Labelexpo 2023: AeroLED to lead the field for GEW

“We will be introducing our air-cooled UV LED product, AeroLED, to the Labelexpo Europe market for the first time. AeroLED offers up to 70% energy savings compared to mercury arc systems and its ArcLED compatibility makes it an appealing system for many printers looking to transition to UV LED,” said Duncan Smith, corporate communications at GEW.

AeroLED is compatible with ArcLED enabling it to operate side by side with UV arc lamps on a press. Furthermore, AeroLED has been nominated as a finalist for the Innovation Award at the 2023 Label Industry Global Awards.

The All4Labels Group has partnered with GEW to launch a global sustainability initiative. As a result of the initiative, 74 presses across 13 sites in Europe and the UK will be retrofitted with UV LED curing systems. This will involve upgrading over 600 lampheads from mercury arc to energy-saving AeroLED models. The upgrade will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 2000 tons per year. The program began in late 2022 and will be completed by the end of 2023.

AeroLED is a high-power system used for full cure, printing, coating and converting applications up to 60cm wide. The AeroLED retrofit is more cost-effective than before as it allows printers to switch between arc and LED curing on any station. Customers with GEW's RHINO/RLT power supply platform can upgrade to LED in under an hour by changing the cassettes and running a software upgrade.

GEW also introduced ExciRay at Labelexpo Europe. ExciRay uses dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) lamps to produce quasi-monochromatic vacuum ultraviolet radiation, typically at 172nm. This radiation is commonly used for mattification of surface coatings, modification of surface tension for improved adhesion, or surface cleaning for semiconductor and medical industries.

“Our company is a top supplier of UV curing systems, dominating the global market. In 2021, we reached a milestone by selling our 20,000th UV system, and our sales have been growing rapidly ever since. We are excited about the potential for further investment in UV technology, particularly in the worldwide label print market, thanks to UV LED technology's advancements. We are proud to offer dependable systems at reasonable prices, which positions us as the preferred supplier within this industry,” said Smith.

GEW is hosting live demos of its new launches at the Omet and Mark Andy stands on the show's first three days.

Malcolm Rae, founder of GEW, was announced the winner of this year’s Global Achievement Award, which was presented at the Label Industry Global Awards on the first evening of Labelexpo, Monday 11th September 2023.