Heraeus Noblelight has established a new UV LED curing testing facility.

“With the increasing popularity of UV LEDs in the curing of inks, coatings and adhesives, we determined that formulators, OEMs and end users have a need to evaluate cure quality using LED technology in a cost effective manner,” said Rick Slagle, business development manager of Heraeus Noblelight LLC. 

UV LED curing offers significant advantages such as low power consumption, low heating of sensitive substrates and long lifetime to name a few. UV LEDs are single wavelength devices and success in curing is dependent on formulators selecting and testing photo-initiator packages that are optimized for the LED wavelength. “Parameters such as intensity, dose, working distance and peak wavelength emission all have an impact on curing. Our testing facility allows us to support our clients to maximize the benefits of LEDs in their application,” said Slagle.

Heraeus Noblelight’s newly-formed Optoelectronics division develops customer-optimized LED solutions in the near UV spectrum. “A curing system for example for printing applications would be considerably different than for optical fiber curing,” said Slagle. “By working closely with the customer in our testing facility, we can best exploit the advantages of our Chip-On-Board assembly for high density die placement, flexibility of the form factor of the emission area and unique optical design giving our clients a competitive advantage in their chosen markets.”

Heraeus Noblelight GmbH with its headquarters in Hanau and with subsidiaries in the USA, Great Britain, France, China and Australia, produces specialist light sources. In 2011, Heraeus Noblelight had an annual turnover of €103 million and employed 731 people worldwide. The organization develops, manufactures and markets infrared and ultraviolet emitters for applications in industrial manufacture, environmental protection, medicine and cosmetics, research, development and analytical measurement techniques.