Acoustic drying can accelerate the converting and printing process.
In today’s mercurial economy, it is increasingly difficult for any printer or converter to remain profitable. Pressures come from multiple sources, including the fluctuating costs of utilities, the rising costs of raw materials and the continuous demand for ecologically friendly resources. It is important for the printers and converters of flexible materials—such as paper and films—to keep abreast of the available and innovative technologies that can help satisfy customers while ensuring a successful and profitable business.
The day-to-day operations of printers and converters are driven by the many variables of press operation, the demand for quality, and the specific end use of the printed material. These operations use solvent- or water-based inks and adhesives that require some method of drying other than ultraviolet (UV) or electron beam (EB) curing materials, which are cured using mercury lamps or an electron beam. Solvent-based ink and adhesive technologies have their own regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO, or incinerator), associated maintenance costs, and environmental compliance requirements that have become even more complex as the world moves toward the use of more sustainable materials.