UV printers’ high speed is a result of their innovative sprinkler system and curing unit. Taking an industrial UV printer as an example, its piezoelectric nozzle can shoot more than 50,000 drops of ink per second, the size of the ink drop is accurately controlled between 3-35 picolitres, and in two-way printing mode, the printing speed is increased to 150 square meters per hour (600×900 dpi mode), 60% above the previous inkjet machines. Fujifilm’s “SAMBA” nozzle technology, which was released in 2023, has a linear arrangement density of 2048 nozzles (1200 holes per inch), and the linear printing speed on the glass surface is 75 meters/minute, with positioning accuracy no more than ±0.01 mm. After the technology was adopted by a car film manufacturer, the production capacity per day rose from 800 square meters to 2,200 square meters, the yield was up to 99.3%, and 450,000 yuan of yearly labor cost was saved.
The real-time feedback of the UV-LED curing system greatly reduces the production cycle time. The 395nm wavelength light source of a brand of UV printer can increase the curing level of the ink up to 95% within 0.05 seconds, while the traditional mercury lamp takes 3 seconds for preheating and the curing efficiency is only 85%. This instant curing capability reduces the multi-layer printing processing time (e.g., white ink primer + color ink + gloss) from 40 minutes to 7 minutes, with an 82% increase in efficiency. For example, employing a five-color overprint UV printer, a mobile phone case manufacturer cuts drying wait time to 0 from 24 hours; overall cycle of production from design to packaging is 2 hours; and customer order response is 12 times faster.
The dynamic adjustment capability of the intelligent ink supply system significantly helps reduce consumable waste. The closed-loop negative pressure control system with a UV printer is capable of real-time monitoring of the ink pressure fluctuation of 0.1-1.5kPa and adjusting the ink drop point deviation at ±5 microns by implementing PID algorithm, thereby the use rate of the ink is optimized from 75% to 98% as compared with the conventional open ink supply. The comparative data of a printing and packaging enterprise shows that since they adopted smart ink supply, monthly white ink consumption has risen from 120 to 35 liters, and annual cost saving has exceeded 500,000 yuan. While the solid composition of the UV ink is up to 99.8%, 60% of volatilized loss is saved compared to solvent ink, and VOCs emitted per device per annum from 300 kg to 12 kg, and the environmental compliance cost is saved by 90%.
The modular design combined with automated assembly line produces scale economies. The web printing unit that was launched by a UV printer manufacturer integrates three printing, curing and inspection modules on a 15-meter-long production line and detects automatic defect at 1200 points per minute with an industrial camera, with a false detection rate below 0.5%. After being adopted by a company producing ceramic tiles, the total production capacity within one line each day is greater than 100,000 square meters, and the frequency of manual intervention falls from 20 times an hour to 2 times. Also reduced is the unit area price of energy expenditure from 1.2 yuan /㎡ to 0.35 yuan /㎡. According to 2023 “Digital Printing Technology White Paper” statistics, business organizations’ typical delivery cycle using fully automated UV printing machines is reduced by 68%, equipment efficiency is improved from 65% to 92%, and the cycle for return on investment is minimized to 14 months. All such technological breakthroughs are continually upgrading UV printers with speed and efficiency beyond their physical boundaries.