Drytac VersaCoater XL UV liquid roller coater and the different kinds of laminating equipment that are available

First you have normal traditional film lamination, which can be hot or cold. In recent years, more companies are going to liquid lamination, also called roll coating or roll to roll flood coating.

Drytac VersaCoater XL UV liquid roller coater at FESPA Amsterdam 2009.

Liquid lamination today can be water-based (aqueous) or UV-cured. Aqueous liquid lamination is IR (infrared) cured. In the past solvent-based liquid lamination was available. This was the most vile-smelling material I have ever experienced in a printhshop. Not many companies in Western Europe and not many in North America would dare install a solvent-based liquid lamination system today. But in the 1990's many large signage shops and giclee/décor companies used nauseous solvent-based liquid lamination for top coating signage, vehicle wrap, or artists canvas.

Now that so many printshops have UV-cured flatbed or roll-to-roll printers, their clients seek more glossy or at least a satin appearance. This you can achieve by running your prints through a Drytac VersaCoater liquid coater. A coater is similar to a laminator, but is for coating, not lamination.

Liquid lamination today can be water-based (aqueous) or UV-cured. Drytac VersaCoater XL.

Site-visit case study inspection of the Drytac VersaCoater XL60, XL80

At FLAAR, when possible, we try to do our evaluations inside a printshop. Then we ask for access to the main demo room of the distributor. It helps when we can meet and learn from the key people, in thise case Marc Oosterhuis. Plus we learn from speaking with the inventor or main engineer (in this case Jim Tatum). So for this liquid laminator we began asking questions at the Dubai trade show 2009, then at ISA trade show '09, then at FESPA Digital Europe 09.

Nicholas Hellmuth recently analyzed the Drytac VersaCoater XL for GDS in Bloomington, Illinois. In this photo Dr. Hellmuth (at left) in the site visit case, 2009.

Then we learned that a reader of the FLAAR Reports had recently installed a Drytac VersaCoater XL60 or XL80. So in June 2009 FLAAR spent two days in Indiana, inspecting the Drytac VersaCoater XL. We found out that he had decommissioned his Neschen AquaSeal 60 or 80UV Pro because it did not function adequately (he had probably the first model in 2007, so it might have improved since then). He had replaced the Neschen AquaSeal with the Drytac, and found the Drytac had so many improved features that the differences in performance and ease of use were noticeable.

This is the Drytac VersaCoater XL at site visit case in Bloomington, Illinois, 2009.

The FLAAR Reports is now in progress of being prepared, based on the notes we took. The next stage is to visit the main demo room of Drytac. We would also like to learn more about the Neschen AquaSeal 60 or 80UV Pro to see which of the litany of deficiencies has been replaced by better components.

Applications for UV-curable liquid lamination with the Drytac VersaCoater XL60, XL80

For giclee ateliers and photo labs you can coat artist's canvas, wallpaper, and photo substrates including resin coated photo paper.

For signage you can coat PVC, Sintra, Trovocel, foam board, coated papers, corrugated materials, and specified other signage substrates.

Here is the Drytac VersaCoater XL laminating some samples at FESPA trade show 2009.

Drytac buys Advanced Finishing Systems, AFS to obtain new UV-curing technology

By Spring 2008 Drytac cleverly bought Advanced Finishing Systems, AFS. So now Drytac owns the technology itself, and Jim Tatum is at Drytac too.

Drytac also now offers their Drytac DES 4-Foam, edge finishing adhesive system for Foamcore.

 

Most recently updated after two-day site-visit case study in early June, 2009.

First posted May 25, 2009.