Guide to UV Measurement
UV Measurement and Control
A wide variety of radiometric instruments are now available for measuring the radiant characteristic of industrial and laboratory UV lamps. Relating these characteristics to the performance of a UV-cured product depends on how well that selected parameters match the critical exposure factors of the cure process. Further, the distinction between process design and process monitoring are significant, especially in the exposure variables to be measured.
The most important principle of effective radiometry is that the measurements must be relevant to the process or, in other words, must be related to the development of the physical properties of the final product. By thoroughly understanding the lamp-chemistry-application, more precise and useful specifications can be determined for what to measure in the design of a process and for the establishment of meaningful limits that that can be applied to process monitoring. In addition, radiometric data must be communicated in a consistent and uniform way. This facilitates the duplication of the UV exposure conditions that produce the desired curing result, and is also important in the event that problem-solving communication with suppliers is necessary.