Field test units of the Profiler M, an advanced instrument to measure UV radiation used in the printing and coatings industries, are now available for prospective customer and distributor evaluations.
The Profiler M is built upon the previous work of APA Enterprises in developing a single-sensor UV meter with advanced features. The new product simultaneously measures the peak intensity and total energy of the four bands of UV, commonly referred to as UV-A, UV-B, UV-C and UV-V, by incorporating four different sensors. UV light is used to cure inks and coatings in a wide range of processes including printing on paper, specialty graphics films and foils, plastic coatings, wood finishes and adhesives. Each of the four UV bands performs a specific task for these applications. For example, the UV-C band is most suitable for surface curing while the UV-V band is best for deep curing and achieving proper adhesion. Monitoring the peak intensities and uniformity of each of the bands prior to and during curing or printing is vital to the overall performance of the process, since the peak intensities and total energy emitted by the UV lamps are known to degrade over a relatively short period of time. Even if the overall energy degrades only slightly, a significant degradation in any individual band may result in poor quality and low yield.
The Profiler M is specifically designed to provide process control information about the individual UV bands, performing peak-intensity-plus- total-energy measurements, distance-versus-intensity measurements, and temperature readings. Peak intensity/total energy and temperature values can be read directly from the built-in LCD. The instrument comes standard with a data port, cable and a custom software package to enable download of the profile measurements to a PC for display, comparison, storage and additional analysis with the APA software or standard applications such as Microsoft Excel.
"The design features and capabilities of the Profiler M should create significant interest among potential customers," said Dr. Anil Jain, president and chief executive office of APA Enterprises. "The hand-held device is very slim and compact -- about the size of a thick computer floppy disk -- can make both peak/total energy and profile measurements, and has an on-board processor, memory and display. The capability to store and display data from up to fifty previous measurements using the peak/total mode provides the user an easy way for a quick performance check on the floor without the need for a computer. The ability to make profile measurements with the same instrument gives it flexibility, meeting the user's needs if a more detailed evaluation of the equipment setup is called for," he added.
Peter Nussbaum, General Manager for gallium nitride products at APA, noted that APA is not aware of another product that combines the dual measurement features and compactness of the Profiler M, and that this combination will make it very suitable for many UV curing and printing applications, especially those that utilize a small separation between the UV lamps and the areas exposed for curing.
The company plans to showcase the Profiler M at the Specialty Graphics Imaging Association's October exhibition in Minneapolis.
APA Enterprises develops, manufactures, and markets fiber optics, copper and Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based components and devices for industrial, commercial, consumer, and scientific applications.