Hönle at Ligna 2025: Drying systems for wood, fiber and plastic panels
UV specialist Hönle offers tailor-made curing solutions for the surface treatment of wood, fiber and plastic boards, including modular curing systems for laminate flooring and decorative boards. Hönle will be showcasing its UV and LED UV curing systems at Ligna 2025.
Curing with UV systems has become an integral part of the manufacturing processes for floor coverings, furniture and kitchen fronts, especially when it comes to surface finishing. The reason for this is the outstanding properties of UV-reactive coatings, such as scratch resistance, abrasion resistance or resistance to chemicals or UV light. UV coatings enable perfect end products with a long service life. In addition, the curing of lacquers, printing inks and coatings takes place in fractions of a second, a plus for fast, reliable and economical manufacturing processes. All these advantages go hand in hand with environmentally friendly technology, as UV-curing inks and varnishes are solvent-free.
Drying systems for surfaces with a wood look and feel
In addition to the coating of real wood, Hönle UV and LED-UV drying systems are also used in the production of a pioneering innovation: surfaces with a wood look and feel. A complex production process is required to achieve these realistic effects. The perfect illusion is created layer by layer in numerous individual steps. Plastic or fiberboard, such as HDF or MDF, is usually used for this purpose. The blanks pass through several printing, coating and processing stations on conveyor belts, the number of which varies depending on the requirements and design of the end product. Most of them use UV or LED-UV systems for intermediate or final drying, either partially or over the entire surface. The curing units, which are usually air-cooled or air/water-cooled, are permanently integrated into the individual stations of the production system, with external power supply and control.
New modular drying concept from Hönle
In addition to the tried and tested system, Hönle offers its customers a new, modular concept that not only simplifies the ordering and delivery process, but also provides the machine manufacturer with planning security and maximum flexibility in application. This also means that the production system can be expanded at a later date with additional UV modules, which can be freely positioned in the processing chain. In this way, future adjustments to production speed and product design can be easily realized. At LIGNA 2025, Hönle will be presenting a selection of its conventional UV and LED UV curing systems, which can be adapted to the application and machine environment according to customer requirements or supplied integrated into an inertized UV chamber. Hönle will be exhibiting at Ligna in Hall 017, Stand A41.