UV Flatbed Printing: The New Frontier of Industrial Customisation

Adopting innovative and digital technologies is the driving force behind change in the industrial production sector and the mindset of professionals, aiming to maximise production for just-in-time delivery, stock management, and meeting the specific needs of various customers.

Digital transformation in the processes is expected to grow by?19.4%?until 2029 and digital manufacturing by?16.5%, indicating that digital technology is an integral part of the manufacturing industry. This is coupled with a growing demand for?product customisation, which is considered one of the industrial?megatrends?we focus on in this article.

Customisation and Printing Technologies

Regarding customisation, we notice that Direct-To-Shape printing, including surfaces and objects like parts and components of the electronics and mechanics industry, is growing by?7.2%.?

Printing-on-demand, meaning printing upon specific request (just-in-time, small batches, prototypes, and mock-ups), a cross-sectoral data, foresees a development equal to?25.8%?until 2030, a sign of a particular need for flexibility and readiness in the market response.

Customisation is closely linked to printing processes. In this case, we consider digital printing with UV inks growing at an annual rate of?9.5%.

Printing with UV inks is a solution that combines both the possibility of on-demand printing and the customisation of objects, parts, or surfaces. Flatbed UV printers can offer maximum versatility to the industry using UV ink customisation, especially in the electronic, electrical, and mechatronics sectors.

Applications of UV Printing in Electronic, Electrical, and Mechatronic Segments

Considering the above, the possibilities offered by UV flatbed printing are particularly relevant for the technology sector, allowing the customisation of frames and chassis of electrical and electronic equipment, front or control panels, membrane keyboards (graphic overlay), product packaging, rack plates, components, cases, containers, and much more. One of the main features of UV printing is the ability to print on many surfaces, making the application and production field very broad.

UV Printing Technology: A Meeting Between Quality and Efficiency

Let's briefly delve into why UV printing is so versatile and lends itself to being a valid support in the world of customisation-focused manufacturing. UV printing uses inks that harden (polymerise) immediately when exposed to ultraviolet light. This process ensures adhesion and durability on various materials, in addition to advantages such as:

• Instant drying for greater productive efficiency with faster deliveries of productions for clients and of mock-ups or prototypes (for example, for the marketing or technical department)
• Durability and resistance of colours over time.
• Thanks to additional colours such as red and orange, a wide colour gamut is available to reproduce vibrant colours or those outside the standard CMYK range.
• Printing on dark or transparent materials thanks to highly opaque white ink as a base.
• High-level details and excellent colour tonal transitions.
• The possibility of adding glossy or matte embossed textures on specific parts or the entire surface for tactile, material, or three-dimensional effects.
• Adhesion to challenging surfaces thanks to the use of special on-board primers.
• Reduction of environmental impact thanks to certified inks and the possibility to optimise productions without the need to create and store frames (as happens with screen printing).

Integration with Existing Printing Processes

Much of the manufacturing already customise productions thanks to internal screen printing, pad printing plants, or specialised external companies. UV printing complements the existing resources and can work in complementarity with them or independently. This is valid both for companies and for industrial printers. Here we mention some advantages of digital UV flatbed printing:

• Just-in-time production or very short times.
• Realisation of on-demand parts to reduce waste and inventory.
• Flexibility in terms of batches is ideal for limited series and prototypes.
• Control of the quality of the printed material.
• Realisation of mock-ups and prototypes in a short time.

UV Flatbed Products for Industry

When we speak of UV flatbed printing, we refer to equipment that adapts to different contexts and is available in various sizes. Several solutions are available from the most influential printing brands.?

Among these, I would like to mention the solutions from Roland DG.

The?Roland?MO-240, with an A2 printing area, is ideal for objects and small productions. It can be placed in various environments, from workshops to internal graphic studios and production lines.

For larger productions, the?CO-i series?can be considered. It is a flatbed solution with two different printing widths and lengths that can accommodate and customise numerous quantities of objects or articles, such as doors, panels, suitcases, and chassis.

All offer the possibility of accommodating a height of around 20cm and have an extended reproducible colour range, material and three-dimensional effects, glossy and matte, complete printing management from dedicated RIP software and a platform, available as an app, to control and monitor the production?remotely.

In addition,?unique software?PrintAutoMate is also available for repeated productions to automate the printing process and make the machine usable even by those who are not experts in digital printing, a non-secondary element in case of turnover or the use of unskilled labour.?

The inks have?GREENGUARD Gold?certifications, ensuring compliance with standards for sustainable printing.

Practical examples give an idea of the versatility and flexibility of this technology:?Sam Cases?for customising cases,?Shooter Padel?for personalising paddle rackets,?Monro?for packaging decoration, Bridge Cast for gaming audio mixer, and?Tipolitografia Mazzarini?for creating branded elements for advertising purposes.

Why Evaluate UV Flatbed Printing in Industry Today

In the industry and manufacturing segments, marketing offices, design managers, production line managers, planning offices, or those working in outsourcing for manufacturers must consider that the demand for customised productions, just-in-time, small lots, and on-demand is a growing reality.?

This pushes the need to equip oneself with more printing technologies; among these is the UV flatbed that meets the above requests and proposes itself as the ideal solution.?

The invitation is to see how UV printing can meet productive needs and experience a flatbed printer's flexibility and quality firsthand.