• KBA LED-UV Symposium underlines the leading role of KBA-Sheetfed in the field of LED-UV
• Enthusiastic users report on new business models, opportunities for differentiation and marketing strategies
• Live demos with LED-UV applications for commercial print and packaging
• Premiere: Industrial production with autonomous printing thanks to ErgoTronic AutoRun on a KBA Rapida 106 perfector
• Premiere: Innovative rotary die-cutter KBA Rapida RDC 106 for the first time with automatic stripping for efficient post-production in commercial and packaging applications

On 25th and 26th April, almost 300 existing and prospective users of the still relatively new LED-UV technology met at KBA-Sheetfed in Radebeul to pick up first-hand information on the current state of development. Alongside printers from 21 different countries, numerous representatives of the supplier industry were also present.

KBA-Sheetfed is one of the international technology leaders in the field of LED-UV. The first Rapida 106 with LED dryers went into production in mid-2014. Further milestones included the first medium-format perfector for 4-over-4 production with LED-UV at the end of 2014 and the first Rapida large format installation in 2015. In the meantime, some 50 half-, medium- and large-format Rapidas with LED drying are in use around the world. The majority of these installations can be found in Germany, Japan and France. But in Great Britain, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Poland, the USA and other countries, too, Rapidas with LED-UV facilities are proving increasingly popular, especially among commercial printers. Alongside classic five- and six-colour coater presses, numerous eight-colour perfectors have also been equipped with this future-oriented drying technology.

Process benefits speak for themselves

Enthusiastic KBA users have already discovered the benefits of LED-UV both for their own companies and for their print customers. Environ­mental friendliness and short delivery times are just two of many. Further important aspects include:

• 50 per cent energy savings compared to HR-UV or IR/hot-air drying for coating applications; further savings potential can be realised through job-specific matching of the active dryer format in both the length and width directions
• Up to 20 per cent less waste through the avoiding of scratches and set-off
• Up to 4 per cent paper savings
• 10 to 20 per cent higher production speeds in perfecting mode
• Faster job turnaround as the sheets can passed on immediately for further processing
• Lower rejection rates thanks to the reduced risk of fold cracking in the printed image
• Powder and protective coatings are no longer necessary
• Fewer problems and shorter cleaning times in downstream finishing