Commercial application in the commercial use of UV Curing LEDs is progressing rapidly because of improvements in energy output as well as the increasing the availability of adhesive, ink and coating formulations for chemistry. The power output of UV LEDs is rising by 12 per cent annually!
Applications that need more rapid production speeds are becoming more feasible.
This article will provide engineers working on process design and development with an overview of UV Curing with LEDs. It also outlines the its benefits in manufacturing production lines and steps to follow to ensure that you remain ahead of your competitors.
UV LED Output
Contrary to traditional UV curing, which produces a broad spectrum of light that UV LEDs used for curing is currently available in three narrow, almost monochromatic wavelengths: 395, 365, as well as 405nm.
This results in less wasted output (unneeded or non-useful wavelengths) but it also means that formulators for chemistry are need to come up with new chemistry that can be sensitive to these specific wavelengths and still meet the exact coating, ink or adhesive needs. Certain applications, such as the electronics of encapsulating or potting fiberglass composites and UV powder coatings laminating and spot cure adhesives already make use of longer wavelength additives, also known as “doped” arc lamps. Therefore, these are an ideal fit for UV LED curing.
Commercially-owned UV LEDs for curing
Presently, UV LED curing is widely used in graphic arts printing including digital inkjet offset sheet-fed printing aswell for industrial inkjet marking and coding, glue bonding, assembly sealing, screen printing optical fiber coatings wood decorating and coatings applications, photoresist, and many more across various industries like medical devices, automotive electronics packaging, building materials and alternative energy, among numerous others. Retrofitting production lines of manufacturing that are already equipped with UV curing into UV LED curing system (in place of or as a substitute) is a must for certain applications, due to the massive technological advancements and the profits for business owners.
Designing manufacturing processes and commercial advantages of UV LED curing
As compared to current UV curing technologies, UV LED curing systems have higher uptime due to their longer lifespan and the ability to instantly turn off or on. UV LEDs last 10-fold more (10,000plus hours) than the arc UV curing systems.
The ability to instantly turn off and on UV LEDs means that there is no waiting around to restart a line or work with the maintenance-prone shutters, as is the case with the arc UV lamps. The longer the time between uptime and off results in greater production rates.
The UV curing system work at lower temps than UV curring traditionally,. This makes it possible to work with heat sensitive materials without harming the material. Controls for dimming allow you to adjust the exact amount of ultraviolet energy required for evolving process requirements. Along with reducing product waste, this greater process flexibility and control could enhance your capabilities for production and lead to greater utilization of your production line.
If there’s room in your line and you have the space, adding UV LEDs to the existing UV curing could provide additional flexibility as well as the ability to use it as a “test bed” prior to implementing on other lines or plant areas.
The small size in UV LED curing technology make them simple to retrofit into production lines in manufacturing like conveyor lines that are flat or 3D and indexing machines or robotic arms. UV LEDs require cooling but this is done using internally-located muffin fans, or water cooling. They don’t require shutters, and the management of heat and light shielding are significantly simplified. In addition, since UV LEDs don’t produce Ozone (traditional UV lamps generate ozone due to their short-wave output of 180 nm to 220nm) and do not contain mercury, the work surroundings are safer.
Process designers today require solid constant UV curing procedures which they can easily replicate, and even move to any location in the world. UV LEDs are light and compact, therefore moving them is easier and more affordable in comparison to conventional UV curing.
Because UV LEDs require significantly less exhaust air or cooling manufacturing lines that are located in lower or higher elevations will not require substantially different cooling capacities. Thus, UV LED curing offers an improved and reliable process regardless of where it’s located on your manufacturing sites across the globe.
UV LED curing provides substantially lower operating costs when in comparison conventional UV curing, due to lower energy consumption, less consumable parts, and less maintenance costs. LED UV Curing Lamps generally consume 30% to 70 percent less power when compared conventional UV curing. The absence of having consumable items such as ballasts, lamps, and reflectors in stock can reduce costs.
In the end, less maintenance comes due to the less time needed for cleaning or servicing other components like reflectors, shutters, ballasts and fans.
Challenges
Similar to how LED technology is replacing certain interior lighting, automotive lighting, and other conventional lighting sources UV LED curing could always replace the conventional UV curing techniques for some coating, ink and adhesive applications thanks to the benefits discussed in this article. There are still challenges to overcome to be overcome for UV Curing with LEDs within a few manufacturing processes, including identifying suitable and readily available chemical formulations.
The applications that need a tough coat are particularly challenging to UV LED curing since short wavelengths, a little less than the 365nm threshold, are required to cure the surface.
The combination of UV LED curing and existing UV curing is an ideal option.
Next steps
So , what can manufacturing process development engineers and design engineers be doing now to ensure that they don’t get not ahead?
The first step is to learn more regarding UV LED curing technology, equipment suppliers, and potential chemical formulation partners to determine whether UV LED is a fit to any of your processes in manufacturing.
Third, develop connections with reputable suppliers who can assist you to create reliable and flexible LED curing methods through tests in the lab and in-plant. It is essential to have partners who can assist you in assessing the feasibility, ROI, as well as offer guidance and development assistance .
