Résumé : |
In the past few years there has been much discussion
around the rate of adoption and usefulness for the wide
range of UV curing applications. Essentially, the question has been "will UV LED curing technology fulfil its promise?" Well, the answer is "yes"! In fact, it has exceeded the promise and will continue its strong growth and accelerate and open new UV curing markets.
The early concerns of output, lifetime and cost have ail been met with rapid technology and product improvement. Today, UV LED curing technology meets a wide range of application requirements and is continuing to improve at a rapid pace. Lamps of 16W/cm2, which cure at the highest of speed requirements, have been shipping in volume for more than two years. Lamp manufacturers routinely quote lifetime expectations in excess of 20,000hr of 'on-time' - double what was quoted a few years ago. Soon, leading manufacturers will be producing lamps promising an even higher number of useful 'on-time' hours - likely around 30,000 hr matching or exceeding the life of various curing installations.
Nearly ail UV curable materials providers have UV LED curable chemistries along with aggressive technology and product roadmaps. While the monochromatic nature of UV LED lamps requires special consideration from the chemists it has not been a long-term impediment as once thought.
One of the most exciting aspects of utilising a UV LED curing process is that it opens many new process possibilities with its precise electronic control of energy delivery. Many users have tailored their processes to achieve results unattainable though other means. Today there are many proprietary uses of energy control across varying applications. |