One of the most popular solutions for utilizing adhesives, coatings, polymers, and resins in green manufacturing without resorting to solutions that require time or heat to cure/dry involves using ultraviolet (UV) radiation and a material that is capable of utilizing its energy to provide for a fast, on-demand cure. While mercury-based bulbs have long been a staple of the UV curing process, UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have made vast strides in becoming an excellent alternative due to their lower operating costs and superior lifetime over conventional bulbs.
As environmental awareness has gained traction and technology moved toward the “next big thing,” issues with mercury bulbs for industrial UV curing have started to become evident. In the manufacturing world, mercury creates a tremendous amount of heat that could, in some instances, damage the product being created. This is due to the large amount of energy required to operate the system, which also leads to high energy costs during operation.