UV Lamps

ROHS STATEMENT

General

The regulations concerning the Restrictions of the use of certain Hazardous Substances

(RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment are laid down in EC directives 2011/65/EU and 2015/863/EU.

These lay down the rules on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), with a view to contributing to the protection of human health and the environment, including the environmentally sound recovery and disposal of waste EEE.

The following restricted substances are subject their Maximum Concentration Values (MCV) of percent by weight in homogeneous material, in each product:

Our lamps meet the requirement above and are also exempted for mercury at Annex 3 to 2011/65/EU.

Declaration of conformity:

Harris Digital Ltd declares that all of our lamp products conform to the RoHS requirements.

UV LAMP SYSTEM REFLECTORS

The importance of reflectors within the UV system should not be under-estimated; UV reflectors are responsible for the reflection of between 50 and 70% of the UV energy source, so regular maintenance and cleaning are essential.

Harris Digital supplies many types of UV system reflectors including;

• Dichroic- These reflect visible light and allow  infrared  radiation to pass through. This type reduces heating of illuminated objects since less infrared radiation is present in the light beam. (However, dichroic reflectors  must only be used in compatible fixtures that can dissipate the heat. Dichroic reflectors  must not be fitted to recessed or enclosed luminaires with the  IEC  60598 No Cool Beam symbol.)
• Aluminium- These can be used for low wattage applications in free air or forced air-cooling of UV lamps in an end cooled reflector assembly, or centre cooled reflector assembly. These are commonly used for focusing ultraviolet light from a medium pressure mercury vapour lamp, UV curing lamp or metal halide lamp as metal halide reflectors.
• UV Coated Quartz- Quartz material is stronger than glass and therefore can be used at temperatures up to 1050 ° C and has a high transmission from 230nm to 3000nm. This makes it useful for most UV applications.

ULTRAVIOLET LAMP, REFLECTOR & SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

Here at Harris Digital we have prepared some useful tips to help you to increase the life of your lamps;

To ensure that we continue to provide the best possible service to all customers; please read this information, as it will help you to maximise the life length of your Harris Digital lamps.

Avoid Excessive Starts

When a lamp is first started, the internal pressure is low. The electrodes during this time are emitting poorly, throwing or spitting off tungsten into the lamp. This causes points of contamination which can result in premature failure of the lamp.

Lamps should typically be started at a high power to reduce the length of time they are in the starting mode. Excessive starts cause premature darkening of the ends, this will result in a drop in output as the darkening eventually migrates into the body of the lamp.

Advice: Whenever possible, gather all of the work to be done, start the lamp and perform all of the work that can be done during this time. Remember to avoid stopping and starting the lamps.

Check Lamp, Reflectors and Cooling System 

Curing often fails due to poor lamp and system maintenance. It is rarely due to problems with the lamp itself. Regular ‘preventative maintenance' will reduce the chance of lamp failure and system breakdown. Below are a few simple steps which we recommend should be followed regularly, ideally after every 500 hours of operation, to increase the operating lifetime of  your Harris Digital lamp and curing system.

Clean the lamp regularly to remove any residue which can cause devitrification. Lamps should always be handled using gloves and cleaned with isopropanol.

Check to see that your reflectors are clean and free of distortion from the lamp's radiated heat. Periodic cleaning and/or replacement of reflectors may be necessary to maintain maximum efficiency of both the lamp and equipment. Accumulated dirt on the blower blades blocks air flow and reduces cooling. Lamps running too hot can sag or expand causing a drop in the running voltage and wattage and a reduction in output.

Cleaning the blades improves cooling which can discourage a lamp from sagging. Sometimes lamps sag unnoticeably, so it is always a good idea to rotate them periodically. Clean the power supply and system air filters which may be clogged with dust. Check any flexible ducting for holes or splits which may reduce extraction and cooling. Clean the system (i.e. chassis and shutter).

Advice: Regular maintenance of the lamp and reflectors is highly recommended, clean them as often as possible and replace when necessary. Rotate the lamp when you clean or replace your reflector.

Install Lamps with Care

To lengthen a lamps life, follow the O.E.M.'s installation instructions carefully. For example, avoid finger oil on the lamp body by using a paper towel or gloves. The use of an alcohol wipe is also recommended to assure clean surfaces.

It is important to insure that the electrical connections are tight and not corroded.

In the case with spring loaded sockets (such as Hanovia type), it is imperative that the sockets are in good shape with proper spring tension and clean contact surfaces.

Lamps that are held rigid in their mounts should not be held so tight as to restrict movement as the reflectors expand, contract and warp during operation. More attention may be needed for lamps that do not have leads for their electrical connection.

With lamps in which the electrical connection is made through the mounting clamp, this area should be tight and clean. In this case, most manufacturers accommodate some flexibility with the mount. Obviously, spring clip type mounts must have good tension. Most lamps in this category are small, exposure type, and expansion is not as much of a factor.

Advice: Follow the OEM's installation instructions and ensure that the lamp is fitted correctly. Use gloves to or a paper towel to avoid putting any finger oil on the lamps.

We hope that this information is of use to you, and your customers, and will help you to maximise the use of your Harris-Digital lamps. Please do contact us, if we can be of any further assistance.

QUALITY GUARANTEE

100% Performance Guarantee- Harris Digital’s UV Lamps

Tested for performance reliability by our UV Technical Experts, every Harris Digital UV lamp is tested before it leaves our factory, resulting in a guaranteed start first time, every time.

Every one of our UV lamps has an expected lamp life of over 1000 hours, which can be extended provided the lamp is run in accordance with our guidelines and conditions. This is because our lamps are handcrafted by our expert technicians.

Our Warranty

Harris Digital guarantees 1000 hours* running time for every gallium and iron curing lamp, up to 1 year from the manufacturing date.

PRINTING

Ultraviolet curing (commonly known as UV curing), used in the printing industry, is a photochemical process in which high-intensity ultraviolet light is used to instantly cure or dry inks.

The UV curing process is based on a photochemical reaction, using light instead of heat. Liquid monomers and oligomers are mixed with a small percentage of photoinitiators, and then exposed to UV energy. The ink cures and dries instantly as a result.

UV curable inks were created as an alternative to solvent-based products. Conventional heat-and air-drying works by the evaporation of solvents, which shrinks the initial application by more than 50% and creates environmental pollutants.

In contrast, in UV curing there is no solvent to evaporate, no environmental pollutants are created, there is no loss of coating thickness, and no loss of volume. The result is higher productivity in less time, with a reduction in waste, energy use and pollution.

ALTERNATIVE MERCURY VAPOUR LAMPS

There have been various reports over the past five years suggesting that mercury UV curing lamps will be banned from sale in the near future. This news has caused concern amongst many printers and users of UV lamps for industrial applications. However, you’ll be pleased to hear that this information is incorrect.

Worldwide there is growing concern surrounding global warming and the harmful emissions that contribute to it. To help tackle this, the UK government and European commission put in place the Climate Change Act 2009 and Energy Act 2009. The UK has a national requirement to reduce emissions by 80% (based on 1990 levels) by 2050. As part of this review, studies were conducted to identify how these targets would be met and lighting was one of the key areas. This has been incorrectly interpreted by various sources, and there have been suggestions that mercury vapour UV lamps will be banned from use. This is unfounded and is being used to make the more expensive LED systems look more attractive.

Alternatives to mercury vapour lamps

It has been suggested to many companies that they begin looking for alternatives to mercury vapour curing lamps, as to avoid issues in the future. As we have already discussed, this ban will not affect mercury curing lamps and therefore there is no need to look for alternatives. Leading on from this there is also no viable alternatives for mercury vapour curing lamps and these lamps are used in everything from printing, to bonding and even water disinfection to name a few. It has been suggested that LED could be used as a greener alternative, however it has been proven that LED isn’t viable at this point for use in all UV applications. The cost of the proposed LED systems are more than double the conventional alternatives and although energy savings can be made in powering the lamp, the LED systems get very hot and need an energy intensive cooling system to allow them to run correctly.

If you have any concerns over the mercury ban please contact us, a member of the Harris Digital team will be happy to answer any questions you may have.