info@sstuvled.comDIFFERENTLY BETTER FOR CURE OF PRINTING INKS
Using the knowledge gained from prior manufacturing of LED wafers and chips, SST engineered a solution built to optimize curing of LED curable printing inks in 2015. 5 patents protecting the design have been awarded. The design incorporates mounting the LED chips directly onto an aluminum/copper heat sink and uses a single quartz domed lens instead of the multiple flat lenses used in conventional LED designs.
PATENTED AS-LED TECHNOLOGY
SST’s completely unique design directly mount chips onto an aluminum/copper heat sink to ensure the smallest number of insulating layers between the UV LED chips and water circulation element. The resulting minimized temperature allows for only room temperature water circulation instead of chilling water or fans to remove heat as required in Conventional LED.
- A double peak irradiance curve provides a much longer ink exposure window
- TIR (total internal reflectivity) is reduced from approx. 40% to less than 5%
- Heat generated is drastically reduced
- Scalable curing length from 2” to 120″s
- Does not require clean room environment for servicing
UV LED BEAM PROFILES FOR FLEXO PRINTING
The chart pictured to the left compares a typical Conventional LED beam profile to the SST LED. The area under the curves is the amount of ink curing dosage which measures LED ink curing capability.
The red curve is for conventional LED and measures the dosage available to cure the ink. The blue curve is the dosage generated by the SST design.
3 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- 27% more dosage (curing power) is delivered
- 70% less energy is required
- Resulting heat is reduced by 60%+
SST LED FEATURES
- Can be customized to utilize 385, 395 or 405 nm wavelengths
- SST’s simple and compact system design involves fewer components with no moving parts
- Enables the industry’s only COLDCURE print environment. Cooled only by room temperature water circulation
- Provides the industry’s longest dwell window via it’s unique double peak irradiance curve
- Includes overheat protection design
- Large cooling capacity, no clogging
- Water lines can be connected either at front or back
- Water channels of the LED curing heads can be linked either in series or in parallel
- Scalable from a curing length of 2 inches to 120 inches.
ADVANTAGES OF SST LED OVER CONVENTIONAL LED’s
- Consumes 67% less energy than Conventional LED and reduces carbon emmissions by the same %s.
- Eliminates the need for chilling systems in flexo applications allowing for flexo printing of high % shrink sleeves without chill drums.
- Requires much lower maintenance and press downtime.
- Provides the smallest footprint and fastest retrofit available – retrofit in one shift in most cases.
- Customizable to fit virtually any print technology or application.
- 3.5 inch modules can be replaced on-site without returning the unit or requiring an on-site visit.
- Can be retrofit onto almost any press or integrated onto a new OEM press
- Eliminates the noise and dirty air movement caused by air-cooled LED systems
- Longer effective life as heat is the #1 determinant of LED chip lifespan
- Provides cooler working environment for press operators and reduces air-conditioning costs
- Eliminates condensation and coolant.
ADVANTAGES OF SST LED OVER TRADITIONAL UV
SST LED provides all the same benefits as compared to Conventional LED and more:
- Reduces energy costs and carbon emmissions by 90% + vs UV arc
- 30,000 hours of expected lamp life vs 800 hours – much more press uptime
- Eliminates the need for exhaust systems – freeing up space and saving money on equipment, energy and maintenance costs and significantly reducing noise press-side
- Eliminates lamp warm up and cool down time with instant on-off lights that are only on when printing.
- UV LED curing units do not generate ozone, do not contain mercury, and emit only UV-A wavelength light close to the visible spectrum – reduced health and safety concerns
- Lower odor inks than UV
- Eliminate mercury bulb disposal and environmental impacts
ADVANTAGES OF SST LED CURING OVER WATER-BASED INK DRYING SYSTEMS
SST LED provides all the same benefits as compared to Conventional LED and more:
- Reduces energy costs and carbon emissions by 65% + vs water-based ink drying
- Press speeds can be as much as twice as fast to increases current press output or delay purchase of a new press.
- Ink mileage per pound will approximately double
- LED inks provide much stronger color densities and white opacities than water-based
- Eliminate the need for an overprint coating in many cases.
