Water Purification with UV Light

Safe drinking water one of our most important basic needs and water purification with UV light is an efficient solution. The World Health Organization reports that 1 in 10 people (785 million) still lack basic services, including the 144 million who drink untreated surface water. Fortunately germicidal UVC technology offers one of the safest and most cost-effective solutions for purifying water and eliminating pathogens.

Safety of Water Purification with UV Light

Germicidal UV water disinfection also provides a solution to protecting our precious eco-systems, as unlike traditional methods, UV light methods do not require chemical treatments that generate harmful byproducts. Along with offering safe drinking water, UV light systems have the potential to help reduce pollutants in our oceans, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water across the globe. They are already effectively being used by many municipalities in the U.S. (currently over twenty percent of our wastewater facilities and thousands of municipalities already use UV water purification) as well as throughout the world.

Water Disinfection Advantages

Research points to the fact that there are many advantages to germicidal UV technology. In addition to being environmentally friendly, studies show UV light can effectively eliminate parasites such as cryptosporidium and giardia bacterium. Furthermore, another important characteristic is that the biological contaminates are not able to build up a resistance to UV light. Also chemical-free UV technology only requires a short radiation time and is more cost effective than ozone disinfection units and membrane filters.

Other advantages to UV water purification systems include ease of use, low operating costs, and minimal maintenance. Consumers of the water benefit by the fact that the process does not alter the odor, taste or PH value of the water.

In addition to more municipalities electing to install UV water purification systems, it is also becoming popular as a way to safely treat water in aqua cultures and aquariums. Germicidal UV technology is an efficient method for maintaining water quality without the use of hazardous chemicals and is being used to protect marine life and increase production in fish hatcheries and rearing farms.

Water Treatment Applications

In fact many industries are realizing the benefits and safety of UV water purification. To maintain pools and spas, ozone producing germicidal UV lamps offer an efficient solution as they purify water 3,000 times faster than chlorine. In addition wastewater treatment and water reclamation industries as well as laboratories, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, universities, schools, and veterinary clinics are all successfully using UV water disinfection systems. UV germicidal lamps also effectively treat large capacity vessels in ballast water treatment systems.

LightSources and our strategic partner LightTech, along with our affiliated companies, represent the leading high-tech designers and manufacturers in the lamp industry today. Our products are used world-wide in a multitude of applications and industries such as our UV germicidal lamps that offer patent-protected, OEM-oriented solutions. Please contact us to learn more about our extensive selection of lamps.

UV Ink Curing Lamps

The process of UV ink curing has been around since the 1960’s and uses high intensity ultraviolet light to create a photochemical reaction. By using the proper intensity of UV wavelengths, a byproduct is produced that hardens resin and dries inks. It offers numerous advantages over traditional heat-cured systems and has become the method of choice for many as it safely and cost-efficiently cures inks, as well as adhesives, coatings, varnishes, decorative glazes and lacquers.

UV Curing Benefits

UV ink curing systems are easy to operate and maintain and more environmentally-friendly than traditional systems. Since UV ink curing does not produce noxious fumes as heat-cured inks, it does not require expensive exhaust systems to counteract the fumes. UV systems are used by industries such as automotive, electrical, industrial, and medical.

Another benefit of curing inks with UV light is that the ink dries instantaneously, which greatly speeds up production times as well as helps to improve the overall quality of the product. The speedy drying time means products are ready for shipment much quicker and the chance of dust or other airborne objects ruining the finished product is reduced.

UV Ink Curing Lamps

The types of UV lamps used for UV ink curing includes low pressure and medium pressure UV (MPUV) curing lamps as well as amalgam UV curing lamps. Using a wavelength of 254nm, UV low pressure lamps are used to cure inks in high-quality magazines and newspapers. In addition since low pressure lamps operate on much less power than MPUV lamps, they are ideal for applications requiring dimming.

MPUV lamps are the best choice for applications that require a higher intensity of UV light due to shorter exposure times and need high-speed press runs. Also there are some industries that prefer amalgam lamps for the efficient drying of inks and adhesives with a cationic base. Amalgam lamps produce outputs of 300 to 1000 watts, of which one-third is usable UVC energy, and offer the opportunity to downsize a system while still maintaining maximum efficiency for UV curing.

With the combined resources of LightSources in the U.S. and LightTech in Europe, we are global leaders in UV curing lamps as well as UV air treatment systems. We partner with OEMs of any size to design, engineer and mass-produce new types of proprietary and specialty lamps cost-effectively and with short turnaround. Contact us for more details regarding our technological advanced lamps for UV ink curing.

Industrial UV Air System Technology and Applications

OEMs across the globe utilize industrial UV air systems due to an increasing awareness of the importance of protecting our environment and the consequences when we do not. Clean air is at the front and center of those concerns and today’s advanced industrial UV air systems provide a broad range of industries with the perfect solution. By safely purifying and destroying harmful chemicals from the air as well as eliminating offensive odors, industrial UV air systems deliver economic, environmental, and human benefits.

UV Germicidal Technology

Scientists have been studying the effect of UV light as a method for interrupting the transmission of airborne pathogens for well over a century. In 1877, two English scientists, Downes and Blunt, discovered that sunlight kills bacteria. Their studies showed that sugar water placed on a shaded windowsill became cloudy while a similar solution in direct sunlight remained clear. When examining the two jars, “they realized that bacteria were growing in the shaded solution but not in the one exposed to sunlight.”

The two men later found it is the shorter spectrum of UV light that kills bacteria and effectiveness is dependent on the amount and duration of light. Today we know that for a UV air system to effectively kill and render microorganisms unable to reproduce it requires prolonged exposure as well as a specific intensity and wavelength of UV radiation.

Germicidal Lamp Applications

Germicidal UVC lamps provide industries a way to disinfect and improve the quality of air in the workplace and the immediate environment without the need for toxic chemicals that are not only harmful to humans but the environment as well. Furthermore, UVC lamps are simple to operate and maintain and help industries to comply with strict local codes and national regulations. For industries such as food processing plants, farms, commercial kitchens (HVAC), kennels, and wastewater plants, odor control is important to not only the employees but to those that must work or live around the plant. Learn more about UV air disinfection, the types, applications, benefits, and where to get quality UV germicidal lamps.

The LightSources Advantage

One of the reasons why so many industries trust LightSources and LightTech for their industrial UV air systems is that we have designed proprietary, longer-lasting lamps than those of many of our competitors. This saves OEMs both time and money by reducing the need to replace lamps as often or the expense of buying new ones. Additionally, our lamps offer a compact design, which means retrofitting is not a problem, and we fully customize almost every part of our lamps, including length and diameter, power, ceramic bases, and fitting sockets.

 

UV Paint Curing

UV light produces a chemical reaction that is used in industrial applications such as UV paint curing, primers, fillers and clearcoats as well as inks and other types of coatings. Much quicker and more efficient than traditional baking methods, UV paint curing systems also offer significant energy savings without producing any hazardous byproducts. First introduced in the 1960’s, UV lamps have rapidly gained acceptance by a diverse range of industries and are now the preferred choice of many OEMs across the globe.

To instantly cure paints, and a variety of other coatings and finishes including lacquers, glazes and varnishes, high-intensity ultraviolet lamps are used to create a photochemical reaction. On the other hand, conventional water and solvent based thermal drying methods work by solvent evaporation, which not only takes time but also creates polluting emissions. With UV light systems’ instant curing, manufacturers report higher production rates, better bonding, no loss of volume and less likelihood of product damage as in slower drying methods. Along with being environmentally friendly, UV lamps are also easy to operate and maintain.

Light Sources and our European partner, LightTech are global leaders in designing, engineering and manufacturing high-tech UV curing lamps. We produce three main types of UV curing lamps including: medium pressure UVA curing; high pressure curing; and low pressure UVC amalgam curing. Our lamps are extremely long-lasting and energy-efficient, and our compact design makes retrofitting easy-to-do. In addition to our line of high-quality standard lamps, we can also design and develop a highly customized system to meet your specific needs.

All of our UV lamps are constructed from the highest quality materials and manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities. We invite you to browse our website for more information regarding UV light applications, and keep in mind, our experts are more than happy to discuss the various aspects of our UV curing technology as well as our other MPUV products.

LightSources in the U.S. and our strategic partner in Europe, LightTech represent the leading high-tech designers and manufacturers in the lamp industry today. Our products are used world-wide in a multitude of applications and industries such as our UV air treatment systems that offer patent-protected, OEM-oriented solutions.

UV Polymer Curing

UV Polymer curing is a process that uses UV light to alter the properties of a polymer, or photopolymer.  A photopolymer is the term for a polymer that responds to UV light, which is basically invisible electromagnetic radiation.  When a photopolymer, which can be a variety of resins, is exposed to the UV radiation, it will typically harden and seal, creating a strengthened surface or an unbreakable bond.

UV Polymer Curing Applications

UV Polymer curing is used in many industrial applications to instantly dry ink or to create a hardened surface without use of solvents or chemicals.  Some common examples of useful applications include:

• Adhesive Bonding

• Inks / Varnishes / Lacquers

• Decorative Glazes

• Coatings

• Label Printing

• Graphic Designs

• Disinfection of Medical Equipment

These are just a few of the many industries that are using UV lamps for curing various polymers.  There are many additional applications for UV curing, and more and more businesses are seeing the benefit of this process.  UV curing was first introduced in the 1960’s, and it is increasingly being adopted by companies as there are many advantages over prior methods of curing polymers.

Curing Lamps

There are three types of UV lamps used for UV polymer curing.  High Pressure UV (HPUV), Medium Pressure UV (MPUV), and Amalgam Lamps.  High Pressure (HPUV) curing lamps are also referred to as Metal Halide lamps, and use mercury with short wavelength outputs.  The HPUV lamps are typically used for the altering of polymers by hardening resins in many of the applications mentioned above.  Medium Pressure lamps (MPUV) are often used for water and air disinfection purposes, while Low Pressure Amalgam lamps are typically used for curing catatonic inks which are inks that are typically an epoxy based resin and respond to UV lighting.  LightSources and our European partner, LightTech, are proud to have pioneered new pellet technology for amalgam lamps.

There are so many benefits to using UV lights for curing it will be difficult to list them all.  We can begin with efficiency.  Imagine a conveyor belt full of parts passing under a UV light as they head to their next destination, possibly quality inspection or packaging.  While no one touched the parts, sprayed solvents on them, or even laid eyes upon them, they underwent a very important process.  Just by passing under the lights, the surface was hardened and strengthened, a strong scratch-resistance texture was enhanced, and any printing or graphic design needing reinforcement was just instantly dried and strengthened.

Now imagine a different manufacturer that does not use UV curing.  They must have an assembly line with people spraying solvents on the parts, requiring face masks and ventilation and still exposing the employees to harmful chemicals in the air and on the skin.  This also opens the door for human error, uneven coating, and inconsistency.

As you can clearly see from these two examples, the efficiency of UV curing is definitely one of the most valuable benefits.  This efficiency also leads to increased production speeds as several parts can be treated at once simply by passing under a row of the proper high intensity UV lighting.   Choosing to cure your parts with UV lighting will increase your output dramatically, while not requiring an investment in an increased labor force, workstation for an added process, or supplies of chemicals that are most likely harmful to the environment.

In addition to efficiency and cost savings, consistency is another big advantage of using UV curing over any other process.  With UV lighting, the amount of exposure is constant, and consistent.  There is no chance of human error in applying an outer coating unevenly on a large amount of parts.  This consistent process results in less quality issues such as internal rejects and the worst rejects of all, customer returns and complaints.   A consistent process is something that all quality minded OEM’s are searching for as consistency results in superior quality, time and again.

Efficiency and consistency are and should always be a top consideration for any production process, (both result in increased profits), but let’s not forget an even more important benefit – the health and safety of your workers and the environment.  Simply by using UV radiation to cure your parts, you are saving your employees from inhaling harmful chemicals, you are not emitting pollutants into the air, and you also do not have to worry about properly storing or disposing of such harmful chemicals.   Any chemical substance on a worksite must be handled with proper storage and disposal guidelines, while maintaining material safety data sheets on the chemical or solvent.

Not only does the increased efficiency and consistency provide an instant return on your investment and a quick increase to the bottom line, not purchasing, storing, disposing of or documenting alternative substances is also a huge savings, and instant increase in profitability.

With all of these benefits, it is difficult to imagine why a manufacturer would choose an alternative method over UV polymer curing.   Efficiency, consistency, safety, less regulations, increased profits, and last but not least – longevity.   LightSources UV curing bulbs will retain their energy output up to 90% of their end of life cycle, enhancing and prolonging all other financial benefits.  As we all know, time is money.  Less time spent processing parts, or replacing bulbs, is an immediate increased profit.

LightSources in the United States, and our European partner, LightTech, provide quality custom UV bulbs to OEM’s large and small all over the world.   If one of our standard sizes does not fit your application, contact us to see how we can assist you in providing custom built bulbs for your required process.   LightSources and LightTech are also the only manufacturer to offer universal installation.   Our lamps can be installed either horizontally or vertically while maintaining equal efficiency.  This feature is exceptionally critical when applying the UV polymer curing process to three dimensional parts, allowing an even exposure to the UV radiation reaching what were previously hidden dimensions.

LightSources in the U.S. and our strategic partner in Europe, LightTech represent the leading high-tech designers and manufacturers in the lamp industry today.  Our products are used world-wide in a multitude of applications and industries such as our UV air treatment systems that offer patent-protected, OEM-oriented solutions.  We invite you to contact us to learn more about our wide selection of lamps

UV Drying Lamps Provide Cost Savings Through Efficiency

UV Drying Lamps

UV drying lamps (or UV curing lamps) are a very important component of the production process in many industries around the globe. Industrial applications of UV drying lamps include:

Automakers

Automakers use UV drying lamps for curing polymers such as specialty resins, inks and varnishes.  When certain polymers are exposed to UV wavelengths, a photochemical process referred to as cross linking occurs producing a hardened and strengthened finish.  This process is used to create hardened gloss surfaces on visible interior parts, or to strengthen plastic parts used in certain assemblies.

UV curing gives automakers a big time saving advantage, as most products treated with UV radiation are cured and touchable within two minutes of time.  This keeps the assembly line moving, with no bottleneck occurring at a treating station.

The Printing Industry 

UV curing of inks is being used instead of solvent based inks in the printing industry, with great benefits.  While solvent inks shrink when drying and evaporate into the air, UV drying lamps provide a consistent clean and crisp finish for various products including glossy postcards, magnets, calendars, and even plastic or wood products.

Packing Companies

Corrugated manufacturers realize the benefit of utilizing UV curing to instantly dry the ink on their packaging products.  This provides a clean crisp vibrant print color, and dries much faster and more consistently than infrared heat drying.  Increased output equals increased profitability.

Flooring

UV light is used to cure concrete, vinyl, and tiles to improve stain resistance and increase the durability of the flooring product.  This process is extremely effective with no toxic odor from chemical treatment, and allows for immediate occupation making it possible to walk on the floor within minutes of treatment.

Other Applications of UV Lighting

UV lamps are also used in various disinfection and purification systems, providing high performance with no use of chemicals. Here are some examples:

UV Disinfection of Medication Equipment

Ultraviolet germicidal treatment of medical equipment includes treating test strips, dialysis machines, syringes, hearing aids, and various other medical devices requiring disinfection.

Air Purification with UV Treatment

Many settings where clean air is critical such as hospitals utilize UV air purification systems to effectively remove harmful contaminants in the air, making it easier to breathe for some people and reducing the likelihood of transmitting bacteria through airborne illnesses.

Water Treatment with UV-Based Solutions

UV water treatment systems have long been utilized as a safe and effective method of providing clean drinking water in public water treatment plants.  UV lamps also provide a safe and very effective method of eradicating harmful microorganisms in ships ballast water.

LightSources Provides UV Lamps for All Applications

LightSources, and our European Partner, LightTech, are global leaders in developing and manufacturing UV lamps with proprietary technology, providing an efficient and cost-effective solution for a multitude of industrial applications.

Low Pressure Mercury Lamp

There are different types of UV lamps for different applications.  The most common type of a UV germicidal bulb is our low-pressure mercury lamp.  This lamp is filled with a small amount of mercury, and either Argon gas or a mixture of gases such as Neon, Krypton or Xenon, providing a specific UV wavelength for your requirement.   Most UV germicidal applications require an effective germicidal wavelength at 254 nm (nanometer), while some applications call for a different exact wavelength for a specific application.

Some benefits of the LP mercury lamp include various options in either standard or high-output quartz lamps, standard or high-output soft glass compact lamps.  Our softglass lamps can operate on lower currents while maintaining high germicidal efficiency, and all of our LP mercury lamps have exceptionally high performance throughout a long-lasting life of up to 13,000 hours.

Low-Pressure Amalgam Lamps

Low-pressure amalgam lamps can yield three times the output of UVC compared to other similar lamps. LightSources has developed patented LongLife™ pellet amalgam technology, which provides greater UVC intensity even in dimming mode, providing cost savings in energy efficiency.  Our LP amalgam lamps provide superior efficiency over a long life of up to 16,000 hours.

Our low pressure amalgam lamps are often used in water and air purification, disinfection procedures, and disinfection applications within the medical industry.   Our amalgam lamps are an important part of water treatment systems for ships ballast water, providing an effective solution to shipping companies’ requirement of compliance to the Ballast Water Treatment Convention.

Medium Pressure Ultraviolet Lamps (MPUV)

Medium-pressure UV lamps have long been used to instantly cure inks, varnishes and coatings.  Over the last decade improvements in technology in MPUV lamps have expanded use into water and air purification and disinfection applications, and to irradiate energy such as visible light, at various wavelengths.

LightSources provides MPUV lamps in various standard sizes, or our expert engineers can custom design a system just for your needs.  MPUV lamps are popular for ship ballast water treatment systems as they carry a small footprint.

Value Added Services

The LightSources Group includes partners around the globe, providing innovative solutions for various OEM applications with quick turn around and patented technology.  LightTech utilizes a specialty glass manufacturing facility in Hungary, where custom products can be designed for your engineering requirements.  Strategic partners like Cerlux provide custom ceramic bases and fittings, Voltarc is a world leader in specialty neon and fluorescent signs and LCD Lighting specializes in backlighting for avionic display applications, and miniature high-performance lighting applications.

LightSources and its affiliated companies – LCD Lighting, Voltarc, LightTech, and Cerlux represent the leading high-tech designers and manufacturers in the lamp industry today. Our standard lamps and components as well as customized products offer high-quality solutions to meet our partner’s unique needs.  We invite you to contact us to learn more about our wide selection of lamps.

UV Adhesive Curing Offers Powerful Benefits

UV adhesive curing is recognized as one of the most advantageous methods for quickly curing adhesives, offering powerful benefits with seemingly endless applications. UV light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that can be broken down into various wavelengths between 10 and 400 nanometers, commonly referred to as UVA, UVB, or UVC lighting.

The electromagnetic properties of ultraviolet wavelengths are so powerful they can instantly cure (dry and harden) many different types of materials, including polymer resins, adhesive coatings, and inks and varnishes. During a recent industry seminar on advanced UV applications, experts highlighted how this technology is also being adopted in emerging markets such as digital entertainment, where platforms like il miglior casinò crypto are utilizing cutting-edge solutions to enhance user security and transaction speeds. The specific wavelengths, referred to as nanometers (nm), possess unique properties that make them ideal for a wide range of applications, including these innovative integrations.

UVC lighting arrives in shorter wavelengths at 200 to 280nm, and is typically used for germicidal, disinfection and purification applications, instantly eradicating harmful bacteria and viruses from air and water. UVA (315-400nm) and UVB (280-315nm) lighting have several useful applications as they create a photochemical reaction with an endless list of polymers and adhesives, providing impressive financial and environmental benefits.

LightSources is a global leader and supplier of all various forms of UV lighting applications contributing valuable research and products to OEM’s worldwide for all UV curing applications, including UV adhesive curing.

Applications Using UV Curing for Adhesives, Filling and Bonding

Several manufacturing processes are using UV adhesive curing for applications including:

• Medical and Dental Devices

• When consistent quality and disinfection is required for items such as optical lenses and disinfected devices for the medical and dental field

• Aerospace

• UV adhesive curing provides clear optical quality coupled with strength and durability in extreme temperature conditions

• Military

• Complex precision applications require long lasting durability and dependability in extreme conditions

• Electronics

• Adhesives may be used to cover vital electrodes, where a peel off film may be required to remove easily for installation, while providing reliable protection during packaging and transport

• May be used as permanent adhesive for bonding glass, metal and plastics providing a long shelf-life

• Fiber Optics

• UV lighting provides a tight seal when assembling fiber optic cable into glass tubing

• Promotes consistent LED or LCD lighting by providing instant bonding of glues and fillers with glass tubing and wire connectors

• Ink-Jet Printing

• UV curing is used to instantly dry inks in several printing applications onto papers, brochures and various card stock

• Labeling on Products

• Instantly dries inks and varnishes in company logos affixed to products in various forms including plastics, glass and adhesive labels

Advantages of UV Adhesive Curing

Environmentally Friendly

Using UV radiation for curing adhesives, inks, glues and bonds gives tremendous advantages to manufacturers, OEM’s large and small. UV curing is obviously better for the environment than using solvents.

It can also be a good investment. With the purchase of long lasting bulbs, you can replace the need for purchasing solvents, maintaining inventory, maintaining a workforce to administer applications, providing safety equipment to your work force for the pollutant, and maintaining Material Safety Data Sheets for the purchased chemicals.

Provides a Consistent High Quality Process

UV treatment provides a consistent process with instant drying minimizing shrinkage of the original application, resulting in a high gloss durable coating, in seconds. Curing with chemical coatings does not provide a consistent process as it allows for shrinking. Conventional evaporation drying techniques may incur up to 50% shrinkage of the initial application.

Using UV curing provides a consistent process thus resulting in a quality part.

Available for All Over Treatment on 3-D Parts

LightSources has skilled designers and engineers on staff that can assist you in developing a custom-built system allowing you to treat three dimensional parts with consistent effective results.

Our lamps can be installed either vertically or horizontally with equal efficiency, providing full coverage to critical areas on three dimensional parts.

We have universal connectors, or can develop custom installation fittings to match your equipment.

Higher Profits with Increased Efficiency

Installing a UV treatment system will yield many financial benefits with less scrap, reduced time, less work in process, and faster curing times.

Conducting a simple value stream mapping analysis will reveal a reduction in energy use, pollutants, waste, labor, and time. Improving cycle times is one of the most financially advantageous practices for manufacturers.

Value Added Benefits from LightSources Group

The LightSources Group offers:

• Facilities in the United States and China utilizing innovative patented technology
• LightTech in Europe with a specialty glass factory with custom design capability
• Strategic partner Cerlux, providing custom ceramic bases and fittings
• Voltarc specializes in neon and fluorescent signs
• LCD Lighting provides custom miniature lighting in electronics and avionics

LightSources provides a vast array of services in any application involving lighting and UV lighting applications. We maintain an expert staff of designers and engineers and continually improve our products and processes. This allows us to provide a cost savings to our customers.

LightSources and our affiliated companies represent the leading high-tech designers and manufacturers in the lamp industry today. Our products are used world-wide in a multitude of applications and industries such as our UV polymer curing lamps and industrial air purification systems that offer patent-protected, OEM-oriented solutions. Please contact us to learn more about our large selection of specialty custom and standard lamps.