Clear Coat Beta Testing Challenges – Early curing of clear coat inks
One of the challenges that DRS had to resolve is how to keep the clear coat UV inks flowing continuously. One of the surprises they found was that the ink was actually curing in the lines prior to even reaching the print heads. Through a methodical process, the DRS team was able to isolate the issues to a combination of heat and light as the key problems with the clear coat inks flow and cure problems.
The resolution came via a process of trying a combination of heat and light exposures for the clear coat ink in the lines and through the print heads to finally resolve the problems. As a result they were able to finally develop the process for the CET digital flatbed printer to be able to add a clear coat to the printing process.
The clear coat option adds the flexibility of the CET digital flatbed printer to add spot gloss or full gloss to printed signs and banners. The clear coat adds the ability to selectively highlight portions of the sign which can be used to highlight a product or a logo and add more action and movement to the final printed sign, poster, or banner.