Picking the Right Light for a UV-Curing Adhesive

Hello All,

I found this technical article on UV curing lamps and resins in the Adhesives & Sealants Industry Website and thought I would share it for those interested in the technical side. I hope the link works.

Picking the Right Light for a Light-Curing Adhesive
By Clai Bachmann, Vice President Marketing, Dymax Corp., Torrington, Conn.

www.adhesivesmag.com/asi/cda/articleinformation/coverstory/bnpcoverstoryitem/0,2103,9426,00.html

Pay it foward,

Brian
www.safeglasstechnologies.com

info@safeglasstechnologies.com</p>

Link doesn't work for me.

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Well I figured it would not work. Just go to www.adhesivemag.com and enter UV Lamps in the search block. It is the #2 link. Enjoy.

Pay it foward,

Brian
www.safeglasstechnologies.com

info@safeglasstechnologies.com</p>

www.adhesivesmag.com/asi/...26,00.html

I never knew you could copy and paste so easily or how to do it until a few months ago. I got this by highlighting the address and going to edit at the upper left. Then click on copy. Then go into reply here and go to edit and click on paste. Its magic and you don't have to spend 10 minutes trying to write the address down.

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I tried the copy and paste method in the link box. I don't know what happened. Maybe I did not highlight all of it. Sorry for that and thanks for posting the working link? Did you read the article?

Pay it foward,

Brian
www.safeglasstechnologies.com

info@safeglasstechnologies.com</p>

This is a very good article put out by a reputable company. Keep in mind that not all resins are the same. Some cure fine in sunlight, others do not. Not all resin manufacturers, or UV light manufacturers, agree on all the specifics, but in general most agree that you should be using long wave UV-A light to cure windshield repair resin. The range of UV-A is approximately 320nm to 380nm.

UV lights that Delta Kits sell are rated at 365nm. 12 Volt, 120 Volt and 240 volt lights are going to be more powerful and consistent than battery operated lights and should be used whenever possible. Having said that, we have tested a number of battery operated lights that do a good job of curing resin, although a bit slower in most cases. We have also tested some lights that do not cure well at all.

It's always best to check with the manufacturer of the resin you use before making a lamp choice. Make sure that the light you purchase meets the resin manufacturer's specifications.

Brent Deines
Delta Kits, Inc.


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I use the DELTA KITS pit resin and I just tested a light at the 402nm range and it dried it in 2 minutes .... in more than one test. Of course it is a long wave UV light as well as battery powered.

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Has anyone considered that the choice of UV bulb might also have a bearing on the curing time/effectiveness of the lamp? After all, even the most powerful lamp will still only cure as well as the bulb that is in it, right? Put an ordinary UV bulb into a curing lamp, and it will light up, but it won't cure anything. The suppliers recommend replacing bulbs every so many months, even if they aren't burned out, because they lose their curing power.

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OOPS! I said "put an ordinary UV bulb in a curing lamp....."

but I meant to saY "Put and ordinary (not UV) buld in a curing lamp....."

(dont want to cornfooze anyone) <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/laugh.gif ALT=":lol">

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