The fourth generation of AMS’s award-winning Peak UV Curing System —
PEAK LED-UV™ — represents a transformational solid-state product for
printing, packaging and finishing industries.
PEAK LED-UV FEATURES
The PEAK LED-UV™ system brings revolutionary high-power UV LED
curing in a compact, solid-state device at a fraction of the energy
costs and complexity of a conventional arc-lamp UV system.
- High intensity, pure, uniform UV LED energy delivered to work surfaces at distances up to 4 inches (100 mm) away.
- Ability to operate at just 20% of the energy required by today’s high-power UV arc lamp systems.
- Instant On/Off digital control of the lamp module eliminates warm-up time, and saves hundreds of hours annually.
- No IR heat is emitted from the LED light source which protects the press and elminates substrate issues.
- Up to 20,000+ hours from the LED light source obviates the need for replacement bulbs.
- Solid-state design means no moving parts that might lead to costly downtime and maintenance.
- Compact DC power, control and water cooling eliminate the need for an invasive footprint.
- Small, scalable, interchangeable module is designed to integrate easily into all OEM equipment.
BREAKTHROUGH LED UV BRIGHTNESS AND POWER
A breakthrough in high-brightness, thermally efficient LED chip
technology has led to a new AMS architecture for powerful,
ultra-efficient, solid-state UV LED curing devices.
Most UV LED devices measure radiant power at the chip surface or at
the emitter window. PEAK LED-UV measures it at the work surface, which
is typically 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) to 4 inches (10 cm) away.
PEAK LED-UV modules provide the highest UV LED radiant intensity available
at the work surface, measured at over twice the intensity compared to
even recent generations of comparable UV LED devices.
The PEAK LED-UV module further allows positioning at varying distances
from the substrate without significant loss of uniformity or optical
power, a critical requirement for integration on printing and process
SCALABLE, SOLID-STATE DESIGN
PEAK LED-UV modules were engineered with a flexible architecture to scale between 3 and 80+ inches wide
(80 mm to greater than 2 meters) and to accommodate virtually any machine integration requirement or curing scenario.
The powerful, rugged PEAK LED-UV units
come in a profile just 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) square, and are designed to
quickly integrate into most machines on the market.
An ultra efficient water-cooled extrusion
forms the backbone of the durable unibody housing, and the no moving
parts are available to wear or fail.
By integrating a
patent-pending optical, thermal and interconnect design into a scalable
module, AMS has engineered an answer to digitally-oriented UV curing
requirements and clean, energy-efficient, green technology demands of
modern printing and finishing.
LED UV INKS AND COATINGS
New LED-compatible inks and coatings are emerging to react to the
intense, pure UV spectral output of LED UV light, which emits no
infrared heat, involves no mercury, and generates no ozone during the
In contrast to mercury (Hg) lamps, LEDs generate pure UV spectral
output at several peak wavelengths, enabling a precision match to the
photo-initiation and absorption requirements of inks, coatings and
A new era of UV chemistries are being developed by formulators to
address the phenomenal opportunities presented by LED UV, and to create
instant, VOC-free drying results at a fraction of the traditional effort
GREENER UV FOOTPRINT
While UV printing and curing is already widely known for its
energy, waste and emission-reduction benefits, LED-UV technology brings
the UV process to another level.
For starters, LED UV lamps contain zero mercury, produce no ozone and
can be effective with as little as 20% of the energy required by
conventional UV lamps.
With a lifetime up to 20x longer than conventional UV lamps, the PEAK
LED UV system requires minimal maintenance and produces no consumables
And because the PEAK LED-UV system produces ultraviolet output in
the UV-A range, it is safer and more human tolerant than the short
wavelengths produced by mercury lamps.
In terms of system architecture, a compact, modular DC power supply,
control cabinet and a low capacity heat exchanger or chiller are all
that are required to operate the system.
Large, high-voltage transformer and control cabinets with unsightly
and complex air exhaust runs for ozone extraction and lamp cooling are
no longer required.
POSITION AND WAVELENGTH FLEXIBILITY
With the patent-pending design of the PEAK LED-UV system,
effortlessly relocate modules between positions on a machine to match
the wavelength, energy and sequence of inks, primers, coatings and
adhesives to the job being run.
Formulators have discovered that a combination of high power and
spectral variation can optimize the cure of pigmented, clears and
opaques in different ways.
Therefore, the wavelength output of the light source must be flexible in order to cure properly at production speeds.
Because of this requirement, identical, interchangeable PEAK
LED-UV modules are available in multiple spectral outputs to mix and
match wavelengths on a machine in order to accommodate the optimal
curing requirements of the inks and coatings in each unit.
Solid-state DC power supplies automatically adjust to the wavelength
output of each module. Electronic control of the wavelength in a single
module is planned in upcoming releases.
The PEAK LED-UV series is available in several modular package
designs to accommodate the needs of Digital, Ink-Jet, Offset and Flexo machine
manufacturers of all makes and varieties.
The LED-UV XP module series (shown) provides
extendable length coupled with exchangeable position technology for
maximum access, location and flexibility.
The LED-UV XP module series provides
extendable length but with a fixed position adaptation, suitable for
machines where routine access to lamp modules is not required.
And because of its compact design and simple PLC integration, the system is easily retrofitted onto existing equipment.
CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION
To make LED UV curing a reality in your organization, we invite you to contact us today.
Phone: 715 425 5600
Air Motion Systems Introduces High-Power LED UV
Easier, Brighter, Greener UV Technology
RIVER FALLS, WI - UV
systems leader Air Motion Systems, Inc. formally announced its
PEAK LED-UV product series at PRINT 09 in Chicago, an all-new high power, scalable, LED
UV lamp curing technology slated for general availability in the digital,
offset and flexographic industry segments immediately following the
patent-pending PEAK LED-UV design from AMS is built around a high
brightness chip platform that achieves at least twice the radiant power
available from recent-generation UV LEDs (light-emitting diodes), and operates at just 20% of
the electricity required of a conventional mercury arc lamp.
The PEAK LED-UV technology from AMS represents a revolutionary step
forward in the graphic arts industry and the UV curing arena. As a 100%
solid-state device, there are no moving parts to maintain in the LED UV
module, no heat is emitted from the light source, and at a 20,000+ hour
estimated life of the light-emitting diodes, and the system potentially
never requires a lamp change.
"LED is an easier,
brighter and greener method of producing UV light," says Steve Metcalf,
President and CEO of Air Motion Systems. "But until now, the lack of
high power, high intensity UV LEDs has limited its adoption in
printing, where line speeds are high and variable distances to
substrates are required. With our breakthrough PEAK LED-UV modular
technology, the power gap has closed and the commercialization of
high-power LED UV light sources is now a reality."
The PEAK LED-UV
architecture is available in an ultra-compact, 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) square
module format that produces an intense, uniform band of pure UV along
an arc that scales from 3 inches (8 cm) to over 80 inches (2 m) wide.
The system, which takes advantage of a patent-pending optical, thermal
and interconnect design, will be offered in a package format that
simplifies operation, allows interchangeability of modules on a machine
and greatly eases integration with current and future machine designs.
"A problem with current
LED UV devices is that they are optically limited to very close curing
distances to the substrate in order to achieve maximum power and
uniformity." comments Hans Ulland, Vice President of Sales for AMS.
"Our PEAK LED-UV modules were designed for flexible positioning in any
type of machine without significant loss of intensity, uniformity or
"Ink and coating
formulators are rapidly developing a new breed of LED-based UV
chemistries that offer an engineered match to the precision wavelengths
produced by LEDs," adds Metcalf. "For this reason, the PEAK LED-UV
modules were also designed to accommodate multiple wavelengths to
facilitate optimization of the curing process."
The first production PEAK
LED-UV units will be available for delivery immediately following the
show. For additional information or to make further
inquiries, visit www.airmotionsystems.com/leduv or call (715) 425-5600.
ABOUT AIR MOTION SYSTEMS, INC.
near Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, Air Motion Systems
(www.airmotionsystems.com) is one of the world's leading providers of
UV curing technology to the graphic arts industry. AMS has long been a
pioneer in the development of new UV technology, and its award-winning
P3 UV system is now the leading arc lamp UV system for the printing
industry in North America, with numerous successful installations on a
wide array of machines. AMS also maintains relationships with a number
of original equipment manufacturers in the industry to ensure optimal
integration of its equipment. For more information visit www.airmotionsystems.com.
AMS is a proud sponsor of the Print UV Conference. Print UV and PrintUV.com are trademarks of the newly formed Print UV Association. To learn more, visit www.printuv.com.