A cassette version of the system for narrow web label presses will headline the product’s commercial launch at Labelexpo in Brussels, Belgium, from 23-27 September, though both versions will be at the show.

It is a redesign of GEW’s UV technology with simplicity and value in mind, building on its LW2 curing system. The LeoLED’s 50mm width window is designed for a long dwell time to optimise curing speed and it is compatible with the GEW ArcLED hybrid UV system which permits for the interchangeability of UV arc lamps and LED arrays on a single print unit.

Duncan Smith, of GEW corporate communications, said: “The common barriers to LED are the cost of the technology and the cost of the UV inks. We cannot do anything to affect ink prices, so we have introduced this simplified design.

“On the label side, clients will have a number of interchangeable cassettes depending on the job and this can be one of them, while on the sheetfed side we have retrofitted on to Heidelberg, Komori, Ryobi and more – we have not found a machine we cannot fit.

“It gives people greater production speed and instant drying at a very competitive price, which is the main driver. We are all about quality and building long-lasting, robust systems, and the LeoLED will hopefully bring LED into the reach of most printers.”

The LeoLED is already available to market on request, with GEW having recently retrofitted one onto a Komori Lithrone S529 H-UV at Mandatum Ink in Croydon, South London.

Its LED array delivers electrical power at 88W/cm and an intensity of 25W/cm2, with minimal light loss due to the direct UV path, and a water-cooling system is put in place to maintain reliability.

While GEW will not have any live demonstrations on its own stand at Labelexpo, Smith said a number of the Crawley-based manufacturer’s OEM partners will be running presses on the show floor that will feature the LeoLED system.