New Unilux UV Stroboscopic Lights Expand Inspection Capabilities

Unilux, a designer and manufacturer of inspection lighting, has added UV inspection capability to its fixed-mount LED-3 and LED-1000 stroboscopic lights. Security printers and package converters can use the new sizes to create the best possible configuration for any web width and see special security codes or clear-coat adhesives that are only visible in the narrow UV light spectrum.

By using LED diodes instead of UV filters that cover the lenses of xenon-based strobes, Unilux eliminates the filter penalty. The penalty was the result of using the filter to remove various visible wave-lengths of light, thereby reducing the strobe light’s output also in the UV spectrum. Without the need for a filter, UV diodes can emit full lighting power, thereby making them 10 times brighter than comparable xenon lights with filters. And because LED strobe lights eliminate the hot spots found in xenon lights, inspectors get a much more uniform view across the web.

“The brighter light lets inspectors see details in the UV portion under ambient lighting conditions,” Mike Simonis, president of Unilux, said. “That’s something they couldn’t do before UV LEDs. At the same time, they can now inspect the entire width of the web at full production speed and make corrections when needed to improve their yield.”

Expanded Configuration Options

Multiple LED-3 units can be daisy-chained across a web, allowing printers and converters the flexibility to configure their lights according the specific needs of any production run. UV and standard inspection lights can be used simultaneously.

“This dual-inspection capability meets a key customer demand,” Simonis said. “Printers and converters who have special inspection needs for banknotes and secure documents or for clear coatings on flexible packaging, for example, want to be able to see everything at the same time instead of using separate inspection stations for UV and full-spectrum. UV LED strobe lights let them take full advantage of LED technology and give them more flexibility for fine-tuning their inspection process.”

Source: Unilux.