GEW gears up for Labelexpo India 2022

On November 10, 2022, Delhi Expo Centre will open its doors to printers from across South Asia and beyond. GEW will show the latest UV LED curing system, AeroLED, at the forefront of its product range. Furthermore, visitors to the show will be able to see AeroLED in operation on a working demonstration press.

The AeroLED attracted significant attention at Labelexpo Americas in September due to the energy savings offered to printers who upgrade to this system. GEW expects that most print companies will see 50-70 percent energy savings when moving from conventional UV to UV LED.

Energy savings achieved by switching to AeroLED come in two forms. Firstly, LEDs produce high UV dose at a fraction of the electrical power of conventional UV systems. Secondly, LEDs do not go into standby and are instant on/off, as required. Currently, UV arc systems are left on standby using approximately 20 percent power while jobs are changed; in comparison, LED can be switched off during this time. Over the 30,000-hour-plus life of an AeroLED lamp, this equates to significant energy savings.

A further benefit of AeroLED is its ArcLED compatibility. Customers can switch between the arc and LED curing on any station by utilizing the same fan and ducting formulation as GEW’s E2C system. Customers with E2C and GEW’s RHINO/RLT power supply platform can upgrade to LED by simply changing the cassettes and running a software upgrade.

In terms of design, AeroLED is a high-power system for full cure, printing, coating, and converting applications up to 60cm wide, with the air being extracted by a single centralized fan sited away from the press. There is no need for integrated fans or electronics in the individual lampheads, which eliminates the high-pitched noise and risk of failure that these bring. AeroLED uses GEW’s RHINO power supply and control range for ultimate reliability with Industry 4.0 approved, IoT Remote Monitoring as standard.

Robert Rae, managing director of sales at GEW, commented: ‘UV LED is no longer just a technology for the future. It has become an essential technology for the present day. This change has been driven by the recent and dramatic increases in global energy prices, creating an unprecedented demand for low-energy, sustainable LED solutions, and improved ink technology and availability. Technological advancement is leading to ever more efficient and cost-effective UV LED products, as is demonstrated by the introduction of AeroLED. The opportunities are huge, and we are convinced that LED will soon become the dominant technology in our narrow web market.’