Measurement of UV Curability

Submitted by nestorb on Thu, 2006-04-06 08:37.

April 2006 -- The TFC-9000 from UV Process Supply is a thin-film calorimeter that quantitatively measures the curing effectiveness of inks, coatings, and adhesives. Evaluating curing characteristics by using calorimetry is advantageous because measurements are not affected by cross-linking reactions and the TFC-9000 offers direct measurement of the polymerization rate. A recent test performed by the TFC-9000 involved a determination of the exothermic heat reaction from a polymerizing sample by means of a highly sensitive sensor. An analysis of the results revealed that one of three UV LED lamps used for curing (at 415-nm wavelength) produced the highest peak of heat. Also measured was the time to peak—the cure rate—so that the total number of LEDs needed to achieve a desired speed could be determined.
UV Process Supply Inc,
1229 West Cortland Street, Chicago, IL 60614-4805,
http://www.uvprocess.com