Mike Higgins joins L&NW to discuss how Phoseon has optimized UV LED curing solutions for the narrow web flexo printing market and what to expect in the future.

As sustainability continues to lead the way in the label and package printing industry, the adoption of UV LED curing has been among the biggest trends in our industry. Market acceptance is growing, not only for the environmental benefits but also for the cost savings afforded with energy-efficient technology.

Phoseon Technology has ramped up R&D to continue to better serve the narrow web label market. Recently, L&NW caught up with Mike Higgins (Director of Sales for the Americas, Phoseon Technology), to learn more about Phoseon’s current initiatives and how the company is positioning its customers for future success.

See full video: HERE.

With sustainability and energy top-of-mind for so many in the printing industry, UV LED curing has emerged as one of the most recently adopted technologies. In fact, many converters have touted the capabilities and energy savings associated with this technology. With greater market acceptance. Phoseon has increased production in the narrow web space to meet industry demands.

Q: What is the state of UV LED in the flexographic market today, and what would you say have been the biggest advancements over the last 3-4 years?

“We’re no longer trying to convince people that UV LED is a viable alternative to traditional arc lamps. Now, it’s more about determining how LED can really help advance manufacturing processes for converters. The quality, and the performance of UV curable inks has improved significantly over the last few years, and what converters can expect from the Phoseon Nexus ONE™ is consistency of power output over time, as well as really high peak irradiance and energy density. Energy density is what’s giving you consistent cure and allowing presses to run 6 - 7 - 800, even up to 1000 feet per minute in several situations.” – Mike Higgins.

Q: Being that there are several UV LED curing systems on the market today, what should converters know about the Nexus ONE™ from Phoseon, and how it separates from the competition?

“We’re on our 5th generation LED curing system for narrow web flexo, and we’ve been able to take everything that we’ve learned over our 20-year history and build it into this design. What really matters to get long life and a lot of energy out of a LED system, is thermal management, and optical management. So, by removing the heat off the back end of the diode efficiently and maximizing the amount of energy that is going down on to the web, that’s when you’re really going to get fast press speeds, in addition to long lifetimes. And all of this is backed with a 5-year warranty that comes standard with the Nexus ONE™ system.” – Mike Higgins.

Q: What can we expect from Phoseon in both the short- and long-term future, especially as it relates to the flexographic printing market? 

“We’re in a data driven world, and the Nexus ONE™ has live online monitoring capability from your phone or from your computer, which many people are interested in and are expecting moving forward. This advancement is something that is unique, something that we haven’t done in the past; But we do believe that this is going to be of great value for converters both in the short and long term. And this aligns with the industry 4.0 compliance, which we see a lot coming from Europe and expect to impact North America and the rest of the world as well.” - Mike Higgins

Additionally, Higgins notes the benefits of Phoseon’s partnership with parent company Excelitas Technologies. Excelitas acquisition allows both companies to complement their existing technology offerings and provide opportunities for expanded R&D cooperation to better serve customers.

Learn more about Nexus ONE™ UV LED curing solutions at: https://phoseon.com/industrial-curing/