LED UV Technology Benefits for Corrugated Printers Spotlighted at AICC Spring Meeting

By Linda Casey

Baldwin Technology Co. made its case for its pioneering LED UV in corrugated at the 2023 AICC Independent Packaging Association Spring Meeting, at Trump National Doral Resort in Doral, Florida, on April 26.

During the Supplier Innovations session at 8 a.m., Baldwin regional sales manager, Bill Elting, presented a 6-minute overview of the company’s XP Max LED-UV system, which is designed to cure especially wide substrates moving past it on a printing press, corrugated rotary die cutter, or manufacturing conveyor belt. Instead of one long LED array, XP Max uses numerous 20-inch (508mm) modules. These LED modules are set at an angle to allow for overlap of the LED emitting areas, forming a continuous UV curing array that spans any press or conveyor width needed.

Speaking frankly, Elting addressed the fire-safety concerns of corrugated converters and printers and noted the LED window temperatures within the XP Max system are much cooler than both IR and arc UV, resulting in a much lower chance of fire when the corrugated substrate falls onto lamp heads.

Additionally, the LED-UV modules within the XP Max system can significantly reduce energy and downtime costs while improving operational safety. LED-UV technology cures ink instantly with no drying time, using much less energy than both IR and arc UV. The modules can be turned on and off to cover only part of the conveyor, saving energy use when curing smaller stock widths. This arrangement also enables individual maintenance, allowing the removal of a single module without shutting down the full system for repairs.

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Linda Casey Author's page

As editor-in-chief of Packaging Impressions — the leading publication and online content provider for the printed packaging markets — Linda Casey leverages her experience in the packaging, branding, marketing, and printing industries to deliver content that label and package printers can use to improve their businesses and operations.

Prior to her role at Packaging Impressions, Casey was editor-in-chief of BXP: Brand Experience magazine, which celebrated brand design as a strategic business competence. Her body of work includes deep explorations into a range of branding, business, packaging, and printing topics.

Casey’s other passion, communications, has landed her on the staffs of a multitude of print publications, including Package Design, Converting, Packaging Digest, Instant & Small Commercial Printer, High Volume Printing, BXP: Brand Experience magazine, and more. Casey started her career more than three decades ago as news director for WJAM, a youth-oriented music-and-news counterpart to WGCI and part of the Chicago-based station’s AM band presence.