printing will be a growing industry trend in the future. It will also find more applications in other industries. UV printing, with its eco-friendly and cost-effective nature, is certain to be the future in packaging and printing. Full Color UV Customized Printed Products