07/27/2007 -- Dr. Jürgen Rautert, Director for Engineering and Manufacturing at Heidelberg, presented a certificate to customer Olegário Fernandes - Artes Gráficas S.A. from Lisbon, Portugal. This landmark machine - a Speedmaster CD 74 six-color UV press with double coating unit - will enable the print shop to expand into the new inmold label market and produce inserts for plastic packagings. Olegário Fernandes's workforce of over 90 staff prints labels, packagings and leaflets. The print shop's existing equipment includes three Speedmaster SM 74 presses, two Gallus and two Comco narrow-web label system. The print shop began operation in 1922 with eleven employees.
Proven UV technology
The Speedmaster CD 74 features integrated UV technology for UV applications. The UV equipment was developed in tandem with the press and is thus optimally adapted to the sheet travel. This concept has proven its worth with a great many specialty users working with the Speedmaster CD 74 UV, as evidenced by the 200 presses sold in only four years, confirming the leading position of Heidelberg is this segment. As well as technical benefits, the integrated UV technology also offers a boost for health and safety in the shape of the Heidelberg Drystar dryer system. With its integrated CAN bus, it boasts ease of operation for dryers from the CP 2000 control station plus safety shutdowns if production is disrupted. Integrated odor and ink-mist extraction also makes the Speedmaster CD 74 UV number one in terms of emission values. This is why it was also the first press to be awarded the "Optimized UV printing" certificate in 2003 from the German Institution for Statutory Insurance and Prevention. 
Heidelberg's history in developing UV:
1986: Speedmaster CD 102 with coating unit
1992: Speedmaster CD 102 with two coating units
1998: Speedmaster SM 74 with UV preparation
2000: Speedmaster CD 102 as a surface finishing machine
2002: Speedmaster CD 74 with UV configuration
2002: Speedmaster CD 102 Duo press
2004: Speedmaster CD 74 Duo press
2004: Speedmaster CD 74 with sheet reversal and UV technology
2004: Speedmaster CD 102 PresetPlus UV delivery
2006: Speedmaster XL 105 UV
The launch of the Speedmaster CD 74 for UV applications at the end of 2002 saw Heidelberg embark on a new strategy. Whereas previously the relevant presses in the various format classes had been prepared for UV and had then been equipped by partner companies such as IST METZ GmbH, Nürtingen, the Speedmaster CD 74 was equipped from start to finish with expertise developed in-house by Heidelberg. From research and development, consulting and service on the one hand to collaboration with leading system suppliers on the other, the company is now ideally positioned in all sectors of UV technology. Heidelberg maintained its new strategic orientation last year with the market launch of the Speedmaster XL 105 with UV.
Market development
The market in the UV sector has seen particularly strong development in the recent past. This is especially true of the folding carton, label, plastic material, and high-quality commercial sectors. The leading markets for UV applications are Asia, particularly Japan, the UK, France, the U.S., and Italy. But demand is also rising in Germany. This is also reflected in growth forecasts for the next few years. An average growth rate of seven percent is forecast for press manufacturers, over ten percent for dryer manufacturers, and as much as 14.5 percent for ink and coating manufacturers. The benefits of this technology include immediate hardening of inks and coatings. With UV drying, the ink film polymerizes within fractions of a second following radiation and is then immediately ready for further processing. However, this process requires special inks that contain completely different binding agents and additional photo-initiators. Other benefits include very high gloss when coating, the absence of powder in the drying process, less waste, maximum durability and thus less wear of the printing stock.
UV applications enable printshops to broaden their portfolios and achieve added value, occupy niche markets, boost finishing quality, and cut delivery times.