The Importance of Uniform Light Delivery from UV Curing Systems
Beyond peak intensity and curing area, differences in uniformity can impact the delivered UV light dose and change the optimal setup for flood-curing systems.
When selecting a UV flood-curing system, it is relatively easy to compare the advertised curing area and the peak intensity of the different systems and assume that higher values mean higher light delivery. However, how often does the user consider the uniformity of the light emitted from the system? Uniformity is a measure of how close to peak intensity the emission is over the entire area to be cured, and it can vary greatly between different curing devices.
When curing a UV adhesive, the most important factor for successful cure tends to be total light dose. Total dose is defined as the irradiation time multiplied by the intensity. When selecting a flood-curing system, the user is typically looking for a level of intensity that can be delivered for a certain amount of time to achieve a full cure. The combination of time and intensity is determined by several factors, including what is required by the adhesive to achieve full cure and the available time in a process before the curing step becomes a bottleneck.