In-house trade fair on the topic of UV technology attracts 800 guests from all over the world 

Nürtingen - "UV rocks" has been the motto of IST METZ GmbH for this year’s UV DAYS. And UV did rock: more space, more guests, more exhibitors – the seventh edition of UV DAYS ended with a whole set of superlatives. Visitors from all over the world came to Nuertingen near Stuttgart in Germany where the UV specialist has its headquarters. IST METZ informed about UV lamp technology as well as the increasingly popular LED technology. Both drying technologies were demonstrated with a cartonboard guitar.

The world’s largest in-house exhibition of UV technology has beaten its own records once again: 800 guests (2013: 600) could be welcomed by IST METZ at UV DAYS in June. The event comprised several printing demonstrations and lectures, company tours, lab tours and a large exhibition of partners from the printing industry. For this, more exhibitors than ever could be won – 35 companies (2013: 26) took part in UV DAYS. "With around 2,000 square metres in our new building, we had of course the advantage of having more space this year", said Dirk Jägers, Managing Director of IST METZ GmbH. "Thus we have been able to assign the popular exhibition stands to more companies."

There was also high demand for the paper guitar, this year’s print gimmick for visitors. The printing of the guitar body, with the drying of inks and varnishes by means of UV light included, was demonstrated live, once with UV lamp technology and once exemplarily with a UV LED system. Furthermore the finishing of the guitar neck with hot-foil embossing was shown, also cured by means of UV light. 

Any ordinary smartphone can be pushed into the folded head of the guitar. It is first clamped into a holder produced by the 3D printing process. The top of the head is closed with a cardboard tab. An app for Apple or Android devices developed specifically for the occasion can be loaded. It contains a game in which, similarly to when playing the guitar, the fingers of the left hand have to touch the correct strings to win points. In other words, the cardboard guitar really can be "played" digitally using the app.

"We have once again shown at UV DAYS how much potential UV technology offers in combination with new product ideas", said Dirk Jägers. "Lamp or LED, which technology is the better choice depends on the respective application. UV allows for high-class finishings in packaging printing. There the lamp technology will remain useful. In commercial printing less finishing effects are required, but here the advantage of immediate processing is a strength UV also offers. A retrofitting to LED technology is conceivable in this area. What is certain above all is that the market for UV is growing, and along with it UV DAYS which we will host again in 2017."