US-based print service provider Beau Label has installed its third Illumina LED Retrofit System from Fujifilm to further increase margins and reduce costs.
Image: Officials from Beau Label. Photo: courtesy of Fujifilm, Inc.
The Illumina LED-UV cure features an instant on/off process to reduce the energy usage and stress on lamp bulbs which is experienced in conventional ‘always-on’ UV mercury lamp curing.
Fujifilm said that Illumina system can convert any traditional UV or water-based flexo press to LED-UV curing in one day or less.
The Illumina’s effective ink curing dosage at 20% power setting is claimed as the same as the 100% power setting of other UV LED curing systems.
Beau Label president VJ Melapioni said: “The power savings are enormous. It’s amazing. These units definitely use less power than our air dryers. We literally went from 120 amps to power the old lamps to 10 amps powering Illumina.”
In addition to delivering up to 44% more energy toward the substrate, the patented LED technology is said to deliver five times longer dwell time which will result in faster curing, Fujifilm noted.
Melapioni added: “We have a much lower electricity bill, which is always good, and you feel like you can leave a softer footprint on the world; we are a little bit greener.”
Beau Label is also using Fujifilm’s 300 Series UV LED inks.
Melapioni further added: “We are experiencing phenomenal results, nice gradations; crisp, clean images.
“This client represents a nice, pretty line of detergents. A lot of our success has to do with the improved register on the film liner due to the reduction of heat made possible by Illumina – it was sharp. Fujifilm’s 300 Series UV-LED flexo inks provide brighter, clearer, crisper and cleaner results.”
In 2018, Beau Label has retrofitted a nine-color conventional UV press and an eight-color water-based press with Fujifilm UV LED curing.
Beau Label is engaged in custom printing pressure sensitive labels, including product prime labels, booklet labels, thermal transfer labels, instant redeemable coupons, decals, stickers and static clings.
The firm, which manufactures labels in up to 12 colors including four-color process, serves industries, including food, beverage, wine and spirits, health and beauty, pet supplies, household products, industrial products and promotional products.