UV Curing Provides Finishing within Minutes
Becker's Fabrication | Yorba Linda, Calif.
In the 25 years Becker’s Fabrication of Yorba Linda, Calif., has been in business, General Manager David Beilfuss has seen the industry’s technology evolve: “We’ve gone from flat one-two-three pass printing to three-dimensional visualizations with shading.”
Becker’s manufactures high quality custom labels, wraps and membrane switches. Its staff of 27 serves clients across a range of industries, from pool manufacturers to medical suppliers and industrial production companies.
“UV curing is very reliable for ink bonding. We can go from press to finishing within minutes.”
Becker’s equipment for the specialized applications they run includes a Roland DG VersaUV LEC-series 30-inch UV printer/cutter. Becker’s uses its VersaUV for production parts as well as prototyping of membrane switches, overlays and any sort of durable label.
“The Roland DG offers very fast setup and hands off printing – UV curing is very reliable for ink bonding. We can go from press to finishing within minutes,” said David.
He also appreciates the low labor content while production is handled by the VersaUV. “We can run it lights out,” said David. “Once it’s set up, we walk away for an hour or even overnight. Roll to roll printing becomes very cost effective.”
On the VersaUV, Becker’s produces one-off jobs all the way up to thousands of units, and has used the machine’s unique capabilities to expand its product line to include customized iced tea and coffee urn wraps. “The VersaUV lets us print white ink on clear film which gives us the opacity we need for certain applications,” said David. “It has helped us branch out in new directions.”
To keep its production running smoothly, Becker’s relies on Roland DG’s ECO-UV inks. “There’s an old adage that every time you add a color you add a cost, but not any more,” said David. The VersaUV’s spot color printing has provided the ability to “match just about anything our customers come up with.
“We try very hard to provide optimal solutions for our clients, both in terms of aesthetics and durability. The VersaUV adds to our production value in both of those areas.”