Lamps comparison UV LED DROLED vs traditional UV Mercury
| DROLED UV LED | TRADITIONAL MERCURY | |
|---|---|---|
 |  |
|
| Core of the system | Silicon Emitting Diode LED, Low-voltage current through | Fragile cylindrical quartz bulbs, contain mercury High-voltage current through |
| Power consumption | LOW Hundreds of Watts/hr | HIGH Thousand of Watts/hr |
| UV lamp Lifetime | 20.000 -> 40.000 working/hours | 500 -> 2.000 h working/hours Depending on conditions of use and environment |
| Heat generated by the lamp | LOW -60° measuredon lamp emitting window | HIGH +150° measuredon lamp emitting window Bulb can reach 900°C after few minutes operation |
| Heatemitted on printing support | LOW Possible to treat heatsensitive supports | HIGH |
| Switching ON/OFF | Instant No waiting time | Not instant Longer heating and cooling times before turn it on again |
| Radiation type emitted | UV-A only | UV-A + UV-B + UV-C |
| Cooling system | Simple, only warm air No ozone / No fumes emission | Ozone emission Fumes release needed, carrying them outside using blowers and piping system well sealed |
| Environment and health | No mercury No other dangerous substances | Mercury and metal halide, dangerous for the environment |
| Maintenance required | Only glass window cleaning | Frequent ordinary maintenance: glass cleaning, periodic replacement of UV bulb, replacing reflectors, cleaning of filters |
| Stability of UV emission over time | - 10% after 20.000 working/hours | -20/50% after 3000 work/hours Decrease depends on way of use and presence of dust in the environment |
| Printing quality | Stable During lamp lifetime | Changing Depending on lamp age |
| Supply system | Integrated in the lamp Full electronic system | External Electromagnetic system containing transformers, chokes, capacitors and ignitor. |
Advantages of UV LED technology in silkscreen printing
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|
|---|---|
| Core of the system | High resistance to vibration and shock Easily integrable on printing machines |
| Power consumption | High reduction Investment cost recovered in a short time |
| UV lamp lifetime | No UV emitter to replace No technical maintenance |
| Heat generated | Printing and drying of heat sensitive materials No risk of deformations/burning of the printed media |
| Switching ON/OFF | Switch on only during drying phase Switching on/off does not reduce the LED lamp life |
| Radiation type emitted | Improved safety for the operator No emission of dangerous UV-C radiation |
| Cooling system | No need to install blowers and pipes for fumes exhaust Only warm air emitted can be released into the environment |
| Environment & Health | No emitters disposal as special waste |
| Maintenance required | No maintenance costs and production downtime |
| UV emission stability | No bulb replaced No technical maintenance Stable ink drying during the entire life of the lamp |
| Printing quality | UV light stable over time No degrade with working hours More quality during drying phase |
| Supply system | LED system is more compact and reliable over time |
