better UV coating?

Printastic

Active member
Hi guys! we run the latest generation UV coater / original UV coating solution from Tech Lightning... My problem is that no matter the settings the coated sheet does have a little bit of an orange skin texture effect no matter what we try, printed or not (we tried everything). but every once in a while we see competitor sheet that is coated better - smoother, more uniform, with less stink... Is there an alternative I should research? It has to be an offline solution. Thank you
 
There are many ways to achieve the spot coated look, if you require a raised image, then you're going to get an orange peel effect on large areas. We sub contract all our spot coating, mainly to a silk screen printer who achieves quite good results, or sometimes to a digital printer with a Scodix system.
If you don't require a raised coating, excellent results can be obtained by gloss laminating the sheet, then running back through the press with a matt etch.
It's possible that your competitors may be using an inline system with Cyrel plates or cut blankets which gives the smoothest appearance but does require a press with a dedicated coating unit.
 
Smoothness of UV coating can be related to 'flow out' thats the time between coating being applied and being cured. the longer the flow out time the better.
I have had good results from heating the UV coating which makes it flow better, always make sure your coating is being agitated gently. Is your coater an Anlox coater, if so the type of Anilox/BCM you are using can affect how smoothly the coating sits on the sheet. If its a blanket coater you can use a harder blanket such as a non compressible cast surface or a Cyrel plate as Magnus59 recommends.
There are many suppliers of UV coating so you might have to try a few before you find the right one for you good luck
 
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Printastic,
Based on your post, it appears you are simply trying to apply a coating to the sheet, full coverage, not spot coating. Tec equipment is a simple roller coater, no anilox cylinders, no plate system for Photopolymer plates (CYREL™), short dwell time between coating application and the lamp system. The comment made about flow time is correct, it is not something you can change on the Tec coating, except by slowing down the speed (you could try that and see if thing improve). However, there are several other potential causes. Since you indicate the problem exists both on image and non-image areas, the surface tension of the coating may not be low enough to speed the wetting on the ink (or toner), or the substrate. Reducing the surface tension of the coating could help. Heating the coating, modestly, will reduce the viscosity and help flow, just be cautious to keep the temperature under under 110℉ and watch for spot heat which can cause the coating to begin to polymerize. You might ask Tec to provide an answer, but they do not formulate or manufacture their own coatings, so perhaps they can have someone from their vendor provide advice. Finally, speak with other UV coatings manufacturers, they might have an alternate product that will solve your problem. BTW, what type of print are you trying to coat? If digital, what Print Engine. If conventional, what press, whose inks? What substrate? Let me know if I can assist. Good luck.
 

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