Printing Research, Inc.

Dan Cunningham

Howard W DeMoore

Howard C Secor

John E Aylor

A sheet transfer assembly for use above an ultraviolet curing unit in a flexographic printing press used for printing corrugated sheets includes a vacuum plate with heat sinks. The vacuum plate includes openings for rollers that extend through the vacuum plate to drive printed sheets across the bottom of the transfer assembly. Heat sinks are formed on the top surface of the vacuum plate between rollers to remove heat from the vacuum plate. Heat from the UV curing unit is effectively dissipated from the vacuum plate into the air used to hold printed substrates against the rollers in the transfer assembly.

UV curing assembly having sheet transfer unit with heat sink vacuum plate

A zoned UV curing system for drying UV inks and coatings in printing presses. A plurality of linear UV lamps are spaced apart laterally across the travel path of substrates in a press. The axis of each lamp is aligned generally with the travel path, but may be slanted slightly so that every point on the travel path passes directly under at least one lamp. Power supply and control means allow selection of which lamps are powered, so that unneeded lamps may be turned off to save power. The power level of each lamp is variable. One transverse UV lamp may be placed upstream to initiate curing before substrates pass the zoned system. An IR heater may be placed upstream to preheat UV ink and coatings to enhance curing and to smooth coatings.

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Little Elm, TX, United States of America

Dan Cunningham