company news about Application of UV curing technology in Screen Printing

UV (ultraviolet) curing technology is a revolutionary technology in the field of screen printing. It uses ultraviolet light to trigger a rapid polymerization reaction of photosensitive substances in inks or coatings, achieving instant drying and curing. Due to its high efficiency, environmental friendliness, and superior performance, this technology is increasingly replacing traditional solvent-based drying methods and has become an indispensable part of modern screen printing.

The biggest difference between UV-curable inks and traditional inks lies in their curing mechanism. Photoinitiator: UV-curable inks contain photoinitiators. UV irradiation: When the ink is exposed to UV light of a specific wavelength, the photoinitiator absorbs the light energy. Polymerization reaction: The photoinitiator is activated, producing free radicals or cations. These active substances rapidly initiate cross-linking polymerization reactions between monomers and oligomers in the ink. Instant curing: Within an extremely short time (usually measured in seconds or milliseconds), the liquid ink transforms into a robust, cross-linked polymer film, achieving curing.

1. Efficiency and Productivity
   • Instant Drying: Ink cures almost instantly under UV light, eliminating the need for prolonged solvent evaporation. This drastically reduces drying time, allowing for higher printing speeds and faster turnaround times.
   • Space Saving: Eliminates the need for long drying tunnels or air-drying areas required by traditional methods, saving valuable workshop space.
2. Environment and Safety
   • Zero or Extremely Low VOC Emissions: UV-cured inks contain virtually no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or solvents. This makes the working environment safer and more environmentally friendly, complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
3. Performance and Quality
   • Excellent Adhesion: UV inks exhibit excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates, such as plastics, glass, metals, and paper.
   • High Abrasion and Chemical Resistance: The cured ink layer has a high cross-linking density, providing excellent scratch resistance, abrasion resistance, and chemical corrosion resistance.
   • Ink layer thickness control: The inherent thick ink layer characteristic of screen printing, combined with UV curing, produces a high-gloss, high-occlusion printing effect.
4. Wide applicability of printing materials:

   Because the curing process is "cold curing" (generating very little heat), UV technology can be safely applied to heat-sensitive materials (such as films, PVC, etc.), which is difficult to achieve with traditional hot air drying.

UV curing technology has brought high-quality, high-efficiency, and sustainable solutions to the screen printing industry. With continuous technological advancements, especially the widespread adoption of UV-LED technology due to its environmental friendliness and low energy consumption, curing systems are evolving towards greater energy efficiency, compactness, and longer lifespan. In demanding fields such as electronics, packaging, labeling, and functional printing (e.g., conductive circuitry), UV screen printing will continue to leverage its unique advantages and represents a significant trend in modern printing technology development.

❓ Would you like to learn more about how UV-LED light sources can replace traditional mercury lamps in screen printing?

Contact us: Shenzhen Super-curing Opto-Electronic CO., Ltd.