Amba UV Curing Lamps - Technical Information
Construction
Heraeus Amba UV curing lamps are made from top quality quartz glass, which enables high levels of UV radiation to be transmitted. The seal is formed using molybdenum foil with platinum which ensures good life even at very high operating temperatures and currents. The complete assembly is furnace-cleaned to remove any traces of impurities before mounting into the quartz lamp envelope. The lamp is pumped and sealed, and the lamp is completed by adding a ceramic or metal cap and suitable electrical termination.
Sealing
UV Lamp construction capilliary seal type (click for a larger image)
UV Lamp construction pinch seal type (click for a larger image)
Mercury Arc lamp (click for a larger image)
Amba lamps can be manufactured with one of two types of seal: a capillary seal or a pinch seal. Capillary sealed lamps, also known as “rolled” seal, are made by hand using the vacuum within the lamp to create the pressure difference required to form the quartz around the foil when heated. This method is allows for extremely short production runs and for high current double foil designs.
Lamp Life
The operating life of a UV curing lamp is measured in hours of ultra-violet output, which drops off gradually throughout the life of the lamp. Standard UV curing lamps emit enough UV to cure for 1000 hours: improved production techniques and higher grade materials have enabled Heraeus Amba to produce lamps with operating life in excess of 1500 hours, when operated in suitable machines under optimum conditions.
Light Output
The light output of a typical medium pressure mercury arc lamp operating at 120 watts per cm is shown here. The majority of current inks and coatings are cured by exposure to energy at the 254nm and 365nm regions.
Some coatings and special applications call for other wavelengths such as 385nm and 417nm. These and other radiation bands can be created by the addition of metal halides which enhance the spectral output of the lamp for specific applications. See Metal Halide Lamps for more information.