IST showcased its swap4cure modular curing platform at LOUPE Americas 2026, demonstrating a system designed to enable label printers and press manufacturers to switch between conventional UV, LED UV and thermal drying technologies.
Presented at Booth 3310, swap4cure is designed around a modular architecture that allows users to select the curing or drying technology best suited to an individual application rather than committing a press permanently to a single process.
The platform addresses changing requirements in label production, including new substrates, water-based inks and coatings, higher production speeds and increasing demands for energy efficiency and sustainability. IST says growing regulatory requirements, particularly for packaging and food applications, are also increasing the need for adaptable curing systems.
In addition to conventional UV and LED UV, swap4cure incorporates thermal drying using infrared and hot air. Modular quick-change systems are designed to reduce maintenance and servicing time while increasing press availability.
Energy efficiency was another focus of IST’s LOUPE presentation. The company’s latest LED technology provides an efficiency of 50% and supports demand-based power control. The platform can also be complemented by Smartcure, IST’s AI-supported assistance system, which analyzes production data to determine the appropriate UV dose for a print job.
According to IST, the approach allows energy consumption to be matched more closely to production requirements while supporting process stability and repeatability.
IST also highlighted LEDcure NX and provided a look toward Freecure, a developing UV curing technology based on the targeted use of high-energy UVC radiation. IST says Freecure is intended to support photoinitiator-free UV systems, potentially opening additional opportunities for food and packaging applications.
For press manufacturers, the modular approach is designed to allow new ink and coating systems, regulatory requirements and future curing technologies to be incorporated without redesigning the entire press architecture.
With swap4cure, IST is positioning curing and drying as an adaptable platform rather than a fixed press component, providing converters with options as production requirements and technologies continue to change.
