What is UV light?

What is UV light?

Ultraviolet (UV) light, a part of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum, is typically considered to be in the wavelength range from 200 nm (nanometers) to 400 nm. Light in this particular range is mostly used for water purification, semiconductor lithography, sun tanning and, of course, adhesive curing. The spectral light distribution of a UV lamp is determined by electric stimulation of the gas filling in the closed quartz tube. General speaking, a mercury vapor lamp not only creating UV radiation, but emits visible light and IR radiation.

UV curing technology

UV curing technology is conventionally known as thermosetting (or thermally cured reaction) technology whereas makes the specific component solid when just exposed to UV light. UV curing has many good features including curing times reduction, high production speeds, and low energy costs. This technology has been constantly growing in the fields of coating applications.

The process of changing a liquid into a solid when exposing to the UV is called UV Curing and the synthetic organic material to be cured is called UV Curable Resin which consists of monomer, oligomer, photopolymerization initiator and various additives such as stabilizers, fillers, pigments, etc. When UV is used to cure the resin, we always use the following units to measure the amount of UV radiation:

Irradiation intensity (mW/cm2): Irradiation intensity per unit area.

UV exposure (mJ/ cm2): Irradiation energy per unit area and total quantity of photons to reach the surface.

Manufacturing Process

Handling and Maintenance

Handle lamps with cotton cloves or paper towels to ensure no fingerprints. If you touch lamps with bare-hands, the finger oil might deteriorate the lamp electrical connections and make failure of lamp performance. Using an alcohol wipe is also recommended to assure clean surfaces. Tips of longer lamp life:

UV EXPOSURE LAMP

Keep the reflector clean to maximize efficiency of both the lamp and equipment.

Ensure the cooling system in good condition.

Start lamps in higher power for first striking to avoid excessive cold starts.

QUARTZ INFRARD HEATER

Keep the temperature of the Halogen lamp seal below 350O C.

Keep the temperature of the Halogen bulb wall above 250O C.

Keep the temperature of the Halogen lamp bulb wall below 800O C.