Twelve CDM™ configurations sounds like a lot of decisions until one question collapses most of them at once: does the process require UVC output, or is UVA-only acceptable. Answering that — plus two more questions about coverage geometry and control integration — narrows the field from twelve options to one or two before a single spec sheet gets compared line by line.

Three Lamp-Head Families, One Belt Platform

The Incure CDM™ conveyor accepts three distinct categories of interchangeable lamp head rather than one lamp type in different sizes: UV LED flood (L64, L88), UV LED focused beam (M51, M62), and conventional mercury-arc flood (F100/F200/F400/F500, each in x2AC or x2A configuration). All three run on the same belt platform, adjustable from 1.5 to 12.0 ft/min, with the same PLC/RS-232/foot-switch control architecture available wherever the lamp chemistry supports it. Picking the right family first — before comparing individual model numbers within it — is the faster path to the right configuration.

UV LED Flood vs UV LED Focused Beam — Panel Coverage vs Line-Width Precision

LED flood heads (L64, L88) irradiate a wide rectangular zone — 4×6 or 8×8 inches — suited to curing UV coatings or adhesive dots spread across a full PCB panel or broad assembly surface in one pass. LED focused-beam heads (M51, M62) concentrate the same LED technology into a narrow 1- or 2-inch strip at substantially higher peak intensity — M51 delivers 6,150 mW/cm² at 365 nm, the highest LED intensity on the whole CDM™ platform, against L64/L88’s 1,900 mW/cm². That trade-off is deliberate: a focused beam sacrifices coverage width for intensity concentrated on a narrow bond line, which is the right call for a single adhesive seam and the wrong call for a part that needs its whole surface irradiated evenly.

Conventional Arc: the x2AC/x2A Split, and Why It’s Not About Speed

Every F-series conventional arc configuration comes in two forms that are easy to mix up on a spec sheet: x2AC is a single lamp assembly with both a UVA and a UVC tube, producing broadband output that matches mercury-arc lamp spectrum; x2A is two separate UVA-only heads mounted in series, doubling UV dose at the same belt speed with no UVC output at all. The choice isn’t about throughput — it’s about whether the adhesive’s own qualification data specifies UVC exposure. A process validated against broadband mercury-arc cure needs x2AC; a process running UVA-only photoinitiator chemistry, or a facility without UVC-rated exhaust ventilation, gets a genuine dose-doubling benefit from x2A without introducing a UVC handling requirement it doesn’t need.

Email Us with the adhesive’s cure-spectrum requirement if it’s unclear whether a process needs UVC.

PLC Integration Splits Along the Same Line as Lamp Chemistry

UV LED configurations — all four of L64, L88, M51, and M62 — support PLC, RS-232, and foot-switch signal inputs with switchable timer or continuous modes. The conventional arc F-series configurations, across every model and both x2AC and x2A, have no external control port and are built for manual or standalone operation instead. A line being designed for full automation should treat that as a hard constraint on lamp-head family, not just a nice-to-have feature to compare after coverage and intensity are already decided — an F-series head can’t be retrofitted with the control interface an LED head has built in.

CDM™ vs CDM™ Compact — a Belt-Material Decision, Not a Performance One

F400 and F500 lamp heads run on either the standard CDM™ (9-inch polypropylene belt) or the CDM™ Compact (9-inch stainless-steel wire belt) — the same lamp performance, curing height range, and part-width limit on both platforms. The choice between them comes down to what the belt itself needs to tolerate: polypropylene suits standard part handling at lower cost, while the stainless-steel wire belt on the CDM™ Compact holds up to higher-temperature parts, sharper-edged fixtures, or wash-down and solvent-exposure environments a polymer belt wouldn’t survive long-term. F100, F200, L64, L88, M51, and M62 configurations are available on the standard CDM™ platform only.

Lamp Life Economics Favor LED Once Duty Cycle Is High

UV LED configurations are rated above 20,000 hours with ≤20% intensity decay over that service life — effectively eliminating scheduled bulb replacement for the vast majority of a production line’s operating life. Conventional mercury-arc bulbs, across every F-series configuration, are rated above 1,000 hours with ≤45% decay, meaning a high-duty-cycle line running arc heads will replace bulbs on a recurring maintenance schedule an LED-equipped line simply doesn’t need. That difference compounds quickly on a line running multiple shifts — it’s worth weighing against any process reason favoring broadband arc spectrum before defaulting to it.

Working Backward From the Adhesive’s Own Qualification Data

The fastest way to land on the right lamp-head family is to start from what the adhesive’s own data sheet or process qualification specifies — required wavelength range, whether UVC is part of that spectrum, and the minimum dose needed at target belt speed — rather than starting from a hardware comparison and hoping an adhesive fits it. For UV LED flood and focused-beam options specifically, the Incure L-Series™ UV LED Flood Lamps and Incure M-Series™ UV Focused Beam Curing Systems posts cover the standalone (non-conveyor) versions of the same lamp technology in more depth, and the Incure F-Series™ UV Flood Lamps post covers the conventional arc chemistry behind the F100–F500 heads. For the full CDM™ platform and its complete 12-configuration comparison, see Incure CDM™ UV Conveyor.

For help matching lamp-head family to a specific adhesive qualification or line-speed target, Contact Our Team.

Visit www.incurelab.com for more information.