Amba Metal Halide UV Lamps - Technical Information
This family of UV lamps is constructed from a top quality quartz envelope containing mercury and argon with the addition of gallium iodide, iron iodide or other rare earth metal iodides.
Tungsten electrodes are used to make the electrical connection via a molybdenum foil seal, and this is terminated by a metal cap or ceramic base with wire leads.
Development
![Construction of a typical metal-halide UV lamp [larger image opens in new window]](/i/metal_tech_con.gif)
Construction of a typical metal-halide UV lamp (click for a larger image)
![Gallium Iodide Lamp [larger image opens in new window]](/i/metal_gallium.gif)
Gallium Iodide Lamp (click for a larger image)
![Iron Iodide Lamp [larger image opens in new window]](/i/metal_iron.gif)
Iron Iodide Lamp (click for a larger image)
Metal halide UV lamps are most commpnly used for reprographic applications, and for some curing applications requiring enhanced spectral outputs. They are mercury UV lamps with the addition of gallium iodide, iron iodide or other rare earth metal iodides with alter the spectral output of the lamp. The manufacture of these metal halide lamps had traditionally been the province of large multi-national lighting companies, however Heraeus Amba Ltd has been manufacturing them since 1990, and their production facilities in the UK and Germany produce the most extensive range available on the market.
Manufacture
Heraeus Amba Ltd has a unique manufacturing system for metal halide UV lamps. Uniformity of production and a very low batch to batch variation factor is maintained as all the pumping and filling schedules are controlled by the microprocessor based systems. This consistent quality is further maintained by comprehensive inspection at all stages of manufacture, and every lamp is tested and inspected before leaving the factory.
Light Output
In all processes using a metal halide UV lamp, best results will be obtained if the lamp closely matches the requirements of the photo-chemical process. The examples here are typical options of metal halides for specific applications.
Gallium Iodide has the effect of introducing spectral lines at 403nm and 417nm of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is particularly useful with Diazo type processes.
Iron Iodide is a broad band emitter and enhances the spectral output of the lamp in the 380nm region. This can be used with good effect on photopolymer and daylight film exposure systems.
Multi-spectrum lamps can also be produced. These consist of two or more additives which improve performance across a range of different exposure products.