Reasons why LED lamps are more popular than traditional UV lamps:
1. Since the LED does not emit light with a wavelength of 280nm and below, it will not produce ozone, and no additional exhaust equipment is required.
2. LED lamps generate less heat than traditional UV lamps. LED lamps generate heat at 60°C, while mercury lamps generate heat in excess of 350°C. In order to remove heat, a large amount of cooling equipment is required.
3. The LED light can be turned on and off instantaneously. Ordinary UV curing lamps need time to warm up. If the bulb is turned off, a certain amount of cooling time will be required after it is turned off. In order to solve this problem, mercury lamp manufacturers have also specially developed shutters to reduce the start and stop time.
4. Due to the need for exhaust, cooling and heat dissipation, traditional UV lamps are bulky. The LED lights are very small.
5. The service life of LED lamps is longer than that of mercury lamps. The working life of LED lamps is> 20,000 hours, while the rated value of mercury lamps is usually between 1000 and 2000 hours.
6. Traditional UV lamps contain a small amount of mercury and must be properly disposed of. LED lamps do not contain mercury.
7. LED lamps are rarely maintained. Traditional UV lamps need to be replaced every 700-1000 hours. The reflector also needs to be cleaned when the lamp is replaced.
After talking about the advantages of LED, let’s talk about the disadvantages of LED lamp technology:
1. Due to the limited number of available photoinitiators, it is challenging to cure paints and coatings with LEDs. The photoinitiators used to cure these products have a tendency to turn yellow during curing.
2. The choice of raw materials (especially photoinitiators) that can be used for LEDs is limited, so the price of LED inks is higher than traditional UV curing inks (about 10% higher).
3. Since the LED light does not contain short wavelength (below 320nm), it can only cure the part related to it.
4. At present, the cost of LED lamps is about twice that of traditional UV lamps. Over time, costs will continue to fall.
5. The power output of the LED lamp is continuously improving, but it is still inferior to the traditional UV lamp.
6. The oxygen suppression effect that affects the photocuring must be reduced.
