What Elements Contribute to a Reliable UV LED Curing Process?

Lifetime

Two major factors that affect the lifetime of LEDs are temperature and current. As LEDs convert electricity into light, heat is created within the p-n junction, known as the junction temperature. For an LED diode to achieve maximum life expectancy, the junction temperature must remain in a safe operating zone. 

Thermal Management

Poor thermal management of the LEDs leads to a short lifetime. If LEDs maintain proper operating temperatures, they will have a very long lifetime. As LEDs emit more energy, they also generate more heat, which needs to be managed. Nexus ONE uses patented thermal management techniques that remove excess heat from the system while providing a consistent operating temperature for the diodes to function at maximum performance over their operating lifetime.

LED cooling is very important for UV light sources. As any reader knows after using a notebook PC on their lap for a length of time, the by‐product of solid‐state devices is heat. UV LEDs transfer about 15‐25% of the received electrical energy into light. The remaining 75‐85% is transferred as heat; thus, the need to cool the LED arrays.

Current

Pushing LEDs to attain higher peak irradiance impacts the LED’s life expectancy, because subjecting the LED to operating conditions outside of its specifications can lead to premature LED failure. Some lamp suppliers achieve their stated high-output irradiance by over-charging their diodes. Although this may increase the light output for a short amount of time, prolonged use at this level of irradiance will shorten the LED’s lifetime, even with efficient cooling. Unfortunately for the customer, this failure will only show up after they have purchased the inferior product and then experience curing issues.

Consistent Output

Today’s air-cooled LED light sources have grown in demand and current applications have presented challenges in over and under-curing of materials, along with the degradation of LED output over time. To ensure users have high-performance and consistently accurate products, Nexus ONE uses proprietary and patented innovations to provide users the precise and predictable UV output. Nexus ONE offers reliable UV output and less monitoring of defects, thereby improving yields and profitability.

With a proven long lifetime in a manufacturing environment, Nexus ONE™ UV LED curing products come with a reliable, field-tested industrial design for flexographic web presses. The protective glass window change is easily replaceable, and the overall maintenance required during the lifetime of the product is minimal. With lower current levels and lower diode temperatures, Nexus ONE comes with double the effective product lifetime compared to competitive products. Patented thermal management techniques remove excess heat from the system while providing a consistent operating temperature for the diodes to function at maximum performance over their operating lifetime. To guarantee reliability, Nexus ONE™ comes with a five-year warranty for the entire UV LED curing system.