GEW’s AeroLED Curing System Offers Unparalleled Performance to Label Printers

GEW’s AeroLED was the standout UV curing system at Labelexpo Europe, with demonstrations on OEM machinery illustrating energy savings of over 70%. Energy savings are one of the six major benefits of AeroLED and GEW’s AeroLED Spotlight video discusses each of these in full.

By Robert Rae, Managing Director of Sales, GEW

AeroLED Spotlight Video Introduction

In GEW’s AeroLED Spotlight video, GEW’s Managing Director for Sales, Robert Rae, focuses on their air-cooled UV LED system. AeroLED is an innovative UV LED lamp system designed for full cure printing, coating, and converting applications up to 60 centimetres wide. Developed with a focus on productivity and sustainability, AeroLED offers a remarkable solution to meet the demands of today’s world. This article provides an overview of AeroLED’s features and benefits, highlighting its potential to transform your business operations.

You can read the article below or you can watch the AeroLED Spotlight video here:

Benefits and Features of AeroLED

The Power of Curing

In an era where sustainability and production efficiency are paramount, LED curing presents the fastest and most impactful way to transform your business. AeroLED significantly reduces energy consumption and CO₂ emissions while improving production costs and printing reliability. Let’s delve deeper into the exceptional advantages that AeroLED offers.

Fully Air-Cooled Innovation

AeroLED incorporates a unique air-cooling concept, utilizing the same fan and ducting arrangement as the industry standard E2C system. This ground-breaking design ensures efficient cooling by pulling air through the lampheads and ducting, extracting it with a centralized fan positioned away from the press. AeroLED eliminates the need for integrated fans or delicate electronics inside the lamp, effectively reducing the risk of contamination and failure. Furthermore, by preventing heat from being exhausted onto the press, AeroLED safeguards print quality and maintains a comfortable ambient temperature for operators. The elimination of air movement around the print stations significantly reduces the risk of print defects caused by dust. Maintenance is made simple with the lamp’s large air channels and robust heat sinks, eliminating the need for filters.

Energy Efficiency Redefined

AeroLED sets a new standard for energy efficiency, with a maximum electrical power of 53W/cm. This translates to energy savings of up to 70% compared to traditional 140W/cm E2C arc lamp systems. This can have a significant impact on a printer’s bottom line—a typical 16-in. eight-color machine running two shifts could save between 30,000 and 50,000 euros per year, based on electricity prices in the region of 20 to 25 cents a kilowatt hour. Every five-cent shift in electricity rates alters this cost-saving by approximately 6,000 euros. Depending on the system type purchased, the return on investment (ROI) is frequently achieved in less than one year based on energy savings alone. Calculate your potential energy savings using GEW’s quick and simple online ROI calculator: gewuv.com/roi_calculator/

Unparalleled Control of Waste Heat

AeroLED’s air cooling concept empowers you to control the waste heat generated by the process. In hot factory environments, the waste heat can be ducted out of the building, while in cold settings, it can be ducted back inside to reduce heating loads. This adaptable feature allows for optimal energy efficiency depending on the time of year or specific requirements. To add context, an eight-lamp 16-in. LED system can generate enough waste heat to heat two four-bedroom homes every day. Harnessing this energy-conscious opportunity, AeroLED unlocks significant benefits for your operations.

ArcLED Compatibility for Ultimate Flexibility

GEW’s renowned ArcLED technology provides unparalleled flexibility by allowing the interchangeability of UV arc lamps and LED arrays within the same housing. AeroLED seamlessly integrates with the 140W/cm air-cooled E2C mercury vapor lamp cassette, enabling swift interchangeability in under one minute. GEW’s RHINO or RHINO Lite (RLT) power control systems streamline the process, ensuring a smooth and efficient operation. ArcLED empowers you to configure your system according to your process and ink compatibility needs. The ability to upgrade your system with additional LED cassettes, even after the initial purchase, guarantees futureproofing.

Enhanced Process Reliability

AeroLED delivers exceptional process reliability on two fronts. Firstly, the LED output remains highly stable over time, degrading evenly by around 2% annually. In contrast, arc lamp systems experience significant output variations due to aging bulbs, reflectors, and other components. These variations can exceed 50% over a few thousand hours, introducing uncertainties into production quality. AeroLED’s consistent output eliminates this variability, ensuring reliable and consistent results. Secondly, GEW has maintained the core elements of their highly successful LeoLED in AeroLED, ensuring a robust and proven design.

Simplified Retrofitting

AeroLED can be quickly and seamlessly retrofitted to any existing E2C/RHINO system. By adding AeroLED cassettes and a software upgrade, you can transition to LED curing in less than a single shift, making AeroLED the fastest and most cost-effective path to LED printing available anywhere. With readily available stock for common lengths, GEW ensures prompt delivery. Over 25,000 print stations worldwide have already been upgraded to GEW LED.

To learn more about AeroLED, visit the GEW website at gewuv.com/aeroled.