• Digital UV flatbed printers

How to deal with static electricity on digital (UV) flatbed printers?

Digital flatbed UV printers are capable of high quality printing on a wide variety of materials such as photographic paper, film, cloth, plastic, pvc, acrylic, glass, ceramic, metal, wood or leather. These printers can use special UV (Ultra Violet) curable inks that are exposed to UV-light to cure. 

 

The new Cleanflex Easy 24V anti static blowgun can be used to neutralise electrostatic charges on the material before printing; f.e. high electrostatic charges (measurable with a Simco-Ion static meter FMX-004) will occur by removing protective film from plastic sheets. 

By neutralising you will prevent the attraction of dust particles and simplifies placement on the vacuum table. An industrial anti static blowgun can be used to clean the material before printing, the pull down function from the anti-static blowgun makes it easy to use. 

 

Simco-Ion advises to neutralise the material in free air and not while it is laying on the bench (vacuum table) of the flatbed printer. When a charged sheet is in free air the electric field moves in all directions and is available to be measured and neutralised. When the sheet is however flat on a (conductive) bench the electric field is attracted to the bench and is not available to be measured or neutralised.

 

Positioning compact Simco-Ion 24V electrostatic eliminators on both sides of the printing head will make sure  that during printing static charges are eliminated. This will prevent unsharp/blurry printing  results. Also contamination of the printing heads is reduced, resulting in longer production runs.

Most digital UV flatbed printers have a roll to roll option, to print on flexible media rolls. By positioning static eliminators on the printing head also electrostatic charges will be eliminated while printing these rolls. With specific material it might be needed to neutralise directly during unwinding/winding the flexible material from the roll. 

 

 

Simco-Ion can help you solve your specific static problems resulting in high quality competitive digital flatbed printing. Are you interested to learn more about the effect of static electricity? 

Find a Simco representative near you or subscribe to the Youtube channel Simco-Ion static control Europe