Humidification system maintains stable humidity for Ripe Digital

Print Solutions

A turnkey solution from Humidity Solutions has provided Wiltshire based Ripe Digital with stable humidity control, helping the company to ensure optimum performance of its new HP Indigo 7800 digital press.

Owner Rik Penny recalled, ‘We had noticed that we were having some problems with static and, with some stocks, we were getting a wave on the paper when it was bound. On investigating, we noticed that the relative humidity in the print was falling to 40% by the end of the day, below the 50 to 70% recommended for digital print rooms.’

‘We were initially apprehensive about the cost of a humidification system but Humidity Solutions carried out a free site survey and the cost was around £2000, considerably less than we had anticipated. We were impressed with the way the project was delivered and since installation the system has been maintaining humidity at around 50% very successfully,’ he added.

Humidity Solutions specified an Electrovap CMC3 electrode boiler alongside a room ventilation unit, controlled by a humidity sensor to maintain precise control of humidity. The company also provided an end to end service from initial design through to commissioning and handover.

John Barker of Humidity Solutions explained, ‘Low humidity is a common problem in digital print rooms. It can be caused by air conditioning removing moisture from the air when cooling is required in the summer, while in winter the outside air introduced for ventilation has a naturally low moisture content.

‘Low humidity can dry paper stocks, leading to problems that reduce machine speeds and the quality of the finished product. It may also create an environment that is outside the optimum for the press and, in some cases, can invalidate the warranty on certain parts.’