Guide to UV Measurement
Linear Curing
Linear processing is most common arrangement for curing, and is characteristic of curing flat surfaces. The surface, which has been coated or decorated, is passed under or by UV lamps to expose the surface. Printing presses, roll-to-roll coaters, and conveyors are all variations on linear processing. Typically, a tubular lamp with a focusing reflector, or rows of tubular lamps extend across the surface, providing uniformity of UV exposure in that dimension, while the motion of the work surface provides uniformity of exposure along the direction of travel. Because the lamps can be arranged closely to the surface, very high intensity (irradiance) of UV can be achieved.
The greatest advantage to linear curing is in the fact that in the developmental laboratory, the process is the same process that is transferred to production -- the laboratory sample is exposed to a section of the larger production system optics, not a scaled-down or reduced-energy adaptation.