In general, UV printing will be applied to the range of technology in the following simple description:
1. The UV light source device
Including tubes, reflector, energy control device, temperature control device (or the cooling device).
(1) tube
UV light source used by the Lamp, Mercury Lamp, the most commonly used types for internal filling Mercury (Mercury Lamp), sometimes will add other metals, such as Gallium (Gallium).The other metal halogen lamp, and quartz tubes (quartzlamp) is the commonly used types.At present more dependent on imports.Electromagnetic wave emitted from the UV lamp, bearded between 200 ~ 400 nm.
(2) the reflector
Function of reflector is mainly for the UV electromagnetic wave reflection, to increase the efficiency of UV light (UV Tech Publications, 1991), another important function in order to maintain the working temperature of tube.Usually for aluminum reflector surface, the requirement of the reflectance is usually accompanied by up to 90%.
There are two basic types of reflector, the focus on the model, another is defocused model, along with the development of the manufacturers, and the extension of other type.
(3) the energy control device
The main power of this device to control the UV energy is emitted by UV lamp for stability, in order to maintain the hardening of the efficiency and stability, to meet the needs of the different printing speed.There are electronic design and use of microcomputer control.
2. The cooling device
Due to the UV lamp in a UV electromagnetic wave, will also send out the IR (infrared waves), which is the UV equipment in high temperature operation (such as quartz tube temperature can reach 600 ~ 800 ℃), so in addition to will shorten the service life of equipment, also easy to cause scaling, to print to print the gauge can't register, so the importance of the cooling unit.
3. The ink system
Due to UV ink than traditional lithographic printing inks have higher viscosity, and the larger the friction, and the printing press components (including rubber blanket, ink roller, etc.) will damage, so in addition to press for ink in ink tank should be continuously stirring, ink system of ink roll and rubber cloth should be used for UV printing house design.In order to maintain the stability of UV ink again, in order to avoid high temperature affect the viscosity of the ink, the ink roller temperature control device is important equipment.
4. Heat dissipation and exhaust system
Main function for the inside of a machine too much heat and ozone ruled out because of the ink when polymerization hardening.Usually by the exhaust of motor and the exhaust pipe.
5. Ink
Ink quality is good or not directly affects the UV printing is one of the most key factors.It in addition to affect the performance and the quality of the traditional factors such as color gamut, ink printing eligibility more directly affect the printed material for printing after the completion of the plating adhesion, strength, friction resistance, etc.Light starting agent and polymerization monomer type and characteristics as the basis of critical materials.
To control the UV ink adhesion for wet contact with printed material, UV ink printed material surface tension (unit: dynes/cm) must be higher than the surface tension of the ink (Schilstra, 1997), to produce the good ink adhesion, thus control the surface tension of the ink and printed for the important UV printing technology.
6. UV energy measurement devices
Because in the UV printing, UV lamp aging, power supply, printing machine speed and other factors, the need to control the UV energy remain stable, so the measurement of UV energy technology become a very important one annulus.