"Coat, Cure All Over"

"Mechanics of coating and curing make presses more efficient and lines that are unique. Some can be continuously reconfigured. No wonder this market is on fire." - Graphic Arts Monthly, January 2007

January 29, 2007 - Graphic Arts Monthly (January 2007 Issue) — Covering the rapid pace of adoption of presses with integrated coating and curing, Graphic Arts Monthly recently highlighted Air Motion Systems in its feature article "Coat, Cure All Over", published in the January 2007 issue of GAM Magazine.

The article reports on the explosion in popularity of presses with coating and curing as seen in the range of platform configurations that can be specified on new machines. Standard and custom press offerings from Heidelberg, KBA, Komori, Mitsubishi and MAN Roland are all fueling a trend towards "value-laden" printing.

"Particularly hot are double-coating applications and, something new, two-sided coating" notes Bill Esler, Graphic Arts Monthly editor. Air Motion Systems' customer Bolger Vision Beyond Print recently installed a first-of-its-kind UV perfector press, a KBA Rapida 105 10-color that prints and coats both sides of the sheet, curing the first side before tumbling it, and eliminating the challenge of sheet marking. "There's no marking," says CEO Dik Bolger. "UV drying on both sides of the sheet eliminates these issues. The UV curing gives us better trapping and no dot gain. Our printed sheets are dry in the delivery of the press and ready for the bindery."

The growth of UV curing is reflected in the forecasts of the major press manufacturers. "UV applications, the heart of the boom in coating and curing, are expected to grow 10% annually, according to a Print Outlook presentation by Roland Krapp, VP Sheetfed Product Management, Heidelberg USA. The trend reflects a move away from commodity 4-color, says Krapp, to luxury print."

The trend is not just seen in the configuration of new presses. Notes Esler, "A wide selection of aftermarket peripherals can turn existing press lines into production tools capable of executing highly creative, multi-layered designs...whether retrofit or ordered with new presses, the coating and curing capabilities provide the key to turning commodity print into value-laden specialty."

Link to the full article...

ABOUT AIR MOTION SYSTEMS, INC.

Air Motion Systems, based in Arvada, Colorado (www.airmotionsystems.com), is the leading North American manufacturer of high-performance UV curing systems, IR/Hot Air drying systems and related accessories for the printing and finishing industries. The company, which was founded in 1997, manufactures a range of innovative products and systems including the Air Guide, an automated pneumatic sheet guide system; the Cool Impressions™ system, a patented impression cylinder cooling system; the Peak IR™ infrared / hot-air drying system; and the Peak UV™ ultraviolet curing system.