The UV flatbed printer combines the advantages of UV cured ink and digital printing technology, representing the development trend of digital printing technology, and is the focus of product development for domestic and foreign printing machine manufacturers today. UV flatbed printing can print soft materials and has huge market potential in materials such as glass, wood, floor tiles, ceilings, ceramics, etc. However, when UV flatbed printers are applied on non absorbent hard substrates, due to the fast curing speed and high surface tension of UV ink, the adhesion of UV ink is poor and the printing effect is not ideal, so coating is required!

There is no absolute superiority or inferiority between UV ink and weak solvent ink. The core difference lies in the curing mechanism (photopolymerization vs. solvent evaporation and penetration), which determines that the former excels in material versatility and instant drying, while the latter excels in flexibility, bending resistance, and color softness. ‌‌

Comparison of core differences

Curing principle: UV ink is instantly crosslinked and cured by ultraviolet irradiation, and the ink layer adheres to the surface; Weak solvent ink relies on trace amounts of solvent to slightly corrode the surface of the medium and evaporate and dry, allowing the ink to penetrate into the interior of the material.

Applicable materials: UV is the "master key", which can directly print hard and non absorbent materials such as glass, metal, acrylic, wood, etc; Weak solvents are mainly suitable for flexible rolls such as PVC car stickers, lightbox fabrics, leather, wallpaper, etc. Hard materials require coating treatment.

Visual effect: Weak solvent color transition is more natural and soft, without the feeling of ink layer accumulation; UV supports white ink printing and relief/3D stereoscopic effects, with high glossiness but may appear slightly heavy when laid flat over a large area.

Physical properties: The UV ink layer has high hardness, scratch resistance, and strong solvent resistance, but it is prone to cracking at low temperatures or when bent significantly; The weak solvent has excellent flexibility, is resistant to bending and low temperatures, and is suitable for dynamic scenes such as car body stickers.

Environmental Protection and Odor: Both have low VOC, and the weak solvent product is almost odorless (requiring drying to evaporate residue); Although UV has no solvent evaporation, the monomer has a slight odor before curing, and some inferior formulas may have a residual feeling.

Cost efficiency: Low investment in weak solvent equipment, cheap ink, suitable for large-scale roll to roll production; UV equipment is 2-3 times more expensive and ink costs are high, but it eliminates the drying process and has a very fast delivery speed (i.e. pick up immediately). ‌‌