As you can see from the test results that Ulano shared with us, Lightspeed Equipment LED Screen Printing Exposure Unit is what they consider to be the best LED exposure unit tested to date!
“Overall, the results of this LED screen printing exposure unit with our emulsions was very good. Based on previous LED exposure unit testings, the Photopolymers were just a little slower, but not so much that it makes any difference.
All three Photopolymers had good edge and resolution. Orange and One Coat slightly better than 90222/2.
Platinum and 90188/8 were equal match for exposure. 90188/8 having better edge and resolution than Platinum, yet Platinum very good and very acceptable for textile printing. I treated both emulsions with On Press and let sit overnight. Platinum reclaimed very easy, 90188/8 needed pressure washer, but would still be considered easy to reclaim.
LX660 Blue and Poly Plus Z were the big surprise for me. The exposure speed was ok, but the edge definition and resolution was fantastic. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference from the LED screen and a 5K MH screen. Nothing like we have seen from all the other LED units where dots have conglomerations that make them look horrible. These were a pleasent surprise..
DP800 Blue exposed faster than the diazo dual cures, but did not have the same edge and resolution that they have. They were good, but not the same as LX660 or PPZ.. Dots were also slightly elongated.
925WR-P was slow, as expected. Good edge and resolution, but not as good as with a 5k MH.. Also had the elongated dots.
My opinion: I would not recommend the Lightspeed LED screen printing exposure unit for straight diazo emulsions, mostly because the speed is slow and the end result is not better than a MH. Definately good for Photopolymers as far as speed and good screens… again, not as good as MH, but very good alternative. Dual cure and Hybrid Dual cure are the best results. The diazo dual cures were excellent. As long as a customer can live with the exposure times, it’s a good unit. The Hybrids were nice and fast, yet had very good imaging.”
I hope this information is helpful as you begin to see this unit in the field. I would not hesitate to recommend this as the best LED screen printing exposure unit to date!!!!!!!!!
Download the PDF to read the results and their analysis for yourself.
Ulano_Lightspeed LED Testing Sheet (PDF)
We purchased a Light Speed Exposure unit and are getting ready to set up our step wedge test tomorrow using Ulano Platinum. (Thursday) This is our first LED exposure unit, so we are excited to se how this changes the exposing process.
Please call with any tips on where to start with our step wedge test.
I reviewed the Ulano/Kiwo test results, but I am not familiar with some of the acronyms. We are hoping to avoid locking screens if at all possible. 🙂
Thank you for your support. We look forward to getting things in motion!
Sincerely,
Hannah Gorman