Baldwin Technology Company Inc.—a one-stop source for high-performance coating, curing, treating, cleaning and inspection solutions—will feature pioneering new technology for optimising converting, printing and film-extrusion processes at ICE Europe, which will be held at the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany this month. Baldwin’s innovations are increasingly important now because they can help customers meet the burgeoning demand for film and packaging amid the many economic and logistical headwinds challenging the industry.
In addition, Michael Stürmer, Baldwin’s Director of Strategic Accounts, will present “Back to the Future: The 100-year-old process-automation solutions the corrugated industry has overlooked, until now!” at 11:30 am March 17 during the International Exhibition for the Corrugated and Folding Carton Industry, held in the same location as ICE.
Baldwin provides converters with expertise and a broad range of market-leading innovations that offer superior print results, and enhance the economic and environmental efficiency of print production processes. Solutions on display at ICE will include automated cylinder cleaning systems, corona surface pretreatment systems, LED-UV curing and IR-drying systems, hot-air dryers, rotary spray systems, and technologies for colour management and defect detection, all of which increase productivity, reduce waste, improve working conditions and provide full control of producing flawless products.
“Ten years ago, the industry could manage with standard UV or IR/hot-air dryers,” said Carsten Barlebo, LED-UV Process Technology Specialist at AMS Spectral UV, a Baldwin Technology company.
“Now, we see customers adopting LED-UV to allow them to compete and print the highest quality work at the fastest possible speeds while improving their carbon footprint.”
Among the latest additions to Baldwin’s innovative lineup to be showcased at ICE is the new XP Quatro Series LED-UV curing module with one head and two frequencies for broader applications. It is designed to economically and efficiently cure LED-formulated printing inks and coatings on sheetfed and web offset printing presses, as well as on larger-format flexo presses and digital print engines.
Offering numerous market-leading features and patented dual-optic technology, the XP Quatro Series module provides unprecedented system flexibility and reliability. Hosting two large, high-performance LED-UV arrays, the new module delivers double the dose of a standard LED solution in a size only slightly larger than Baldwin’s standard compact XP Series module. The XP Quatro Series can emit two different wavelengths from the same head, so with deep, layered substrates, for instance, the longer wavelengths can penetrate further, and in applications that require simultaneous powerful surface curing for inks or adhesives, the shorter waves can achieve this at the same time. Additionally, in applications with dual chemistry on one substrate, such as two ink colours that cure better with different frequencies, both can be perfectly cured simultaneously.
With the XP Quatro Series, customers can easily integrate LED-UV technology into virtually any analog or digital printing press, further
enhancing print quality while operating at top industrial speeds, and driving increased productivity and profitability.
Also at ICE, Baldwin will feature its automated FilmCylinderCleaner™, which consistently and efficiently cleans debris from the surface of process cylinders, ending the need for hand-cleaning. By automating this process, film extruders avoid stopping the line for debris buildup on the cylinder surface, eliminating restart waste and web-breaks, and dramatically increasing operator safety. By enabling shorter production changes, the FilmCylinderCleaner increases output and efficiency, while improving quality.
“Customers don‘t want to clean these large cylinders by hand,” said Baldwin’s Chief Commercial Officer Peter Hultberg.
“The demands for a safer working environment, quality output, reduced downtime and increased production capacity are driving the industry to adopt automated solutions. Baldwin’s automated FilmCylinderCleaner is a proven, easy win that offers the added benefit of dramatically reducing the risk of damaging cylinder surfaces.”
