Looking for detailed UV resin curing info.

[Datasinc]

I'm looking into the curing speeds & results from various types & sources of UV light.

Based on what I've seen of Delta's resin, it cures under direct sunlight and under blue/purple florescent UV bulbs with somewhat different results.

In your online store you have blue and white UV lamps.
Is there any difference or a situational advantage in using the blue vs the white UV bulbs?

I'm a bit confused since one matching size in either color (40-2WorB - BULB, 6) is the same price but for the same size in either color, and other size (40-3WorB - BULB, 9) are half/double the price of each other.

What's the specs on the output of these bulbs? Nanometer (nm) range?
Total Energy output? (in mJ/cm2 )

Does raising or lowering these numbers slightly effect curing time and/or quality?

Assuming so what is the ideal nm range & energy output to cure resin?

I've heard from Jonathan Powell of Delta Kits, Inc. that "Our resin is optimally cured at 365 nanometers. This is a long wave UV"
Long wave UV (UV-A): Extends from 320 to 400 nm.
Was this accurately measured with a UV meter? Where could I find a UV meter to test this myself without buying one?

What's the output of the sun on a clear day in the Arizona area? I know it shoots out a wide range of visible light, UV & IR light. Having a hard time finding that info. (Possibly 220nm-B)
Is there a light range the sun puts out that is bad for resin?

Sorry for all the questions, any answers will be greatly helpful.

[Brent Deines]

I'm looking into the curing speeds & results from various types & sources of UV light.

Based on what I've seen of Delta's resin, it cures under direct sunlight and under blue/purple florescent UV bulbs with somewhat different results.

In your online store you have blue and white UV lamps.
Is there any difference or a situational advantage in using the blue vs the white UV bulbs?

I'm a bit confused since one matching size in either color (40-2WorB - BULB, 6) is the same price but for the same size in either color, and other size (40-3WorB - BULB, 9) are half/double the price of each other.

What's the specs on the output of these bulbs? Nanometer (nm) range?
Total Energy output? (in mJ/cm2 )

Does raising or lowering these numbers slightly effect curing time and/or quality?

Assuming so what is the ideal nm range & energy output to cure resin?

I've heard from Jonathan Powell of Delta Kits, Inc. that "Our resin is optimally cured at 365 nanometers. This is a long wave UV"
Long wave UV (UV-A): Extends from 320 to 400 nm.
Was this accurately measured with a UV meter? Where could I find a UV meter to test this myself without buying one?

What's the output of the sun on a clear day in the Arizona area? I know it shoots out a wide range of visible light, UV & IR light. Having a hard time finding that info. (Possibly 220nm-B)
Is there a light range the sun puts out that is bad for resin?

Sorry for all the questions, any answers will be greatly helpful.

Delta Kits resins will cure under direct and indirect sunlight, however due to the significant variables that need to be taken into consideration when curing with sunlight we recommend that you always use a UV curing light.

The 40-2B and 40-2W are both UV bulbs and are therefore interchangeable. Blue bulbs are filtered, while white bulbs are not. We have some customers who swear the white bulbs cure better and others who swear that the blue bulbs cure better. In our testing the difference is insignificant.

The 40-3B is a UV bulb but the 40-3W is not a UV bulb and is for inspection purposes only, which explains the price difference. This information is included in the part description on the website.

Jonathan Powell is no longer employed by Delta Kits, but he was correct about the UV spectrum (approximate). Delta Kits resins are formulated to cure at 365nm and all of our lights are configured to match that output. You can cure Delta Kits resins with any long wave UV source, but closer you stay to 365nm the more consistent the results. If you want to cure faster you use a more powerful light and/or higher wattage bulb. Generally speaking more powerful lights come with higher wattage bulbs. Another thing to remember is that how close the bulb is to the resin and how directly the UV light is shined on the resin the faster the cure rate. This is very important and often overlooked by glass repair technicians, and even some suppliers of glass repair lights.

All of our UV lights are tested with a UV radiometer that is calibrated to accurately measure UV intensity output at 365nm. I have no idea where you can test your lights without buying one yourself.

Although there are great differences in bulb quality, practically speaking, a 4W bulb is a 4W bulb. Any significant output differences are going to come from the light, not the bulb, unless you go to a higher wattage bulb.

What the sun's UV intensity is on a sunny day in Arizona has too many variables for me to even make an educated guess. Time of year, time of day, and dozens of other variables would make it impossible to get the same reading twice. Not all UV light will properly cure most resins. 220nm is not in the not in the long wave spectrum and therefore will not cure Delta Kits resins or most other UV curable UV windshield repair resins. I think you may be a bit confused about the differences between UV-A, UV-B, and visible light.

I am not an expert in this field so I limit my testing and research to Delta Kits products and making sure our lights are optimized for curing our resin products. I can assure you they are. If you need additional information about Delta Kits products I invite you to visit our website. If the information you desire is not listed there it's probably because we believe it is irrelevant to windshield repair technicians, so if you require additional information you can give me a call. If I don't know the answers to your questions I will try to find them for you as long as your desire for information is relevant to the windshield repair industry.

Hope this helps.

[screenman]

Who said windshield repair is not rocket science?

[t4k]

Who said windshield repair is not rocket science?

I think that was me.

[Datasinc]

I'm just not happy with the UV curing options on the market currently.
I plan on fixing that but I need some tech info to cut out some of the trial and error costs to bring my idea to fruition.

[homosapien]

Datasinc, I'm curious why you're "just not happy with the UV curing options on the market currently." What sort of problems have you run into? Brent said that Delta's lights are optimized for curing Delta's resins, and in my experience that seems right on. Curing is the one part of windshield repair that has given me the least grief!

[Datasinc]

I'm not unhappy with the results of the products. I never said that.

I believe that this is one product area with much room for improvement.

I want to take the UV curing in another direction that no one has done yet.
Smaller, more durable, no cables and able to run days on a charge.

Already built some prototypes. Just implementing and fine tuning now.

[GlassStarz]

WHY lots of better places to spend your time expose it to UV it cures in a couple minutes try reinventing the big ole yellow one I use

[Datasinc]

WHY lots of better places to spend your time expose it to UV it cures in a couple minutes try reinventing the big ole yellow one I use

The sun is not always available when some of us are doing repairs such as during:
Evenings & Nights,
Cloudy Weather,
Inside Garages,
Under sun shades,
Automotive Bays,
Showrooms,
Geographic Locations Such as Alaska & The Valleys of Colorado.

If the sun wasn't 27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit, radioactive, and small enough to fit in your pocket it would be great. I guess I'll stick to "reinventing" it because it sounds easier than finding SPF 10,000 at my local drug store.

[t4k]

SPF 50 works perfectly well for all skin types. Besides, a little fresh air is good for you.