Improving Manufacturing Processes with UVLED Light Engineering

As an Engineering Consultant we’ve been granted the opportunity to engineer on a large variety of machines and products. For clients that we engineer commercial products, their success is relatively easy to track through conventional stalking. We’re often also given the opportunity to develop additional products while remaining in contact with those clients permitting us to stay up to date.

We also service Military and Manufacturing process clients where – after the Engineering is complete – we can often lose track of the machines and their success. Military clients have an exhaustive testing and approval cycle before a machine goes into service (often taking years) in which we may or may not be involved. Consequently, we only see if and when the vehicle or machine gets implemented into the larger military complex.

Our commercial manufacture and process clients are often seeking a solution to improve manufacture cycle times and reduce expenses. We are very closely involved with the process specification, engineering, and implementation of the device… but again perhaps only hearing back years later if help is required, a question arises, or a modification is requested.

Today, I’d like to share with you one such client that we had the opportunity to engineer a very specific machine for a manufacturing process. This machine was a high intensity and powered Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode (UVLED) lamp. The lamp was required to be a retrofit and deliver a distinct quantity of UVA light energy to a specific location along an assembly line.

The existing lights were presently utilizing UVA fluorescent tubes (often referred to as “Black Lights”) to cure a gel being used in their product line. These fluorescent tubes delivered the required 365 nm frequency light necessary for the curing cycle but they also produced many other visible light spectrums – at 440 nm (deep blue), 550 nm(green) and 575 nm (greenish-amber).

Additionally, in order to deliver enough energy required, a series of multiple-tube modules positioned along the assembly line were necessary to flood a light tunnel. Each lighting module consisted of 4 fluorescent tubes. To add to the already overwhelming number of fluorescent bulbs was the fact that each bulb only had an average life span of 800 hrs. – which equated to only 6 weeks of production time. The management of these lamps was a full-time job coupled with the requirements that each line required a lengthy shut down for the lamps to be swapped out, rotated and tracked.

Adept and its LED lighting experts engineered a targeted, optically and energy efficient solution with a 5-to-7.7 year maintenance free interval. Combining focused Mechanical, Heat Transfer, Optics and LED driver customization to engineer a system that out-performed expectations. Not only where the lighting requirements met, the design enabled fine tuning of the light frequency which further optimized the process and further increased energy and cost savings.

This brings me back to our original discussion regarding realizing our clients’ successes. As with many companies these days, over the years personnel change and retirements happen… so we sort of lost touch with this client. However, fortunately over 8 years later a power supply failed (tongue in cheek). Luckily, our information was preserved and we were contacted to find a replacement because the power supplies used were no longer current or available. A replacement was quickly specified and the line was back in service with minimal delay. Along with a supply to replacement power supplies for further possible events.

Whether you’re a former clients we have worked with or have a new project, concept, or invention you need consultation on… we have the expertise and knowledge to get the job done. To speak with an engineering professional, give us a call today.