LED UV curing lamps technologies

For anyone who is not an skilled in the art, meantime we need to define what is the UV curing. 

As UV Curing is a defined a photopolymerization process that uses UV energy source (the Ultra-Violet light) to change a liquid to a solid. Upon absorption of the UV energy, the photoinitators added to a varnish, ink, adhesive or resin in liquid state produce substances called free radicals, which initiate the components of the liquid substance in a chemical reaction (called also polymerization) and changing it in a solid. 

In the traditional UV curing process, are used from tens years quartz discharge lamps, containing mercury and sometime other substances called halides. These one improve UV emission at certain frequencies (nm) where photoinitiators reacts better. 

The beginning of the third millennium marked a technological generational change of light sources commonly used in home, public and industrial lighting) and UV light sources. 

The subject in both sectors is the LED, an electronic component also commonly called diode. This is constituted by a p-n junction created in a semiconductor material. Applying at its ends a certain electric current in the forward direction, the junction emits radiation in the visible light range, infrared or UV according to the used type of semiconductor material. 

Typical image of a bare LED UV 

Among the sources of the UV light, UV LEDs are definitely the innovation of the future, offering many advantages in the industrial processes of curing and drying . 

The production of LED UV systems is a complex process because it involves a very high know-how in micro electronics, optics and thermodynamics, to get results technologically advanced and hence products of high quality and efficiency. 

Photo Electronics for years is investing resources in this business, and today offers the complete range of DROLED UV LED lamps with characteristics of excellence among those currently available on the market and expecting long service life.

How an UV Led lamp is made? 

An Led semiconductor is usually a small area (less than 2mm side) light source and power limited, so a lot of them are necessary to get enough UV light. Photo Electronics uses custom made COB (chip on board) Led solution. With this sophisticated technology, LEDs arranged in high density matrix allow to reach high UV intensities (w/cm²) with compact design. The UV power so generated reaches the level necessary for curing paints, inks and other products employing UV photoinitiators. 

UV LED Matrix sample (CoB) 

COBs LED are driven by electronic circuits, which allow a fine power control from 0 to 100%, and thermal managed by means of a cooling system electronically controlled . 

Additional special optics guarantee the maintenance of a high value of the UV radiation emitted, even at high distances from the surfaces to be polymerized, thus further improving the efficiency of the UV LEDs system. 

COB technology allows an UV Led lamp architecture building modular and flexible, to meet the customer needs. 

Benefits of UV LED Curing lamps

Useful resources

· UV Curing Led lamps: F.A.Q

· Led UV curing lamps application areas

· UV LED DROLED lamps Photo Electronics