Archive for July, 2011

Ultraviolet radiation comes in three forms: UV-A, UV-B and UV-C light. UV Technology is safe when respected and while the proper safety equipment is being used. The most concerning part of these intensities of light is the area of contact, whether it be the skin or eyes. Skin and eye damage can be avoided with an educated knowledge of equipment use. It is recommended to protect these parts of your body with the appropriate safety gear. All in all, most general cases of overexposure will heal with time, but are extremely uncomfortable.

Face Mask, Gloves and Shop Coat

The visible spectrum of ultraviolet light is not harmful, but the light that you cannot see can be dangerous in some applications if the proper safety precautions are not taken into account. For instance, if you were to expose your eyes to certain wavelengths of UV rays, it is equivalent to welders burn. In the end, medium-pressure curing technology should be approached from a careful angle and invisible, along with visible lights should be treated with great consideration.

NOTE: You should be properly educated in the operation and application of ultraviolet technology. If you have any suspected UV reactions as a result from improper use or inadequate safety, seek medical attention by a qualified medical practitioner.

To learn more about UV safety, click here.

Dont forget to change out your reflectors when you are changing the lamps

I am sure that you know the importance of changing out a UV bulb in order to optimize the performance of your UV System. Did you ever stop to think about the relevance of the UV reflector? As it states in it’s name, the reflector is the shield or liner that sits behind, above or in front of the Ultraviolet lamp and bounces the light back onto the substrate, assisting in the way the lamp cures, dries and/or coats the product. I bet you didn’t know that the reflector is responsible for 70% of the curing power of the Ultra Violet lamp as well. If your reflectors are dirty, cloudy or warped, your UV light cannot work to its full potential, thus making it nearly impossible to achieve the perfect result for your substrate. There are different types of reflectors that are responsible for important functions when it comes to an Ultra-violet curing system. An aluminum reflector is just that: a shiny aluminum partner to the bulb it is working with. The dichroic, purple/blue aluminum reflector is specially coated with heat-absorbent material to aid in the lamps ability to remain at a certain temperature without melting the product. This also plays a very important role in UV lamp longevity. All are very essential in the process of curing, drying or Ultraviolet Coating and should be replaced at least every other lamp change. So remember, when you change the bulb, make sure to change the reflector too!

UV Sterilizers = Clean Aquarium

Ultraviolet sterilization has proven itself as an alternative to harsh chemical treatments to control algae, spores, and bacteria present in the water column. UV clarifiers destroy disease-causing pathogens as water is pumped through the unit. A properly installed and well designed UV sterilizer will lower the incidence of disease and increase longetivity and over all health by improving the aquarium/pond redox balance. See what others have to say about these top Sterilizers. Remember a little light goes a long way. Perhaps an Ultra-violet sterilizer is the right choice  for your aquarium. Keep your Saltwater, Freshwater or Reef tanks CLEAN with UV technology.

Commercial and Industrial Replacement UV Lamps

Are you searching for ultraviolet curing lamps for your screenprinter, plastic container decorating press or UV coater? When it comes time to replace the UV lights and Ultraviolet reflectors in your printing or coating press it can be difficult to find the bulbs in the USA. Always remember also to replace the reflectors often, as 70% of the curing power is in the reflector shields. Do you have a UV curing system that has dichroic or purple coated liners? No problem, they are available and just as important to replace as the silver aluminum type. Some UV presses have quartz barrier plates that can be difficult to find and carry lengthy lead times. If you know your UV Lamp and Reflector usage monthly or yearly, try to imagine an Auto-Ship program, no more worries about having inventory on the shelf with our program of scheduled shipments of products. Make sure to check out your options when trying to find UV bulbs, dichroic and aluminum reflectors, quartz plates, and Ultra Violet curing systems, then come back to cureUV.com. We will see you there!

Total-Cure Guitar Cabinet

As a keen guitarist being one of the designers and project leaders on the PRS Total-Cure UV Guitar Finishing cabinet was a dream gig, especially when I found out that I was going to the factory for the install.
PRS approached us back in 2008 to inquire about a UV Curing system. We had already manufactured one for Gadow Guitars and had a good base design to start with. After working closely with Matt Eriza and Joe Knaggs, we came up with some tweaks and improvements to suit their exact needs. 

We’ve added a touch screen which gave them the ability to customize the operation of the system to fit their needs. PRS was able to create and save custom profiles or menus to cure whatever shape or length guitar they wanted to put in the cabinet. The system precisely tracks the movement of the UV lamp as it passes in front of guitar allowing for a quick and uniform curing of the finish. We simplified the hanging method which increased the throughput from spray booth to Ultraviolet Cabinet to rack. Also a larger viewing window was added so if you want you can watch the guitar as the gel and topcoat curing takes place. If you want to see this yourself, check out the Youtube videos at our SPDIUV or CureUV channels.

Now nearly 3 years later I got Matt on the phone to find out how the change to UV technology has impacted the manufacturing process for one of the music industries leaders in high end guitars…………………

.Why did you decide to go UV?

 The obvious reason was to get things done faster but also the UV finish is harder than conventional finishes.

.How did you pick SPDI?

We approached a couple of other UV manufacturers and they didn’t have any solutions for curing 3 dimensional shapes. SPDI already had a system doing this and it fell in at the right price point.

.Was the conversion difficult from conventional nitro or polyester urethane coatings to UV finishing? Handling of chemicals, spraying and sanding techniques?

Basically no. Handling the chemicals is much easier as we don’t have to deal with VOCs anymore, and there were no real changes to the spraying or sanding techniques we use.

 . Is there any real difference in quality of finish, look, hardness and tone?

The tone is actually improved with UV coatings as they’re harder. Standard urethanes can make a guitar sound like it’s encased in rubber. I tried spraying tuning forks with the conventional and UV finishes and found the UV coated forks held their tone much better than the others. As for the look, the UV coatings are very clear. The polyesters can contain small amounts of cobalt which can lead to a slight blue or brown tinge to finished guitars.

. Have any of the ‘purists’ noticed the change?

A few people have been talking about the change to UV but it has been positive feedback. The UV finished guitars don’t have to ‘age’ to have the tone settle like the conventional finishes do. So your guitar sounds better right of the rack than before.

. You’ve been working on acoustics, how is the UV finish working out?

We’re currently not UV curing the acoustic line, but it is something we are looking into starting in the near future.

. How much time are you saving on average?

We’ve taken what was a 7-8 day process and reduced it to around 2. The guitars don’t need to hang around for 2-3 days waiting to dry between steps. We can go straight from filler to base to top coat in one day if we want.

. Can you still get all the colors and tints that you get with conventional?

We’re working on color tints, at the moment we are still using conventional top-coats, but will be moving some of our lines over to UV top-coat soon.  

 . Have you had any issues with the heat from the lamps?

No, in fact our warm rooms get hotter than the inside of the UV Guitar Curing cabinet. Any residual heat from the process actually helps with the cure and doesn’t damage the wood, I would add though if you’re curing anything with any plastic on it to tape off the area first.

. How has the support from SPDI been? Replacement parts and maintenance?

The support from SPDI has been great, we’ve had no problems with getting replacement lamps and reflectors, and the units are well made we run both of hours for at least 8 hrs a day and have had no issues with either one.

. Do you cure whole guitars of bodies and necks separate?

Both, we have our machines set up with many different menus and recipes. For guitars that are getting rosewood necks we run just the bodies through the guitar cabinets. We have menus for full guitars and we have recently started using a UV satin finish on our bolt on necks so we have programs solely for them.

 . How much of PRS stock is now UV cured?

 Everything PRS currently makes apart from acoustics has one or more pieces UV cured whether it’s filler, polyurethane or both.

. Finally when am I getting my custom guitar? Failing that a t-shirt!

 Ha ha, I don’t even have a custom ; I’ll see what I can do about the shirt!

If you want more have any questions or want more information on our Guitar Cabinet, UV Coatings or any of our products, visit our web-sites www.spdiuv.com and http://www.cureuv.com/