UV-curable inkjet printing technology is the result of combining inkjet printing with UV-curing technology.
Research into UV-curing technology and photosensitive polymer materials began in the 1950s. By the 1960s, both photosensitive polymer materials and inkjet printing technology had seen further development. During the 1990s, manufacturers of UV-curable inks continued to refine their products, capturing an increasing market share-a growth rate that outpaced that of solvent-based inks. In the late 1990s, Canon-a developer of thermal inkjet technology-began exploring the use of water-based UV-curable inks in thermal bubble inkjet systems. Furthermore, the adoption of UV-curable inks in traditional (analog) printing processes-such as letterpress, gravure, offset, and screen printing-began to grow at a faster rate than the growth of these traditional printing methods themselves.
Around 2000, several key technological integrations and application expansions emerged. For instance, Chromas Technologies and the Digital Label Alliance unveiled their Argio75SS inkjet printing system at Labelexpo 2000; Heidelberg showcased a high-speed piezoelectric digital inkjet printing system at drupa 2000; Barco introduced its "the.factory" system; and the British equipment developer Inca debuted its Eagle44 wide-format flatbed inkjet printer, also at drupa 2000.
The convergence of inkjet and UV-curing technologies continues to evolve to meet the demands of commercial and industrial sectors. Much like the trajectory of traditional printing technologies over the past two decades, UV-curing technology is poised for rapid growth alongside inkjet printing.
