“Additionally, static electricity in the air can cause unwanted smears. Microscopic ink droplets, having so little mass, are extremely sensitive to even the tiniest influence. Once pulled off course by a static charge, droplets can merge into a blob and ruin the print.” Aside from this, Finkel says low humidity levels can slow down ink drying, leading to longer production times and reduced efficiency. Additionally, printing equipment can become dusty in dry air, causing damage to press components and increased maintenance costs. By adding humidity to the environment, dust and other particles in the air are reduced, extending the lifespan of press components, and reducing maintenance costs. In addition, Finkel notes how presses are sensitive to changes in paper moisture content and paper that is too dry or too moist can cause paper jams and other production issues. By maintaining optimal humidity levels, paper moisture content can be kept at the right levels, reducing the likelihood of paper jams and other production issues. As to how DriSteem can help, Finkel says the company offers a wide range of products such as electric humidifiers, gas-fired humidifiers, steam-to-steam humidifiers, and atomising humidifiers, with each solution designed to address specific humidity control needs, making it easy for customers to find the right product for their specific application. “DriSteem's high-pressure system will be released for sale in Europe later this year,” Finkel says, adding: “It is the perfect solution for print shops because it provides high-capacity humidification along with the flexibility to manage multiple zones with a single pump station. “Plus, the evaporative cooling effect offsets the building's cooling load. These systems have been available in North America for many years, we are excited to extend their availability to the European market.” Increase Productivity Turning to our third featured provider, the aptly named Humidity Solutions is well-placed to offer guidance. Managing director John Barker explains controlling relative humidity within the optimal range of 50%RH to 60%RH will greatly reduce or eliminate issues, helping to improve quality, reduce waste, and increase production speeds and profits. “Every printer wants to produce the best results possible with minimum waste material and at the fastest machine speeds to maximise customer satisfaction and the greatest profitability,” Barker says, adding: “Introducing water in the air in a controlled manner creates the ideal humidity to ensure that these objectives are more likely to be achieved at a relatively low cost and with low running costs. “An evaporative or spray humidifier can 79 www.printmonthly.co.uk July / August 2023 - Issue 343 easily be installed with power requirements of less than 1kw. Marginal gains are often sought, but with humidity control, significant gains can be made using tried and tested technology. “The dangers of not investing are missed opportunities to cut waste, and increase productivity and print quality by maintaining the stock in perfect conditions for a hydroscopic material such as paper or card whilst also producing the same environment day in, day out in which to print so removing one of the many variables that the print sector has to deal with.” As to how Humidity Solutions can help, Barker says the most widely used type of humidifier in the print and packaging sector is the high-pressure water system, which incorporates a low energy usage pump to pressurise the water creating a very fine atomised spray delivered via atomising nozzles positioned at high level or on wall mounted delivery heads. Alternatively, easy to install, low maintenance, very low running costs, and close control – or for applications where the print hall roof is low, Barker says Humidity Solutions can use an evaporative system such as Neptronic’s SKVF. “This solution doesn’t have a visible spray and provides all the benefits of the high-pressure humidifier, but with the option of delivering while suspended from the roof or localised around the feed end of the press providing humidity control and cooling,” Barker says “High-performance fans recirculate the air in the press hall evaporating moisture when the air is passed through a moist matrix which evaporates the moisture to deliver humidity in a controlled manner directly to the critical area, which can create localised control in a large factory reducing capital costs. “Low energy, highly efficient humidity control is used in most manufacturing industries to help cure glue, keep the product in the correct condition, and to ensure quality of finish and to maximise profitability in an ever increasingly competitive sector.” Barker’s closing comments sum up the core message of this feature; investment in a quality humidification system will help PSPs to strengthen efficiency and improve the quality of their printed output, which will in turn increase financial income. NEED TO KNOW / HUMIDIFICATION SYSTEMS DriSteem's highpressure system will be released for sale in Europe later this year Factoid ► John Barker, managing director of Humidity Solutions, says humidity control will help improve quality, reduce waste, and increase production speeds and profits ▼ DriSteem offers products such as electric humidifiers, gasfired humidifiers, steam-to-steam humidifiers, and atomising humidifiers
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