One of the GEW LeoLED UV lampheads at work within Grafiche Antiga's Koenig & Bauer Rapida 105-5+C press.

UV curing systems for Koenig & Bauer (KBA)

GEW supplies UV lamp and UV LED curing systems for old and new Koenig & Bauer (KBA) presses.

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Table Of Contents
  1. What can a UV curing system do for your Koenig & Bauer (KBA) press?
  2. What Koenig & Bauer (KBA) presses has GEW supplied UV curing systems for?
  3. Which UV curing systems are most suitable for Koenig & Bauer (KBA) presses?
  4. ArcLED compatible
  5. Speak to our sales team about UV curing systems for your Koenig & Bauer (KBA)

GEW supply UV lamp and UV LED curing systems for all Koenig & Bauer (KBA) Sheetfed Offset presses. Available on new machinery or via a retrofit, adding a GEW UV curing system for your Koenig & Bauer (KBA) can improve productivity and profitability. To learn about the benefits of a UV curing system for your Koenig & Bauer (KBA) press, go here.

We can supply UV lamp and UV LED curing systems across the Koenig & Bauer (KBA) sheetfed offset presses listed below. Click on the relevant machine for you to see a small sample of examples of case studies and installations we have done on these machines:

We can also install on:

  • KBA 205
  • KBA 185
  • KBA 164
  • KBA 162
  • KBA 145
  • KBA 104
  • KBA 76
  • KBA 75
  • KBA 74

What can a UV curing system do for your Koenig & Bauer (KBA) press?

UV benefits for sheetfed offset printers

  • Faster turnaround – Instant ink drying enables immediate finishing and despatch of jobs. Sheets can be folded, cut, bound and processed right away, reducing work-in-progress and significantly shortening lead-times.
  • Print without limitations – UV and UV LED inks enable printing on almost all stock types including PE, PET, PU, synthetic paper etc. and bring added value and increased product diversity with coated and uncoated papers, plastics and foil laminated sheets.
  • No marking, no sealer or spray powder – Marking of sheets in the delivery or perfecting process is eliminated and machine varnish or sealer is no longer necessary. No spray powder is required, removing widespread contamination and associated cleaning and maintenance.
  • Sharper dots and vibrant colours – UV curing retrofits achieve sharper dots, more vibrant colours and a higher quality finished product.

UV LED benefits for sheetfed offset printers

  • Print without limitations – Unlike UV lamps, LEDs emit little infrared heat towards the substrate. This avoids common issues such as high pile temperatures, curling of heat-sensitive materials and loss of moisture in paper.
  • Ultimate productivity and peace of mind – No moving parts for low maintenance and no warmup/cool-down mean less UV related downtime, which increases press productivity. Furthermore, GEW offers up to 3 years’ LED warranty, irrespective of running hours.
  • Reduced energy consumption – LED instant on-off means that no energy is consumed when the press is idle. The higher electrical efficiency of LEDs and the purity of UV output allow typical energy savings of up to 70%, compared to H-UV or IR lamp systems.
  • No marking, no sealer or spray powder – UV LED inks and varnishes are 100% cured instantly after the LED lamp.

What Koenig & Bauer (KBA) presses has GEW supplied UV curing systems for?

GEW UV curing system installations on KBA 142

This US-based customer installed GEW E4C on their KBA Rapida 142.

This US-based customer installed GEW E4C on their KBA Rapida 142.
This US-based customer installed GEW E4C on their KBA Rapida 142.
This US-based customer installed GEW E4C on their KBA Rapida 142.
This US-based customer installed GEW E4C on their KBA Rapida 142.
This US-based customer installed GEW E4C on their KBA Rapida 142.
This US-based customer installed GEW E4C on their KBA Rapida 142.

GEW UV curing system installations on KBA 106

This Italian customer has a mixture of E4C and LeoLED on their KBA Rapida 106.

This Italian customer has a mixture of E4C and LeoLED on their KBA Rapida 106.
This Italian customer has a mixture of E4C and LeoLED on their KBA Rapida 106.
This Italian customer has a mixture of E4C and LeoLED on their KBA Rapida 106.

GEW UV curing system installations on KBA 105

Grafiche Antiga has an enviable client list, producing print and 3D point-of-sale for a range of leading brands under the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy umbrella, including Bulgari, Versace, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors, among many others.

In this case study, they discuss their decision to switch to their KBA Rapida 105 to GEW’s LeoLED, which was driven by their demanding customers’ wide variety of printing needs; needs they could not meet without UV LED technology.

Watch the case study video below as we speak to Amos Michielin, Grafiche Antiga’s Press Manager, about the variety of jobs they can now run. Alternatively, read the case study here.

Which UV curing systems are most suitable for Koenig & Bauer (KBA) presses?

GEW has two main offerings for sheetfed offset printers, depending on whether your Koenig & Bauer (KBA) press requires a UV LED curing system, a mercury arc curing system, or both. You can find out more about these options below:

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 is GEW’s next generation, water-cooled, highest power UV LED curing system. It comes in a compact and a cassette version, designed for the toughest applications.

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:

Download the brochure

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.

E4C on a sheetfed printing press

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:

Download the E4C sheetfed brochure

ArcLED compatible

ArcLED hybrid UV technology allows interchanging of a UV Arc lamp or LED array in the same housing.

Optimise your press with a mixture of Arc and LED curing on any station, for the ultimate flexibility.

GEW have held granted patents covering this technology internationally since 2016.

Speak to our sales team about UV curing systems for your Koenig & Bauer (KBA)

Gary Doman GEW

Region, International:
Gary Doman
International Sales Manager, Sheetfed

T: +44 7803 188 766

Email Gary directly

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