Flexibility Opens Up a Universe of UV Applications for Integration Technology
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Integration Technology has stepped up to demonstrate its ability to be ‘innovative, flexible, and pioneering’ – one such example is the development of new products, including a UV sanitizer for the COVID crisis. The business hasn’t shied away from the prospect of new markets, and while UV curing for the print industry remains the core business, refinishing is a key growth area.
The refinishing market is a growth area for Integration Technology
The potential applications for UV means the innovation opportunities are substantial. ‘With UV, you can do almost anything!’ says Koen Santegoeds, Business Development Manager, Europe. For now, though, focus is on the Portable UV range, hand-held curing solutions for a range of industrial applications. The latest addition to the range is the AC500 portable LED curing system, a brand new product created from an existing product and adapted to address a new market, UV curable fillers for adhesives and top coats. The AC500 is an evolution of the AC850, and is aimed at the automotive and industrial markets.
Why the refinishing market as a target? For one thing, it’s growing rapidly, as Koen explains: “We compared a number of studies on the market over the next five years, the exact numbers in billions differ, but they all agreed on one thing – it’s going up.”
How will Integration Technology succeed in this space? The flexibility they can provide as a small, dynamic company is something a number of competitors in the space don’t have. “Our flexibility is a strong USP,” explains Koen, adding: “Because we aren’t a huge corporation we can supply a very quick service. We have our own design department, developing and manufacturing our own equipment.”
That flexibility is crucial to Integration Technology’s ability to meet evolving customer needs, such as the reconfiguring existing products like the AC500, which was initially developed to the specific requirements of a customer in the US. As Koen says: “In the industrial market, we are able to quickly design customised products for machine manufacturers that need a component with specifications beyond those of a standard product. We offer the commodity products that you can select from a catalogue, as well as the project-based products that are bespoke to a customer’s requirements – these are the projects where you need to be a very flexible company, because big company’s often don’t want to do it because of the costs.”
The AC-500 is part of a range of high quality handheld UV LED products