What is metal decorating?
Metal decorating is the specialised process of applying decorative inks, protective varnishes, and functional coatings to metal substrates, typically tinplate or aluminium. Unlike paper or plastic, metal requires high-performance curing solutions to ensure adhesion and durability on a non-absorbent surface.
Traditionally, this was achieved through massive thermal ovens that consumed vast amounts of energy and floor space. Today, UV curing has revolutionised the process, offering a compact, instant drying solution that enables superior print quality at much higher speeds.
What applications is metal decorating appropriate for?
Metal decorating is the gold standard for a wide range of industrial and consumer packaging applications, including:
- Food and beverage: Food cans, infant formula containers and high-quality metal crowns (bottle closures).
- Aerosols and household: Decorative tinplate aerosols for personal care or technical products.
- Luxury packaging: Confectionery boxes, gift tins and decorative containers.
- Closures: Screw caps, twist-off lids and aluminium closures for the wine and spirits industry.
Benefits of UV curing for metal decorating
- Increased profitability: UV curing enables faster production cycles and higher throughput compared to conventional thermal drying.
- Heat management: Our optically tuned reflectors and active air-cooling technology (for our NUVA2 system) ensure that heat is managed effectively, preventing substrate overheating – essential for maintaining the integrity of metal sheets.
- Reliability: Engineered for 24/7 operation in harsh industrial environments, the NUVA2 is offered with up to a 5-year warranty.
- Lowest total cost of ownership: Experience up to a 30% reduction in energy consumption compared to older UV systems, with minimal maintenance requirements.
UV LED curing benefits for metal decorating
- Massive energy savings: Achieve energy savings of over 60%.
- Instant on/off: Unlike arc lamps, LEDs require no warm-up or cool-down time, drastically improving press productivity and reducing downtime.
- Sustainability: GEW UV LED systems are mercury-free and produce no ozone, eliminating the need for complex air extraction systems and reducing your carbon footprint.
- Cooler printing: UV LED emits significantly less infrared heat, meaning the metal substrate remains cool, reducing the risk of sheet distortion and improving registration.
- Unrivalled longevity: With a diode lifetime of 40,000+ hours, maintenance is virtually eliminated.
- Process control: With a more uniform output and a lot slower deterioration in UV output over time, UV LED gives you much better control of repeat print jobs.
Which UV and UV LED systems from GEW are appropriate for metal decorating presses?
GEW provides a comprehensive range of systems tailored for every position on a metal decorating press – from interdeck (between print units) to under-sheet (after coating) and set-stack/final cure (at the end of the press).
LeoLED2
LeoLED2 takes LED performance to new heights over GEW’s already highly-acclaimed, water-cooled LeoLED system. Offering a 55% increase in electrical power (140W / cm), a 50% increase in UV dose (300mJ / cm2) and a 45% increase in UV irradiance (44W / cm2) compared to its predecessor, LeoLED2 is GEW’s next generation UV LED curing system that guarantees the best performance on the market for the most challenging curing applications.
As with the generation 1 model, LeoLED2 is available in both a cassette version and a compact version, depending on the requirements of the customer, their equipment and their application. Both models are designed to interchange with every current arc lamp model in GEW’s range. This patented ArcLED technology gives ultimate flexibility on press, no matter the application.
LeoLED2 also comes in two power level options, offering ultimate customisability to customers, depending on their application and energy saving needs, whilst providing faster printing speeds alongside GEW’s renowned process reliability.
This lamp can be used in the delivery position alongside GEW’s E4C, giving printers access to GEW’s ArcLED technology. To see this in action, watch the video below.
Find out more about LeoLED2 on our product page or download the LeoLED2 brochure:
NUVA2
NUVA2 is the most effective UV curing system for wide web coating and specialist industrial applications. Fully air-cooled up to 250cm and available up to 27kW total lamp power, NUVA2 is available with a wide range of customisation and integration options.
GEW’s patented reflectors are actively cooled to ensure that heat transfer to the substrate is minimised, whilst delivering the highest UV intensity and dose available. The quick-change cassette design ensures fast lamp changes with only 1 hex key tool required and the innovative spherical lamp ends prevent breakages on long lamp changes.
Reliability is guaranteed and when powered by GEW’s RHINO system, NUVA2 can be purchased with a 5 year warranty which means no unplanned maintenance costs well beyond the return on investment period.
NUVA2 is ArcLED ready so that a NUVA2 and LeoLED cassette can be used interchangeably in the same print unit and existing NUVA2 systems can be cost-effectively upgraded in the field with only the LED cassette and chiller required.
E4C
E4C offers the highest power available from the GEW mercury arc range, to support the most demanding UV curing applications and the fastest printing speeds on sheetfed machines. It performs to the harshest cure test procedures and is suitable for low migration applications.
E4C has optically tuned reflectors to maximise curing power and operates quietly, with minimal air requirements. Water flow monitoring technology ensures water flow at all times, and the E4C’s water-cooled reflectors support the highest UV power whilst limiting heat transfer to the substrate, making it safe for a broad range of heat-sensitive materials.
It is designed to operate with the lowest level of maintenance and is engineered for fast, easy lamp changes. All replaceable components are plug-and-play, and the reflectors can be cleaned and fully replaced without breaking the water seals. Furthermore, the reflector mechanisms and seals are tested to millions of operations to ensure reliability.
Find out more about E4C on our E4C product page or download the E4C for sheetfed brochure:
ArcLED compatibility
LeoLED2, E4C and NUVA2 are all ArcLED compatible.
ArcLED’s power system allows you to switch seamlessly between mercury arc and LED technologies. Both arc and LED cassettes are compatible with the same power supply and fit in the same housing for ease of change.
To find out more, download our brochure below:
Case studies
Coleus Packaging retrofitted their Crabtree Fastready press with GEW LeoLED.
Energy savings of over 60%, faster production, and a noticeable increase in reliability that eliminated previous downtime issues.
Watch the case study below to find out what they think about UV LED.
Speak to our Sales team
Ready to future-proof your metal decorating production?
Whether you are looking for a retrofit solution for your existing Crabtree or KBA machinery, or you are specifying a new press with an OEM partner, our team is here to help:
Region, Americas:
Jennifer Heathcote
Vice President, Business Development
Email Jennifer directly
Region, International:
Marcus Greenbrook
Director, International Sales
Email Marcus directly
