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1. INTRODUCTION
Web-offset printing has shown strong growth in recent years because it
improves the competitive positions of both folding-carton and flexible-packaging
converters. For the carton printer, instead of four separate, low-speed operations
from roll to finished carton (sheeting, printing, die-cutting and stripping), they
are choosing higher speed web lines which replace one or more of the former separate operations. Many of the new web ,lines print, die-cut and strip, creating a
finished carton in-line. For the flexible-package printer, instead of the lower
quality graphics 'of flexo printing and instead of the high cost of printing cylinders
associated with gravure, web-offset printing provides excellent graphics and lowcost
plates. Many of the companies who have purchased web-offset presses for these
products have chosen to use electron-beam (EB)'"drying" (an apt euphemism for the.
more correct term "curing"). EB allows them to "dry" solventless inks and coatings,
and to economically produce high quality graphics.
Since the first EB dryer was installedon a web-offset Chambon press in 1980,
there have been forty-seven additional web-offset presses integrated with EB dryers.
Thirty-five of these have been Energy Sciences Inc.'s dryers, and, for most of the
1980's, these systems have been virtually identical from one installation to another.
Although there were steady improvements, never was there a radical redesign for this
very important market. As with any equipment, there were some inadequacies that were
realized and, to some extent, were resolved on later systems. Other'areas of concern
could only be rectified by fundamental changes.
In 1989, a development program was undertaken. to new series of EB
dryers for offset printing. These systems are The Electrocure Series. Although
for some applications' the previous series of the Electrocurtain® will continue to
be preferred, it is expected that for the large printing and converting markets, the
Electrocure series will have the systems of choice. The first of these units is
being installed at a European converting plant.
