A UV conveyor system has two openings it cannot close: the place parts go in and the place they come out. Every other side of the cure zone can be enclosed, but the entry and exit have to stay open for the belt, and those openings are where stray UV reaches operators.
Q: How do you stop UV light leaking from the ends of a curing conveyor?
A: Keep the entry and exit openings no larger than the tallest part needs, block line-of-sight from operator positions into the lamp zone, avoid reflective surfaces near the openings, interlock the lamp to access points, and verify by checking from every working position with the lamp on. Operators near the line should still wear UV-blocking eyewear rated for the equipment.
Why the Openings Leak
UV leaves the cure zone two ways:
- Direct line of sight. If an eye at an operator position can see the lamp face or its brightly lit area through the opening, UV can reach that position directly.
- Reflection. Light bounces off the belt, parts, fixtures, and nearby metal surfaces and exits at angles the lamp itself would not reach. Shiny parts and polished fixtures make this worse.
Incure’s guidance on its Vison™ eyewear notes that exposure around flood lamps and conveyor systems is not confined to a narrow beam in front of the operator but spreads across a wider field, which is why reflection and peripheral exposure matter here.
Size the Openings to the Parts
The opening only needs to clear the tallest part and fixture with a small margin. On Incure’s CDM™ conveyor, LED heads work at a 0.5–2.0 inch curing height and F400/F500 arc heads at 3.0–6.5 inches. Part stack height, not the lamp setting, should define how tall the opening is. An opening sized for the tallest product the line ever ran, left in place for low-profile products, leaks more than it needs to.
On lines with mixed part heights, adjustable baffles or curtains at the openings let the opening track the current product. Record the setting in each product’s recipe alongside belt speed and lamp height.
Lengthen the Path, Not Just the Gap
A longer tunnel between the lamp zone and the opening reduces how much direct light reaches the end, because an observer at the opening can no longer look straight at the lamp. Baffles that step down from the lamp housing toward the opening serve the same purpose. The trade-off is floor length and access for clearing jams; plan the design with both in mind.
Email Us with your part dimensions and line layout, and Incure can help plan shielding around a CDM™ configuration.
Reduce Reflections Near the Ends
- Use non-reflective finishes on guards and fixtures near the openings.
- Check whether parts themselves reflect strongly; polished metal and glossy surfaces direct light out at shallow angles.
- Look for reflections off nearby equipment, not just the conveyor.
Interlocks and Control
Access panels and guards over the lamp zone should be interlocked so that opening them stops UV exposure. On the CDM™, LED heads accept PLC, RS-232, and foot-switch inputs, so the lamp can be tied to guard switches and to part-present sensing, turning off when nothing is on the belt. Arc heads on the same chassis have no external control port; on those stations, place interlocks on the enclosure and access points and keep openings minimal, since the lamp generally stays on during production.
Where full containment matters more than continuous flow, an enclosed chamber is the alternative. Incure’s B-Series™ chambers use an auto-shutter door interlock and its C-Series™ chambers use a drawer-activated shut-off, so opening the enclosure stops UV reaching the operator.
Configurations With UVC
Arc x2AC configurations include a UVC tube alongside the UVA tube. Lines running them need the UVC-specific ventilation and handling the product documentation calls for. UVA-only x2A configurations and LED heads avoid the UVC part of that requirement, though shielding of the UVA output is still required.
Eye Protection Still Applies
Shielding reduces exposure; it does not replace personal protection. Incure’s Vison™ eyewear blocks 99% of UV across UVA, UVB, and UVC, carries ANSI Z87.1 and EN166 certification, and uses a wraparound frame that covers peripheral vision — relevant at conveyor ends where exposure arrives from the side.
Verifying the Result
- With the lamp on and production parts running, stand at each operator and maintenance position.
- Check for any visible glow from the lamp zone or bright reflections at the openings.
- Repeat for each product height and each lamp head the line uses.
- Use a suitable UV meter to check positions near the openings, following the facility’s safety procedure.
- Re-check after any change to guards, part height, or lamp head.
Record results in the line’s safety file and repeat on a schedule set by your safety program.
For the broader process view, see the curing conveyor industrial guide; for head heights and control options, the CDM™ lamp-head guide; and for enclosed alternatives, the Incure B/C-Series™ cure chamber guide.
Contact Our Team to review UV shielding on your conveyor line.
Visit www.incurelab.com for more information.