(L-R) Todd Fatino, VP of Innovation, Phenix Label; Chris Smith, senior press operator; Todd Austin, production engineer
Phenix Label of Olathe, Kansas has installed LED UV from GEW to boost reliability and production speed to its recently acquired Omet X4 10 colour flexo press.
On the press the company added 16 inch LW1 LED UV-curing stations, intended for self-adhesives label stock, shrink sleeves and thin film substrates.
Todd Fatino, vice-president of Innovation at Phenix Label, explained, ‘We choose LED UV for faster run speeds, deeper curing, instant on-off, no mechanical shutters and energy savings. And yes, in every instance LED UV has lived up to our expectations!
‘Our objective was to improve productivity at increased press speeds with the extra benefit of ease of operation and reduced downtime.’
Phenix Label also operate an Omet iFLEX and an Aquaflex Instaflex press which are now also fitted with GEW UV curing systems.
With the LW1 LED system the company is able to operate full hybrid UV curing, working with both mercury arc and LED lamp technology on the same press. Mercury arc cassettes and LED cassettes both use the same lamphead casing, the same Rhino power supply and the same touch screen control. The operator simply swaps the required cassette and the power supply will automatically recognise which type of cassette in use, altering the current accordingly and changing the display on the control panel at the same time.
Mr Fatino concluded, ‘Modernising our plant and investing in high performance machinery ensures we stay competitive in the future. The GEW LED lampheads combined with the Rhino power supply bring us consistent curing with low migration inks, at high speeds and with no downtime.’
