Batch curing under a benchtop lamp works until volume climbs. A UV conveyor moves parts under a fixed lamp head at a controlled speed, so every part gets the same dose and the operator never touches the light. It turns curing from a manual step into a continuous process.
How a UV Conveyor System Works
A UV curing conveyor is a belt or chain conveyor with one or more UV lamp heads mounted above it inside a shielded tunnel. Parts are loaded at one end, pass under the lamps, and exit cured. The controlled variable is dose: irradiance from the lamp multiplied by the time each point spends in the beam, which is set by the illuminated aperture length divided by the belt speed. Slow the belt or add a lamp head to raise dose; speed it up to increase throughput once the adhesive is fully cured.
Lamp Head Options
- Mercury or metal halide flood heads: broadband output that cures a wide range of chemistries and penetrates pigmented or thicker films; higher infrared load on the part.
- UV LED flood heads: single wavelength, low heat, instant on-off, long life; require adhesives formulated for that wavelength. A UV LED flood lamp is a common conveyor head.
- Focused-beam heads: concentrate energy in a narrow line for fast cure of a specific bond path.
The Incure CDM UV conveyor line matches lamp heads to line speed and part width, with both LED and conventional flood options.
Email Us with your part size, adhesive, and target throughput, and our team will size a system.
Sizing and Process Setup
- Dose target: get the required joules per square centimeter from the adhesive datasheet.
- Lamp irradiance: measure delivered irradiance at belt height with a radiometer.
- Belt speed: dose equals irradiance times aperture length divided by belt speed; solve for the highest speed that still meets the dose target.
- Part height: taller parts sit closer to the lamp and see higher irradiance; profile the fixture or adjust lamp height to keep dose uniform across the part.
- Heat check: for flood heads, confirm the part surface stays below its temperature limit; add cooling or switch to LED if needed.
A Worked Sizing Example
Suppose an adhesive datasheet calls for 2 J/cm2 at 395 nm. The chosen LED flood head delivers 1,200 mW/cm2, or 1.2 W/cm2, measured at belt height, with an illuminated aperture 100 mm long in the travel direction. A point on the part receives dose equal to irradiance times the time under the aperture. Time under the aperture is aperture length divided by belt speed. Rearranging, belt speed equals irradiance times aperture length divided by required dose: 1.2 W/cm2 times 10 cm divided by 2 J/cm2 gives 6 cm per second, about 3.6 meters per minute.
If that throughput is not enough, options are a second lamp head in line, which doubles effective aperture and allows roughly double the speed, a higher-irradiance head, or a lower-dose adhesive. If the part is tall, remember irradiance rises as the surface nears the lamp, so re-measure at the real part height rather than at belt level.
Multi-Zone and Staged Curing
Some products cure better in stages: a low-intensity first zone gels the surface and reduces oxygen inhibition and shrinkage stress, then a high-intensity zone drives full cure. Multi-zone conveyors with independently controlled heads allow this, and also let a single line handle products with different dose needs by switching zones on or off.
Safety and Maintenance
The tunnel must fully contain UV, with interlocked entry and exit baffles and an emergency stop that shuts the lamps. Verify no measurable UV escapes at operator positions. On maintenance: clean or replace lamp reflectors and quartz plates on schedule, since contamination there silently lowers dose, and log radiometer readings so belt speed can be corrected as lamps age. Arc bulbs should be changed on a measured-output interval, covered in choosing a UV lamp for resin curing.
Where Conveyors Fit
UV conveyors cure adhesives, encapsulants, conformal coatings, inks, and finishes in electronics assembly, printing and packaging, automotive component finishing, appliance and furniture production, and general industrial coating lines. Any operation curing the same product repeatedly benefits from the consistency and reduced handling. The systems also pair well with automated dispensing upstream, so a part can be dosed, placed on the belt, and cured without an operator touching it between steps, which removes a common source of placement and timing variation.
Closing
A UV conveyor system standardizes dose, removes manual handling from the curing step, and contains the UV hazard. Sizing it correctly means working backward from the adhesive’s dose requirement to a belt speed, then confirming uniformity across the real part. Contact Our Team to specify a conveyor for your line.
Visit www.incurelab.com for more information.