Air and water cooling of ultraviolet curing systems for industrial applications

James B. McCusker

doi:10.1117/12.186617

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14 September 1994 Air and water cooling of ultraviolet curing systems for industrial applications

James B. McCusker

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Proceedings Volume 2282, Ultraviolet Technology V; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.186617
Event: SPIE's 1994 International Symposium on Optics, Imaging, and Instrumentation, 1994, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

As the ultraviolet processing industry continues to grow, more and more applications involving heat sensitive substrates are evolving. Unfortunately, ultraviolet lamps also emit a significant portion of their output in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum; if not reduced, the absorption of this energy by the product can preclude the processing of some substrates due to overheating. This fact, together with the continuing development of more powerful ultraviolet lamps, creates the need for methods to reduce the unwanted heating of the substrate during or immediately after processing. This is crucial because overheated substrates not only can affect the final properties of the material, but can also cause out of register printing due to web elongation or sheet expansion. Cooling of substrates during or after ultraviolet processing can be accomplished by several methods. Among these are: (1) UV processing over a cooled rotating drum; (2) Conductive cooling through cold nip rolls or cooled drums after UV processing; (3) Convective cooling with cool air after processing. Unfortunately, in many applications, these methods are not practical because of space limitations, complexity of the process (e.g. sheet-fed printing), or substrate speed. This paper deals with the available means to reduce much of the unwanted energy emitted from the ultraviolet lamp rather than with the means to remove excess heat after its deposition on the product. It discusses the advantages and penalties associated with these methods and in which industries they are being successfully applied.

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James B. McCusker "Air and water cooling of ultraviolet curing systems for industrial applications", Proc. SPIE 2282, Ultraviolet Technology V, (14 September 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.186617

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