1997 Conference Monitoring (& Control) of UV Spectrum and Intensity in a Printing Process

Many attempts to produce a general 'UV Cure Meter' have been tried and most
have failed. The next best thing is to move back one step in the process and
ensure that :-

a) there is sufficient irradiance (UV) reaching the chemistry,
b) the chemistry is correctly formulated and stable.

All UV lamp systems output change with time. This is as far as the process being
irradiated is concerned. The main reasons for this fact are numerous, but the
causes are either internal or external to the lamp. As process industries using UV
for curing push the requirements for throughput up, the need for more accurate
monitoring of UV radiation 'as the process sees it' becomes more important.

Consistency of irradiance profile measurement is all important, and as UV
measuring instruments become more sophisticated, the UV user is able to get a
better view of the process, and to more easily eliminate or identify the UV
irradiator system as the cause of poor cure.