Technical information Amba® UV curing lamps

Noblelight UV curing replacement lamps are made from top quality quartz glass, which enables high transmission levels of UV radiation. 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 is completed by adding a ceramic or metal cap and suitable electrical termination.

Noblelight UV lamps can be manufactured with one of two seal types: a capillary seal or a pinch seal. Capillary sealed UV 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 allows for extremely short production runs and for high current double foil designs.

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 Noblelight to produce UV lamps with operating life in excess of 1500 hours, when operated in suitable machines under optimum conditions.

The light output of a typical medium pressure mercury arc UV 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 UV lamp for specific applications.

This family of UV lamps is constructed from a top quality quartz envelope containing mercury and argon with the addition of gallium iodide, iron iodide or other rare earth metal iodides.

Tungsten electrodes are used to make the electrical connection via a molybdenum foil seal, and this is terminated by a metal cap or ceramic base with wire leads.

Metal halide UV lamps are most commonly used for reprographic applications, and for some curing applications requiring enhanced spectral outputs. They are mercury UV lamps with the addition of gallium iodide, iron iodide or other rare earth metal iodides with alter the spectral output of the lamp. The manufacture of these metal halide lamps had traditionally been the province of large multi-national lighting companies, however Noblelight Amba Ltd. has been manufacturing them since 1990, and their production facilities in the UK and Germany produce the most extensive range available on the market.

Noblelight has a unique manufacturing system for metal halide UV lamps. Uniformity of production and a very low batch to batch variation factor is maintained as all the pumping and filling schedules are controlled by the microprocessor based systems. This consistent quality is further maintained by comprehensive inspection at all stages of manufacture, and every lamp is tested and inspected before leaving the factory.

The light output of a typical medium pressure mercury arc UV 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 UV lamp for specific applications. See Metal Halide Lamps for more information.