Keeping up Appearances

Perhaps the most common aesthetic challenge presented by UV coatings is a low-gloss factor. Rad-Cure's VP/Technical Director Jim Wittig identifies key gloss elements as stock type and coating weight. Porous stocks translate to a reduced degree of gloss, as do thin coat weights. A less obvious culprit, Wittig observes, may be the anilox. Ceramic aniloxes transfer more coating at a given cell count; therefore, a finer anilox (with a high cell count) will deposit a smoother coating, and, in turn, more gloss.