LED UV Curing For Corrugated Printing: Why It’s Not A Thing (Just Yet)
Everyone’s talking about LED UV. It’s been all the rage in the printing world, and is rapidly becoming utilized in many other industrial settings, including automotive, aerospace, and food and beverage. But let’s address the elephant in the room: Where is corrugated?
When we talk about drying in corrugated, it usually boils down to one thing: Infrared (IR) or air drying. Many corrugated printers have recognized the immense value in implementing IR drying technology and have been able to up their game in terms of quality and efficiency.
But then there are printers who want to take it to the next level: They’re looking to use, or using, LED UV.
When you step into a Home Depot, or a Lowes, you’ll realize something. These stores are essentially functioning warehouses. The products are thrown around by forklifts and need to withstand the inevitable broken pallet. The majority of their products are kept in plain kraft-liner boxes, so if the box is scuffed or damaged, no real investment is lost.
However, many have realized that vibrant, eye-catching packaging is one of the most effective ways of attracting customers. According to IPSOS, 72% of American consumers say that product packaging design influences their purchase decisions. By employing cutting-edge LED technology and printing methods, corrugated printers are able to help companies stand out among the boring brown boxes.
How LED UV is used in corrugated printing
Printing with LED-curable inks on non-porous/primed corrugated: If corrugated material is non-porous, it can readily receive UV curable inks. With instantaneous drying and half-tone ink options, printing with UV inks creates crisp, vibrant, and precise images, which is useful for high-quality imagery, as well as necessary for QR codes and barcodes.
UV coatings: Corrugated printers apply UV coatings after printing to reinforce packaging and achieve a high gloss effect. UV coatings help make graphics “pop” and add a sleek, clean look to the packaging.
Spot coatings: Here, UV coating is applied to only specific areas of the package. This allows logos, images, or text to truly stand out, creating an element of dimension for packaging.
Plastic corrugated: Businesses are increasingly employing plastic corrugated for their packaging needs, as it is far more durable than standard cardboard. When printing on plastic corrugated, a major challenge is limiting heat exposure, as the plastic could melt, or worse, cause a fire in the event of a machine failure or accident. LED UV inks readily dry to plastic corrugated material, and the low-heat output of LED curing makes it the top choice.
Conclusion:
The world of packaging has changed, and these changes are here to stay. Packaging is no longer just the medium to get a product from point A to point B; it is also a company’s marketing, branding, and identity. For corrugated printers to keep up and stand out, LED UV technology might be the key.