Flood Curing System Setup — Setting Lamp Height and Mapping Irradiance at the Part

Every intensity figure on a flood lamp data sheet carries a distance next to it, and that distance is the only place the figure is true. Setting lamp height deliberately, then mapping what actually arrives at the part, is how a flood curing system’s catalog numbers become a dependable process.

Q: How high should a flood curing lamp sit above the part?

A: Start at the distance the manufacturer quotes intensity for, then adjust to suit the part and confirm by measurement. Incure quotes its F400 and F500 arc flood lamps at 2.0 inches, the F400’s focused 5″×3″ reflector at 3.0 inches, and its L-Series™ LED flood lamps at 2 inches. Whatever height you choose, measure irradiance there and set exposure from that reading, not from the catalog.

Why Height Is a Dose Setting

Intensity at the part falls as the lamp moves away, so a height change is a dose change. Incure’s compact and portable F-Series™ models offer adjustable working distance specifically so dose can be tuned to each substrate’s geometry. That flexibility is useful in development and risky in production: a stand nudged during cleaning, or a fixture swapped for a thicker one, quietly moves every part’s dose. Treat lamp height as a controlled process parameter with a recorded value, not as an assembly detail.

Choosing a Starting Height

Three considerations set the first trial height:

The quoted distance. It is the only height at which you have a reference value to compare against.
Part height. On a tall assembly, the distance that matters is to the surface being cured. Two surfaces at different heights on the same part receive different doses.
Coverage. Moving a flood lamp changes how its light spreads over the field, so the height that gives the best center reading is not automatically the one that covers the edges best.

For enclosed stations, Incure’s B500 and B201 chambers set height through adjustable shelf positions, which turns height into a repeatable step rather than a measurement each time.

Building a Height Map for Your Station

Instead of relying on one number, record how your own lamp behaves at several heights:

Fix a measurement grid across the curing field, including points near each corner.
Measure irradiance at every point at the quoted distance.
Repeat at each candidate height, such as the next shelf positions up and down.
Tabulate the center reading, the lowest reading, and the ratio between them at each height.

A hypothetical result might show the center at 500 mW/cm² and the lowest corner at 300 mW/cm² at one height, a ratio of 0.6. Those values are illustrative only; the purpose of the map is to replace them with your lamp’s real numbers.

Email Us with your lamp model, part height, and curing field, and Incure’s engineers can help plan a height map for your station.

Setting Exposure From the Map

Dose equals irradiance multiplied by time, so the weakest point on the map sets the exposure. Using the hypothetical map above and a hypothetical required dose of 1,500 mJ/cm², exposure based on the 300 mW/cm² corner is 1,500 ÷ 300 = 5 seconds. Basing it on the 500 mW/cm² center would give 3 seconds and leave the corner at 300 × 3 = 900 mJ/cm², well short of the requirement. That gap is the most common reason a part cures in the middle and stays soft at the edges.

A Published Example of Height Effects

Incure’s water-cooled W-Series™ LED flood lamps show how much height can matter, because their uniformity is published at two distances. Within a recommended 1-to-3-inch working range, static uniformity is 0.78 at 2 inches and 0.62 at 3 inches, improving to 0.88 and 0.82 when the part or lamp moves during cure. One extra inch of height lowered the static figure by 0.16. Incure’s published arc flood specifications do not include uniformity figures, which is exactly why mapping your own station matters.

Reflectors and Height Together

On the F400, the optional focused reflector changes both the field shape, to 5″×3″, and the reference distance, to 3.0 inches, with a quoted 240 mW/cm². Swapping reflectors without re-mapping means the stored exposure no longer matches the light at the part. The same applies to any change in reflector condition over time.

Locking the Setting In

Once a height is chosen:

Record it in the product’s cure recipe, with the shelf position or fixture ID.
Mark or pin the stand so it cannot drift.
Store the height map with the commissioning records.
Re-map after any change to height, reflector, bulb, or fixture.

Programmable models, such as the F200P and F900P, can hold intensity and exposure settings, but neither can hold the stand still; height control remains a mechanical discipline.