IST America Assesses the Right Cure for Every Job

As label and packaging applications become more diverse, choosing a curing technology is no longer simply a question of conventional UV or LED UV. Substrates, inks, coatings, and individual job requirements can call for very different approaches. IST METZ developed swap4cure around a different idea: rather than committing a press to one curing technology, create a common platform that allows the technology to follow the application. Errol Moebius, president and CEO, IST America, sits down with L&NW to address the topic further.

L&NW: Narrow web converters have been discussing the transition from conventional UV to LED UV for years. Is “UV or LED” still the right question?
EM: Both technologies have their strengths, but neither one is the ideal solution for every application. Traditional UV remains highly versatile and well established across label and packaging production. LED UV offers instant operation, targeted power control, and other process advantages. And when a converter runs water-based inks or coatings, neither UV technology replaces the need for controlled thermal drying.

A more relevant question would be: Which technology is right for this particular job? And, just as importantly, can the press accommodate a different solution for the next job?

L&NW: Is that the thinking behind swap4cure?
EM: Exactly. swap4cure is a modular platform that brings traditional UV, LED UV, infrared and warm-air drying into a common press architecture. Standardized interfaces allow different curing and drying modules to be used within the same system.

The objective is not simply to make a module change faster, it is to reduce the technological commitment built into the press itself. A converter may need traditional UV for one application, LED UV for another and thermal drying for a water-based coating. The technology should adapt to the application rather than forcing the application to adapt to the installed curing system.

L&NW: What does the platform include for traditional UV applications?
EM: For traditional UV, swap4cure interchanges the air-cooled MBS C and water-cooled QNX systems, with output of up to 200 W/cm. The quick-change modules combine the UV lamp, reflector and mechanical components in a matched unit.

Importantly, traditional UV is not treated as a technology that simply has to be replaced by LED. For many applications, it remains a highly relevant option. The platform approach is about using each technology where its characteristics best match the process.

L&NW: Where does LED UV fit into that concept?
EM: LEDcure NX brings LED UV onto the same modular platform. It operates at a peak wavelength of 395 nm and uses a radiation design that creates a broad intensity plateau across the web. LED zones can also be activated according to the required format.

That illustrates an important point: efficiency is not simply about installing a powerful light source. It is about delivering the UV dose required for the specific production job. SMARTcure can additionally support this process by analyzing production parameters and recommending suitable LED power settings.

L&NW: Why include infrared and warm-air in a curing platform?
EM: As some narrow web production is not limited to UV chemistry, the water-based inks and coatings require heat and controlled airflow to remove moisture. THERMOcure therefore adds infrared and warm-air drying to swap4cure. This broadens the concept beyond a choice of two UV technologies. A converter can address different ink and coating chemistries within the same basic platform architecture.

L&NW: How does this help converters prepare for future requirements?
EM: No converter investing in a press today can know exactly which substrates, formulations, or customer requirements will be important five or 10 years from now. What can be planned for is the ability to respond to change. FREEcure is one example. Both MBS C and QNX can be equipped with the technology, which uses an increased proportion of high-energy UVC radiation. With appropriately matched formulations and process conditions, this can create opportunities to reduce conventional photoinitiator use and potentially enable photoinitiator-free applications – an interesting development particularly for sensitive packaging and labeling applications.

L&NW: So, what is the central message for a converter considering a new press?
EM: Don’t look only at which curing technology you need today. Look at how easily the press can respond when that requirement changes.

Future-ready production does not depend on predicting whether traditional UV, LED UV, or another technology will dominate. It depends on retaining the ability to choose the technology that fits the job. For converters handling an increasingly diverse mix of substrates, inks, coatings and applications, that flexibility can become an important part of the press investment itself.