Choosing the right UV curing lamp can be challenging. It should have a long lifespan, dimming capabilities, and consistent exposure. A simple control device is necessary to prevent over-curing.
An ultraviolet (UV) curing lamp is used by many manufacturers to cure or harden cured compounds, but finding the right UV curing lamp can be a difficult task. A UV lamp must have a long bulb or light emitting diode (LED) life to keep lamp operating costs low and to be more convenient to use. A light with dimming will ensure that both weak and strong cured compounds receive the appropriate intensity for curing. Consistent intensity is just as important as adjusting the intensity because this will ensure that the entire compound is evenly exposed to the UV light. The control mechanism must be easy to use, otherwise some compounds will be overexposed to UV light, creating devastating reactions.
Each UV curing lamp uses a light bulb or LED to expose the compound to light. In production settings, this light will be on for long periods of time, so the lifespan should be at least 10,000 hours, although they are available in ranges up to 50,000 hours. This reduces costs, as fewer consumables will be required, and lamp usage will be more cost-effective, as operators spend less time replacing the light source. LEDs usually have a better life than light bulbs, but they also tend to cost a little more.
A UV curing lamp is used to cure cured compounds, but each compound will be different. Applying the same UV intensity to each compound will be inefficient, because weak compounds will react poorly and strong compounds will not fully cure. A lamp with a dimming tool will allow the operator to adjust the strength of the UV light, so it can perfectly cure the compound.
Along with the ability to adjust the strength of the UV light, the best UV lamp should offer consistent exposure. Inconsistent exposure will leave some areas uncured, and cured areas will need to be exposed to more UV light to cure the entire compound. This is inefficient and leads to poor results. Only coherent lamps should be used for production.
A simple control device should be used with the UV curing lamp to ensure that compounds only remain in the lamp for a specific amount of time so they do not over-cure. Foot switches are commonly available, allowing the operator to depress the switch to start curing and release it to stop curing. There are also more advanced control panels that allow operators to set the time in precise increments. If the control panel is hard to figure out, this can lead to overexposure, which can ruin your compound.
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