UK-based Print Quest Graphics, flexo prepress specialists, has invested in two Miraclon Shine LED Lamp Kits, after reporting efficiency and quality gains from its initial investment earlier this year.
David Jarvis, managing director and founder of Print Quest, said the benefits from the initial investment were so significant that the decision to invest in the duo was made within 24 hours of installation.
On average the company has reduced plate exposure times by 33%, explained Mr Jarvis. He referred to the LED lamp’s benefits: consistent exposure, elimination of plate remakes, no degradation, time saved from recalibrating, and reduced warm up and cool down times; all increasing the company’s productivity. Additionally, Mr Jarvis anticipates significant savings on energy bills, enhancing Print Quest’s sustainability proposition.
Miraclon added that the Shine LED Lamp Kit provides users with a simple, low-cost route from inconsistent fluorescent exposure to the advantages of LED technology. By utilising customers’ existing fluorescent exposure frames, for a fraction of the cost of a new LED exposure unit, users benefit from consistent, predictable intensity over a much longer operating life (up to 5000 hours compared to 800 hours for fluorescent tubes), faster exposures, and enhanced sustainability performance, said Miraclon.
Mr Jarvis says that in evaluating new technology it’s important that it should benefit both Print Quest and its customers, improving workflow, efficiency and quality for both parties. The Shine LED Lamp Kit meets all these criteria and is proving an excellent addition to its production, he concluded.
Print Quest’s relationship with Miraclon dates back to 2008, when it became the first commercial installation of the Flexcel NX System, later becoming one of the first European tradeshops to complete the Miraclon Certification Program for Flexcel NX Plates.
