The highlight of GEW’s stand at Labelexpo was its AeroLED2, launched in Asia for the first time. It was launched at Labelexpo America in September. Marcus Greenbrook, director of international sales at GEW, said, “So you don't have a chiller or heat exchangers, and you haven't got the complexity of water. Having the air-cooled, it runs off of the same fan, the same ducting that you would for the UV system. That is what we have launched here at the show.”

The AeroLED2 is a higher-powered, air-cooled UV LED curing system. It is newly available for wide-web widths up to 70-cm, to cater for more presses in the narrow-web market. It is also compatible with GEW’s patented ArcLED technology, meaning it can be interchanged with GEW’s mercury arc curing systems to allow for easy flexibility on the press.

The product’s air-cooled cassette ensures faster printing and more power across all narrow-web machines leading to customers not having to worry about curing.

Acknowledging the increased presence of local manufacturers at this edition of Labelexpo India, Greenbrook said, “There are a lot more UV LED manufacturers than there used to be, as well as conventional UV, so more LED. So the system our customers already have as a UV can run LED as well. All they need is a UV LED cassette and a software update, and they are running with LED. So they can be running LED within an hour of the product arriving.”

The LED2 also addresses the pressing issue that label converters have had to face recently: changing ink composition. The AeroLED2 ensures this is no longer a concern while simultaneously benefiting customers with narrow-web presses of 60 to 70 cm. It guarantees that they do not need a chiller, leading to overall cost-effectiveness.

The company will also have on display its E2C and E4C as well as its new water-cooled LED system, LeoLED2. GEW has been participating in Labelexpo India since 2014.

A trend that Greenbrook observed was the increase in energy costs across the country, He said, “Sustainability is one thing that people talk about but energy costs in India are relatively lower than they are in Europe. They are still seeing an increase in costs.” 

He added, “Mumbai is extremely expensive and the energy costs are expensive. We were talking to a customer who is based in Mumbai and needs to look at ways of reducing his energy costs and LED is a fantastic way to do that. You are going to be saving more than 60, possibly 70% in energy costs if you move to LED.”