An LED conveyor is only as useful as the LED head mounted over its belt. Pick the wrong footprint or wavelength and no belt-speed adjustment rescues the process — which is why the head decision deserves more attention than the conveyor itself.
Q: What actually differs between UV LED heads on a curing conveyor?
A: Footprint, peak intensity, and which wavelength runs strongest
On the Incure CDM™ platform, four UV LED heads share one chassis, one 9-inch belt, and one 1.5–12.0 ft/min speed range. What changes from head to head is the shape of the cured zone, the irradiance inside it, and the dose range that results. Wavelength — 365, 385, 395, or 405 nm — is fixed at the factory when the head is ordered, so it is a purchasing decision rather than a field setting.
The Four Heads Side by Side
| Head | Type | Footprint | Peak intensity | Max part width | Dose range (UVA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L64 | Flood | 6″ × 4″ | 1,900 mW/cm² (385–405 nm); 1,600 at 365 nm | 4 in | 4,750–38,000 mJ/cm² |
| L88 | Flood | 8″ × 8″ | 1,900 mW/cm² (385–405 nm); 1,600 at 365 nm | 8 in | 6,325–50,600 mJ/cm² |
| M62 | Focused beam | 6″ × 2″ | 3,100 mW/cm² at 365 nm; 2,600 at 385–405 nm | 2 in | 7,750–62,000 mJ/cm² |
| M51 | Focused beam | 5″ × 1″ | 6,150 mW/cm² at 365 nm; 5,100 at 385–405 nm | 1 in | 12,813–102,500 mJ/cm² |
Intensities are measured at a 2-inch working distance. The low end of each dose range is the 12.0 ft/min setting; the high end is 1.5 ft/min.
The Wavelength Pattern Flips Between Families
One detail is easy to miss on a quick read. On the L64 and L88 flood arrays, output at 385/395/405 nm (1,900 mW/cm²) is higher than at 365 nm (1,600 mW/cm²). On the M51 and M62 focused-beam arrays, the reverse holds — 365 nm is the strongest channel. A formulation that can cure at either 365 or 395 nm may therefore want a different wavelength depending on which head family the line uses. That choice should still start from the photoinitiator’s absorption range on the adhesive’s data sheet, not from the higher number alone.
Flood or Focused: A Geometry Question First
Flood heads irradiate their whole footprint at once, so everything inside it cures — the bond line and whatever sits next to it. The L64’s 6″ × 4″ shape matches a 4-inch panel lane; the L88 clears round, irregular, or multi-row parts up to 8 inches wide.
Focused-beam heads expose only a strip. The M51’s 1-inch path leaves neighbouring components outside the beam untouched, which matters when optical parts or pre-cured joints sit beside the target seam. The M62 doubles that depth to 2 inches for wider bond faces such as gasket rings, holding 3,100 mW/cm² at 365 nm across the full strip. Incure’s standalone L-Series™ UV LED flood lamps use the same flood array design for bench work.
Email Us with your part outline and bond-line width and Incure can tell you which of the four heads fits without a second pass.
Control Features Every LED Head Shares
All four LED heads carry the same control set, and it is a real point of separation from the arc heads on the same chassis:
- PLC, RS-232, and foot-switch inputs for interlocks, part-present triggering, and cycle logging.
- Switchable timer or continuous mode, depending on whether the line runs discrete parts or a steady stream.
- No warm-up delay, so output is available as soon as the head is switched on — useful on start-stop schedules.
- Curing height of 0.5–2.0 inches, a tighter window than the 3.0–6.5 inches of the F400/F500 arc heads.
Service Life and How Output Drifts
The LED heads are rated beyond 20,000 hours with intensity decay of 20% or less over that service life, compared with a rating above 1,000 hours and up to 45% decay for the mercury-arc heads. Decay is gradual, so the practical routine is periodic radiometer checks against the process window rather than scheduled lamp swaps. If a process was qualified at a measured irradiance, re-verify against that value as the array accumulates hours — a 20% drop on an L88, for example, would take its 1,900 mW/cm² channel down to about 1,520 mW/cm².
Where an LED Conveyor Makes Sense
An LED head is the natural fit when the adhesive is formulated for one of the four LED wavelengths, the line needs PLC integration, or start-stop running would leave an arc lamp idling through warm-up. When an adhesive is qualified on broadband arc exposure, including UVC, an F-Series head is still the correct choice. For the wider question of whether a conveyor or a stationary LED station suits the volume at all, see Incure’s comparison of UV LED stations and UV conveyors by production volume, and for the general overview of conveyorized curing, the curing conveyor industrial guide.
Contact Our Team to confirm the LED head, wavelength, and control setup for your line.
Visit www.incurelab.com for more information.