Elizabeth Gooding interviews Dr. Kai Bär of Adphos Group, a leading expert on Near Infrared Drying, or NIR and inkjet. Discussion of the critical role that drying technology plays in achieving quality output with production inkjet.
Dr. Kai Bär of Adphos Group is a leading expert on Near Infrared Drying, or NIR and inkjet. I had the opportunity to talk to him recently about the role that drying technology plays in achieving quality output with production inkjet.
Many drying technologies can be very punishing on the substrate resulting in mottle, cockle and curl. Finding the right drying option is particularly important as inkjet moves into application segments requiring heavy ink coverage and fine image quality. Some areas that put a focus on finding the right drying solution include printing on very porous (untreated) papers and, the opposite end of the scale, offset coated stocks. Printing on very light/thin stocks is also a an area where drying can expand the range of media options.
After you watch the video - scroll down to see more images.
The images below show the difference that NIR drying can make in keeping printed pages flat.
[caption id="attachment_2525" align="aligncenter" width="864"] Inkjet Book - Hot Air Drying Technology - Shows Significant Waviness/Curl[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2526" align="aligncenter" width="864"] Inkjet Book dried using Near Infrared (NIR) with No Waviness/Curl[/caption]
It's important to note that NIR solutions use dramatically less power for drying and can be a factor in calculating Total Cost of Ownership(TCO) NIR solutions are available standard in the Screen Truepress Jet 520HD and as a custom option from several other inkjet OEMs. If you are working with an inkjet integrator to create a bespoke solution, consider Adphos Group for the drying solution.
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Inkjet Book - Hot Air Drying Technology - Shows Significant Waviness/Curl[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2526" align="aligncenter" width="864"]
Inkjet Book dried using Near Infrared (NIR) with No Waviness/Curl[/caption]
It's important to note that NIR solutions use dramatically less power for drying and can be a factor in calculating Total Cost of Ownership(TCO) NIR solutions are available standard in the Screen Truepress Jet 520HD and as a custom option from several other inkjet OEMs. If you are working with an inkjet integrator to create a bespoke solution, consider Adphos Group for the drying solution.
