What is UV printing? Its role in customised electrical enclosures

Want to know how to improve your electrical enclosures? The solution could potentially lie in UV printing. It is a one of a kind technology which enables strong imagery with colors. But that’s not where it ends—there is also the aspect of durability and robustness for different conditions with regard to UV printing as well. Find out how you can make your electrical enclosures beautiful functional and durable pieces!

1) What is UV printing, and how it works?

“As the name suggests, UV printing is a method in which ink is dried with special UV light, making prints bright, clear, and long-lasting.”

UV printing is a method of digital printing which is gaining widespread acceptance. This is how it functions when you print using a UV printer:

Step 1) Applying the Ink: For starters, the first step involves a UV printer placing a specialized ink that is sensitive to UV light on a substrate, which can either be paper, plastic, timber, metal, or glass. The difference between UV inks and conventional inks is that UV inks remain dry till the last stage as opposed to conventional inks that take a lot of time to dry and can also get smudged.

Step 2) Instant Curing with UV Light: When the structuring is being done, the internal lights of the printer that emit UV light are automatically switched on and the moment the ink is placed on the zone, it gets dry which can also be termed as curing. A good number of UV printers have an edge over conventional printers in terms of how quickly they can dry ink, with advanced UV printers drying ink at least 50% faster.

Step 3) The Final Print: Because the ink immediately dries, there is no penetration or smearing, which results in very sharp details and bright colours. On top of this, your prints are also more durable, offering increased resistance against fading and scratches—up to 60% more than normal prints. With this level of quality, it can be best suited for products including outdoor signs, electrical box enclosures, packaging, and custom products that require a strong lifespan.

2) Benefits of UV Printing for Electrical Enclosures

UV printing has several advantages when it comes to labelling, branding, and decorating metal and plastic electrical enclosures. Here’s why you might want to consider it for your enclosures:

i) Increased Lifetime and resistance to harsh environmental conditions

Electrical enclosures often face moisture, sunlight, extreme temperatures, and dust. When you want your enclosures to survive harsh environments, go for UV printing. The print created by means of UV is around 60% less prone to scratches and fading than traditional inks, which makes it possible to print in so many different environments. This makes UV printing suitable for a wide range of end-products that need the printing to endure tough environments while still remaining easily visible.

ii) High-Resolution, Clear Text and Graphics

It is a requirement to formulate the text and labels of your enclosure in a clear and professional manner; this and much more is made available by UV printing, which offers very high-resolution graphics and even text. When labelling an electrical enclosure, there is a stringent requirement for the text details provided, which have to be readable; in some cases, it can be safety, identification, or brand information.

Thanks to UV printing, tiny texts and logos will be translated accurately and nicely even when they are on small enclosures. In fact, with the help of UV printing, the maximum resolution that can be achieved is 1440DPI, which means that the information contained therein will be very easy to read, thus making the enclosures not only good in quality but also user-friendly.

iii) Less Printing Time

Moreover, you will notice that the production drastically improves because UV printing has the principle of immediately drying. This type of instant curing can compromise the production time by 50% as opposed to traditional curing processes. With more and more work getting done quickly, there will be increased productivity, where deadlines will be met, and responding to orders will be much quicker. More so, with a faster drying time, there will be no smudges or mistakes on the electrical enclosure boxes.

iv) Environmentally Friendly Process

UV printing is also environmentally friendly, which helps in reducing the environmental burden. This is because UV printing produces lesser volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to conventional inks making it a safer and environmental option. This is significant as studies have indicated that the adoption of UV printing can reduce emissions between 30 to 50 percent. This is good for the environment and also for the workplace since there are fewer harmful chemicals.

v) Versatility on Various Materials

Regardless of whether the enclosure is made of plastic, metal, or glass, UV printing can provide good quality. It’s great that it works well with many different materials since you don’t have to worry about special coatings or treatments. Not only will this allow you to save time and material, but you will also be able to produce high-quality results by printing directly on the electric box enclosures.

vii) Cost-Effective Customization

If some changes to designs are needed in order to meet the branding or regulatory guidelines, using UV printing makes these changes inexpensive and easy. This method turns out to be more useful when small production runs or customised designs are printed, as there are no setup costs or long processes involved in the preparation. To top that off, custom UV printing can reduce your production costs by as much as 30% compared to conventional methods, but this doesn’t compromise design quality.

To summarize, it can be concluded that once you opt for UV printing, you can get speed, endurance, and versatility; which in turn makes it logical to use for electrical cabinet enclosures that need to function efficiently under tough conditions and have an appealing look. If you want to make sure that the electrical outdoor enclosures created are reliable in performance and visually appealing then UV printing can be used for your next project.

3) Demerits of UV Printing for Electrical enclosures

To start with, it is crucial to note some limitations of UV printing when applying it to electrical enclosures despite its advantages. Here are a few demerits to keep in mind:

i) Higher Initial Investment

First things first, you will notice that the initial setup cost for UV is usually greater than that of other systems. When the cost of specialized inks and printers is taken into account, it is an investment which may not be beneficial to smaller businesses. Continuing expenditure associated with UV ink may also exceed compared to conventional ink by as much as 20-30%, and this would be a concern in low volume printing jobs.

ii) Limited Adhesion on Some Materials

Like other printing processes, UV printing has its limits. when it comes to application on certain plastics or textured metals, adhesive issues could arise. If good ink to substrate bonding is achieved, you might require additional preprocessing such as applying primers which will render you additional costs and also consume more time in the production process.

iii) Damage Caused In High Flex Applications

In applications that are characterized by constant bending or flexing, there is a likelihood that the UV cured ink will crack eventually. This fragility makes UV printing unsuitable for applications where the enclosure is likely to be physically stressed or moved.

iv) Additional Tools and Staff Training Required

Most importantly, don’t forget that UV printers won’t work unless they are maintained properly like changing UV lamps regularly. For this, training to your staff would also be required because UV lights can be dangerous. This may add to the running costs and also be time consuming especially for those who are new to using UV printers.

v) Possible Health Risks

It is also important to note that there is a certain level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released when UV printing and may pose health risks if left uncontrolled. Another health risk associated with UV printers is the intense light generated during the UV curing process, which is harmful to unprotected skin or any other part of the body. Even though many printers are built with shields to minimise risks, it is still of utmost importance to take further steps to maintain a safe environment.

vi) Color Matching Issues

UV Printing is able to produce bright shades, but the shades may not be exactly what you need, which makes it a challenge for brand owners looking for precise colour matching for their electrical enclosures. Testing the colours and making adjustments is the way of getting the desired print shade. However, it’s not as effective as one desires. That being said, there are many others who claim that, with the right adjustments, UV printers work wonders for branding.

➔ Conclusion

To sum up, UV printing is a great way to take your electrical enclosures to the next level, as they will be easy to see and quite strong. Adopting such technology will definitely improve both the performance and genre of your products, allowing them to be eye-catchers regardless of where they are placed. If you want to go to the “next level”, think about buying your UV-printed electrical enclosures from Saipwell. With our commitment to quality and innovation, you can be sure that you are getting the best for the best!