UV LED printing UV LED printing technology is characterized by versatile, durable, and high-quality marking solutions. Our inkjet printers enable precise print images and durable markings thanks to special colorant concepts and curing the marking using UV light.

UV inkjet technology has established itself as a versatile and powerful solution for industrial identification. It enables razor-sharp and consistent print images on a wide range of materials. In the electrical and automation industry, it is used in particular for marking materials made of various plastics and metals. The BLUEMARK E.CARD and BLUEMARK ID COLOR printing systems enable the efficient creation of resilient markers for terminals, wires and cables, equipment, and plants.

The BLUEMARK E.CARD works with thermal inkjet technology. This is a contact-free printing process based on the targeted heating of ink. It is also known as the bubble jet method. An electrical pulse is sent to a heating element in the printhead, which heats the ink up locally. The temperature generates a vapor bubble, which expands explosively. The resulting overpressure sprays a fine ink droplet through a nozzle onto the substrate. Ink containing a solvent is required to generate the vapor bubble. Phoenix Contact has developed a hybrid ink for this, which is both solvent-based and UV-curable.

The UV inkjet printer processes card materials with the help of an automated card transport system. After inserting a stack of material, the cards are automatically fed into the printing process. The printing unit consists of an ink cartridge, a drying module, and a UV module. The printhead is built into the ink cartridge. As the printhead is regularly replaced along with the cartridge, the printer provides a consistently high print quality and requires little maintenance. The printing process is split into two steps.

The BLUEMARK ID COLOR works with piezo jet printing technology. This is also a contact-free printing process. However, this process is not based on heating ink, but on piezo crystals in the nozzle channels of the printhead, which are moved by electrical pulses in waves. The pressure generated by the mechanical movement forces the fluid out of the printhead nozzle and propels individual drops of fluid in the direction of the marking material. The fluid is applied in lines below the printhead through the movement of the material. In the same step, high-intensity UV radiation cures the fluid. The material is not heated by the use of UV LED light, so even plastics that tend to deform when heated can be processed without any problems.

LEDs are used in Phoenix Contact devices. UV LEDs emit light in a very narrow range (UV A) and therefore have significantly lower variance than burners. The UV-induced, photochemical polymerization is often in a wavelength range of 200 to 400 nm. The minimal heat generation is an additional advantage. This allows the creation of smaller and lighter printers, such as the BLUEMARK ID COLOR and the BLUEMARK E.CARD, as well as the processing of heat-sensitive materials such as plastic.