KBA North America announces that it will demonstrate a trio of new UV ink and drying systems at Drupa 2012 scheduled for May 3-16 in Düsseldorf, Germany. KBA, which is describing this year’s exhibition theme as “Sprinting Ahead”, has booked a large 37,700ft² stand in Hall 16, Stand C47 as the showcase for its many new developments for sheetfed, digital and web offset printers.

The popular KBA VariDry system has received an upgrade of new, complete drying units and will be displayed at Drupa on the Rapida 106 41-inch four-color with coater plus two dryers and a perfecting unit plus another four-color with coater and eight-foot delivery. Pure IR/TA and UV modules are already in operation along with quick-change units in which an IR module with three emitters can be exchanged for a UV module in any one of the two drying units after the first coating unit and before the perfector. Since the drying elements in the drying unit can be increased by adding interdeck UV dryers, the production options are virtually unlimited.

Another drying system, the KBA VariDry HR-UV, will debut at Drupa. This version, designated HR-UV (HR = highly reactive). KBA achieves a far superior result with a conventional mercury lamp and KBA SensPrint inks than the competitors using iron-doped lamps and highly-reactive inks. In addition, the KBA inks are suitable for food packaging and the service life of a mercury lamp is longer than that of an iron-doped lamp. Initial tests with the KBA dryer system (with iron-doped lamps and the new “KBA HR” inks which are in development) show that the curing results of the KBA system are far superior to other inks available on the market.

At Drupa, KBA is pleased to announce its VariDryBLUE IR/hot air dryers, the latest generation dryer system for ultimate drying quality and energy efficiency. Designed initially for its large-format press line, VariDryBLUE offers an array of advantages, including energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions due its efficient energy use; lower operating costs due to its greatly-reduced power consumption; higher production speeds; reduction by approximately 3,000 m³/h in waste air volume from its IR/hot-air dryers; and improved drying results and reduced powder use. VariDryBLUE offers an energy saving potential of up to 50% compared to conventional IR/hot-air dryers. VariDry Blue is available on most Rapida presses and will be shown on the new Rapida 145 at Drupa.

KBA North America is located in Dallas, Texas and a member of the KBA Group. Established almost 200 years ago in Wuerzburg, Germany, Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) is the oldest and second largest press manufacturer worldwide. KBA's banner, 'People & Print', reflects its dual focus as a leading innovator for print entrepreneurs. The group's product range is the broadest in the industry; its portfolio includes commercial and newspaper web presses, sheetfed offset presses in all format classes, inkjet systems and presses, special presses for banknotes, securities, metal-decorating, smart cards and discs. For more information visit the company's web site at www.kba.com.