Substrate cooling

The UV curing process is energy-intensive and causes both direct and indirect heating of the target substrate, which in the majority of cases needs to be controlled. For safety reasons, some form of barrier behind the target substrate to shield off and dissipate stray radiation from the lamp is essential for protecting the machine and its operators. The three most common methods of substrate cooling that meet both of these requirements are:

• Air cooled heatsinks
• Water cooled heatsinks
• Water cooled chill rollers

Where roll material is being processed, the most common solution for this is an extruded aluminium heatsink plate. GEW have a very neat solution for this which is integral to the UV lamphead and can be either air or water cooled, depending on the application.  For the majority of processes this method is very effective, unless very heat sensitive materials are being used.

Synthetic polymer materials are increasingly chosen for labelling, packaging and other manufacturing processes, and these have become progressively thinner to be more economically and ecologically viable. This, however, has also meant they have become progressively more heat sensitive. Many manufacturers of printing or coating machines have responded by installing chilled rollers for the UV lamps to be mounted against, in place of the usual heatsink plate. 

Where heat-sensitive materials need to be UV-cured on a press or coating line with no chill rollers of its own, GEW can supply the UV lampheads with their own precision-engineered, integral chill roller. The web can then remain firmly in contact with the roller as it passes under the UV lamp, whilst the roller supports the material and conducts away the heat from the curing process, leaving the finished product in pristine condition and accurately printed in register.