Phoseon develops NIR LED lamps

Phoseon Technology has announced new FireJet and FireEdge NIR Explorer Near-InfraRed lamps that are aimed at curable adhesives, 3D printing and pinning on low migration applications.

Phoseon’s latest LED lamp, the FireEdge Explorer, uses NIR for curing Phoseon has built its entire business on developing LED lamps though up to now the company has concentrated on ultraviolet lamps. Simon Reissmann, technical marketing engineer for Phoseon, says that the company constantly extends its LED wavelength portfolio so it’s a natural step to implement LEDs that emit in the Near InfraRed range. The NIR spectrum starts at around 800nm, where the visible light spectrum leaves off.

Reissmann says these lamps can be used for new NIR-curable adhesives, adding: “Further, this technology is showing potential in pinning and improving print quality on water-based and hybrid inks, used for low migration, in inkjet printing before the final curing stage.” These LED systems are not yet powerful enough to fully cure and dry water-based prints in the way that, for example, an Adphos NIR system can but Reissman says that the NIR LED lamps have been shown to help print quality through pinning. He adds: “Another area of interest is 3D printing and keeping printed models and substrates contactless at a desired temperature.”

Reissman continues: “NIR LED will not compete against UV LED but rather complement it for materials and applications that have a different absorption spectrum. Main advantages of the NIR LED versus existing NIR systems are its instant on/off capability, with no warm-up time and its efficient energy use that makes it a substantially greener technology. We expect the sales price to be similar to our existing UV-A LED solutions.”

Of the two new lamps, the FireJet NIR Explorer offers high power in an air-cooled package. The 20mm wide window guarantees that the energy is spread wider for a larger dose and exposure time in high-speed applications.

The FireEdge NIR Explorer is a smaller variation of the FireJet and offers roughly 1/5th the output power with a 10mm wide rod lens. It has a small form factor that combined with the more focused rod lens output should be ideal for delivering high intensity at 5-10mm working distance.

The NIR Explorer systems include cables, power supply, protective cover glass and extended warranty. Products will be available in the second quarter of 2021.

Tags: Printing & Manufacturing Journal | Phoseon NIR Explorer | NIR LED Curing Systems
Categories: Adhesives | Printing, 3D