Just under a year after taking into operation the world's first Speedmaster XL 106 with DryStar LE UV dryer, Druckhaus Becker GmbH in Ober-Ramstadt near Darmstadt is investing in another press with this technology. The new Speedmaster XL 106 eight-color LE UV perfecting press (LE stands for low energy) with coating unit will be installed by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) at the start of the new year. At drupa 2012, Heidelberg unveiled the DryStar LE UV, a drying process with low energy consumption that uses highly reactive inks and coatings to offer a gateway to UV printing for commercial print shops in particular. "Our customers are increasingly demanding high-quality surface finishing with ultra-fast delivery, and LE-UV technology is definitely the future here," says Managing Director Jens Becker. "The quality and exceptional brilliance of these inks enable complex special effects, and all this with less energy and no powder. The biggest advantage of the DryStar LE UV is the fact that jobs dry immediately, particularly on uncoated paper and non-absorbent materials, with the result that they can be finished directly afterwards."

True to the motto "Quality rather than quantity", the 38 employees of the Druckhaus Becker GmbH full-service print shop specialize in premium print products for prestigious customers from the automotive, cosmetics, watchmaking, and jewelry industries. The new perfecting press, which will replace a Speedmaster XL 105-6+LX, offers the print shop even greater flexibility and an even wider variety of finishing options ranging from straight printing up to eight colors and 4/4 jobs with coating to matt/gloss coatings and opaque white applications. "We recognized the potential of LE UV technology with our Speedmaster XL 106 five-color LE UV press with coating unit. In conjunction with Heidelberg, we tested the press thoroughly and configured it to meet our needs," explains Thomas Groth, who is also a managing director at Druckhaus Becker. He feels that the benefits of LE UV amount to a minor revolution in offset printing, as this technology provides a cost-effective gateway to UV production without harming the environment. The much shorter throughput times more than compensate for the higher cost of consumables.

Systematically green - low energy consumption and less waste thanks to Prinect Inpress Control

As with the first LE UV press, the new press will also be equipped with Prinect Inpress Control, which controls color and register on the fly upstream and downstream of the perfecting device, thus cutting startup waste to a minimum. Along with the low energy consumption, this all contributes to eco-friendly printing, which Druckhaus Becker has been implementing systematically for many years. "LE UV is a win-win situation for our customers, the environment, and for us," says Becker. "Our customers get high-quality products in minimal time, there is less impact on the environment, and our production operations are more cost-effective for existing and new customers, who we can attract with our expanded services."