140 | Labelexpo Americas 2022 / Ancillary equipment ‘Eliminating the need for the adhesive rolls, which must be regularly replaced, can help companies save up to 3,200 USD a year, assuming they would have used 28 adhesive rolls annually,’ says Matt Fyffe, VP and general manager of Meech. To clean without adhesive rolls, the web frst passes through a cloud of ionization at the entry point of the CyClean-R head, which neutralizes any static charges on the web. Then, a blast of turbulent air breaks the boundary layer on the web and losens any contamination. A negative airfow then draws the contamination away from the web, fltering it through the air handling unit. As the web exits the CyClean-R head, it passes through a second cloud of ionization to prevent re-contamination. ‘The non-contact nature of the machine makes it suitable for paper and flm,’ says Fyffe. Ancillary equipment helps label converters fnd effciencies Available as a single-sided or double-sided cleaning confguration, it delivers consistent removal of dry, unbonded contamination from “UV LED IS NOT A NICHE TECHNOLOGY any web material – even as small as 0.5 microns. ANYMORE. IT’S COMPLETELY MAINSTREAM. Graymills showed its PrintClean 554/654 ink pump and bid washer, which was specifcally designed for HP Indigo digital THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE HUGE, AND WE technology. Designed with assistance from HP Indigo experts, it ARE CONVINCED THAT LED WILL SOON offers fast, easy cleaning of BIDs and ink pumps with minimal labor BECOME THE DOMINANT TECHNOLOGY IN and mess. Twin flters also extend the life of imaging oil and minimize OUR NARROW WEB MARKET”redepositing of pigment on parts after removal. alternative to liquid cleaning technologies by using lasers to abate It also uses HP imaging oil, which means it creates no new waste the ink off the parts and then collect it with a flter. He claims the streams. And an extra-long, stay-put fexible metal fush hose process is more sustainable than liquid cleaning as it doesn’t require allows for directed, hands-free fushing. chemicals, water, and it does not generate any water waste. Mulheran says it’s also much easier to operate than liquid UV LED GAINS POPULARITY AMID RISING ENERGY COSTScleaning systems because there are no pre-cleaning or LED was the star of the curing systems on display during Labelexpo. post-cleaning processed involved. In addition, he claims rolls are Innovations are making it easier and more cost-effective to install 30 percent cleaner compared to liquid systems technologies. LED UV systems while rising energy costs mean companies are ‘Our customers tell us the rolls look brand new every time,’ quickly seeing a full return on investment. Mulheran adds. GEW showcased its air-cooled UV LED system AeroLED, which is FlexoWash also showcased laser cleaning equipment at now ArcLED compatible. the show. ‘UV LED is not a niche technology anymore. It’s completely Its new FW 850 series models clean up to two narrow web rolls mainstream,’ says Robert Rae, managing director of sales at in one cycle and can be installed without water supply, drain or GEW. He adds that it now accounts for about a third of what safety equipment. GEW manufactures. Operators are required to place the aniloxes as-is on the traction ‘Dramatic increases in global energy prices have created an stations, then a high-frequency laser cleans the anilox with a unprecedented demand for low-energy, sustainable LED systems,’ precise, defned pulse, which ensures an even distribution of energy. Rae explains. In Europe, some of GEW’s customers are paying 900 The extraction system then removes all dust and fumes, making percent more for energy costs compared to a year ago. sure no nanoparticles enter the room. The program automatically The surge in prices motivates companies to switch to UV LED, stops when the cleaning and extraction process is fnished. which can reduce energy costs by 50-70 percent when compared to The laser is automatically adjusted to the size of the anilox a conventional UV arc system. The signifcant energy price increases roll, making the process fast, user-friendly and safe, according to have meant companies are seeing a return on investments in less the company. In fact, there’s no need for safety goggles or other than a year. safety equipment. ‘We’ve even seen ROIs as low as four months after retroftting,’ ‘The FW 850 series is available in the company’s Laser X Series, Rae adds. ‘The energy savings are huge.’which cleans twice as fast as the company’s regular laser anilox GEW’s AeroLED is a high-power system for full cure, printing, cleaners,’ says Patrick Potter, president at FlexoWash. coating and converting applications up to 60cm wide. During Alphasonics showcased its Ultrasonic Press Room Cleaning Labelexpo, the company highlighted a design update that also Systems. makes AeroLED compatible with GEW’s ArcLED system. Using the According to the company, these devices use high-frequency same fan and ducting arrangement as the industry standard E2C, sound waves transmitted through liquid to clean away any ink customers have the fexibility to switch between arc and LED curing residue and contamination to an incredibly low level. on any station. Designed to clean anilox rolls, sleeves, and gravure cylinders, the ‘It’s very, very simple for an operator to use, and it’s very, very Ultrasonic Press Room Cleaning Systems can help reduce setup simple to maintain,’ Rae says. times, minimize downtime, and optimize print quality. Maybe most notable though, customers with GEW’s Rhino/The range of ultrasonic anilox roll cleaning systems can be used RLT power supply platform can upgrade to LED within a matter for fexography, gravure and offset. They are fully automated and of hours. They simply have to change the cassettes and run a can be tailored to specifc cleaning requirements. software upgrade.Meech’s launched its latest web cleaning equipment In an AeroLED system, air is extracted by a single centralized fan Its Clean-R is a non-contact web cleaner for narrow web situated away from the press. There is no need for integrated fans machines that does not require adhesive rolls. or electronics in the individual lamp heads, which eliminates the labelsandlabeling.com