LIGHTHOUSE™ VL UV CURING SYSTEMS

Specifically designed for curing UV liquid and powder coatings on three-dimensional substrates, Lighthouse™ VL UV Curing Systems offer significant production efficiencies and cost savings. With Lighthouse VL's unique reflector geometries, three-dimensional products can be cured at higher rates of speed, at less cost, and in significantly less floor space than conventional half-ellipse UV or infrared curing systems.

Uniform curing of three-dimensional product requires a departure from the shallow focus of conventional half-ellipse systems designed for two-dimensional substrates. As half-ellipse designs offer a depth of curing field of less than a 1", a problem exists for 3-D applications that require 3" or more. So to be effective, numerous maximum powered half-ellipse systems would be required to uniformly cure 3-D product. This can be cost-prohibitive.

Lighthouse™ VL systems incorporate unique reflector shapes that uniformly and economically cure 3-D product by increasing the amount of focused curing energy and its depth of field to cure on multiple planes. By effectively focusing UV light in a tighter vertical concentration below the lamp and within the curing zone, the Lighthouse™ VL provides optimal conditions for efficient 3-D curing.

Lighthouse™ VL 7/8 Ellipse

 
Energy lost within typical 3.5" focused elliptical reflectors is captured with this unique design. By extending the focus to 10", and by increasing the curing depth of field to more than 5" (4" more than a half-ellipse system), a greater concentration of UV is achieved for more effective 3-D curing. A Lighthouse VL 7/8 Ellipse curing system can be installed with a specific depth of field to deliver maximum curing energy unique to any application.

For curing intricate shapes or larger products, two Lighthouse™ VL 7/8 systems can be positioned around a point of product rotation. The two lamps can be positioned with staggered focuses so that the entire product is covered with a effective curing energy. This staggered focus is also well suited for product with sides of uneven dimension, or product with complex shapes requiring curing on several planes.

 

 

Lighthouse™ VL Assymmetrical System

 
For applications where higher than normal power levels are required, Lighthouse™ VL Asymmetrical curing systems can be installed in tandem to focus the energy of two lamps onto a single curing point. Such an installation doubles the effective curing wattage; for example, for a lamp delivering 750 watts/in., a tandem system will uniformly deliver 1500 watts/in.

For high-speed conveyor applications, four Lighthouse™ VL Asymmetrical systems can cure simple 3-D objects at extremely high rates of speed without the need to rotate the product. This application has been successfully field tested on an aluminum can coating line running at over 1,300 cans per minute with only 2" of space between cans. 		  

 

 

Lighthouse™ Parabolic System

 
For special applications requiring an unfocused curtain of curing energy, Lighthouse™ Parabolic Systems can be used in place of standard elliptically focused reflectors. Larger product or production of small quantities can be ideal candidates for this special curing application.  

 

 

Standard Lighthouse™ VL Performance Features:

  • Maintains optimal lamp temperature: Changing temperatures will vary the amount of vaporized mercury within the lamp and, as a result, the amount of available curing energy. Every Lighthouse reflector system is designed to stabilize temperatures by reflecting less energy directly back toward the lamp. The lightweight reflector material and ribbed support structure allow heat to radiate away from the lamp area. The open architecture of the lamp housing itself permits unobstructed air flow through the entire housing.

 

  • Easy to install: Each Lighthouse™ incorporates 1/4-20 "T" slots on three sides of the housing. The slots run the length of the housing, and simplify mounting on both new and retrofit installations.

 

  • Easy to maintain: Since the reflector accounts for 60% of the energy focused for curing it must be well maintained and replaced at the first signs of deterioration. Lighthouse™ VL systems allow lamps and reflectors to be changed in less than five minutes.