A Roland DG study of 250 print companies from across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain suggests PSPs will increase their use of plastic, metal, wood and PVC for UV printing over the course of 2021.
Of the 20 materials listed in the study, the most commonly used in UV printing is plastic - with 75% of those polled using it at least once - closely followed by wood (64%), PVC (62%) and metal (54%). These materials were also the ‘biggest growers’ in 2020, with just under a fifth (18%) of those polled reporting an increase in demand for PVC, followed by plastic (17%), wood, (14%) and metal (9%).
In terms of frequency of use the same four materials are clearly leading the pack with over two thirds (43%) of those polled printing on plastic at least once a week, followed by PVC (40%), metal (26%) and wood (25%). A quarter of printers expect this frequency to increase most for plastics (25%) in 2021, followed by metal (24%), PVC (21%), acrylic (16%) and wood (14%).
“We conducted this study to understand how UV is changing the landscape and opening up a new group of materials for printing and personalisation,” said Stephen Davis, EMEA marketing director, Roland DG. “The data suggests that businesses embracing UV technology as part of their overall product offering are expecting a steady increase in commercial opportunities as a result.”
The research also revealed a healthy demand for a number of other more unorthodox materials, with a quarter (28%) of those polled printing on glass at least once a month, in addition to faux leather/leatherette (24%), ceramics (17%) and slate (15%).
The least used material according to the study was concrete with just 1% using it on a monthly basis. Cork and silicone were also less popular with just 6% using it for a job each month.
Some of the most unusual items that UV printers reported using included a pair of wooden maracas, a wax thermometer, an aluminium radiator, a lute and a glass thermometer.