Koenig & Bauer’s Cortina press is starting to show production-level results with LED light curing in waterless offset, and early users have been reporting stable output on coated papers and widening commercial options.
The work centres on bringing LED light curing into everyday newspaper and commercial printing on the Cortina. The company says the technology, which uses electricity rather than gas, offers a more energy-efficient alternative to heatset drying and is now proving viable on substrates previously limited by drying constraints.
Freiburger Druck, part of the BZ Medien Group, has carried out extensive testing and presented its findings at a Cortina user workshop attended by 80 people. Daniel Binder, head of production at Freiburger Druck, said the printed results showed “excellent curing” and that the process “is ready for daily production”. He said coated papers had produced “stable” output, describing it as “a major step forward for newspaper printing”. Binder added that LED modules can be fitted “easily and modularly” into existing systems, and said feedback from attendees indicated the results “far exceeded expectations”.
Rodi Rotatiedruk in the Netherlands, part of the Rodi Media Group and the first Cortina user globally, is now assessing LED light curing for commercial expansion. Owner Dick Ranzijn told the WAN-IFRA world print summit that the technology may open opportunities in glossy magazines and could reduce ink usage and waste. He said the company will allocate resources next year to develop a commercial business case for its Cortina press. Rodi Media publishes 1.5 million copies a week across 45 editions and prints for other publishers, including the Dutch Times and Financial Times.
Commercial interest also extends to Belgium. Paul Huybrechts, CEO of Printing Partners Paal-Beringen, said the technology could have a role in the company’s growing commercial work. “It is something we will be testing soon,” he said, adding that the potential “is significant”.
Waterless offset on the Cortina is built on silicone-coated plates that remove the need for dampening solution. Koenig & Bauer says LED curing provides instant drying, which broadens the scope for work such as book covers and premium magazines.
Koenig & Bauer’s Cortina project manager Georg Zitterbart said LED light curing “has proven itself in production”. He said further optimisation is under way and at least four more Cortina installations are preparing to adopt the technology.