Composites Europe To Welcome USHIO’s Flawless UV & IR Solutions

IR Spot Welding, Thermoforming and UV-Curing Solutions Take Centre Stage in 2019

Ushio Europe is excited to announce its forthcoming third appearance at Composites Europe. The principle European trade fair & forum for composites technology and applications, will be landing at Messe Stuttgart, Germany on 10-12 September 2019, along with FoamExpo Europe. The 2018 Composites Europe show saw a huge turnout for the aerospace and automotive industries, of which a significant proportion are identified as major clients of Ushio. As a manufacturer of industrial illumination sources across the light spectrum, the Ushio Europe Group is an established provider of solutions for the production and manipulation of composite materials. Bringing its full portfolio of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared lighting solutions to the show will ensure that no matter what your needs are, Ushio has the answer for you at Hall 9 Stand F69.

Ushio Show Off IR Innovation Laboratory Skill Set In Live Composite Material Demonstrations

First and foremost, Ushio will be demonstrating the latest developments from its infrared (IR) technology catalogue. From single and twin-tube lamps to single-ended pins and highly sophisticated bended lamps, the possibilities are endless with the introduction of Ushio’s IR Innovation Laboratory. At this unique facility in Steinhöring, Germany, Ushio invites clients and prospective customers to experiment with different solutions to find the right one for the process in question. Real-world conditions can be simulated at the IR Innovation Lab (formerly known as the IR Application Lab), with your own production line conditions imitated to ensure real-world results. Understandably, it is not always feasible to take your materials off-site, so Ushio have also perfected the R&D process so that it may be brought to you too.

Where UV Cannot Reach, IR Penetrates Thicker Composite Materials

Ushio set the standard for IR-A emitters long ago, specialising in the wavelength range of 780nm-1400nm, with more recent success in bringing IR-B and short wavelength infrared (SWIR) into play. With a firm focus on customised IR solutions, Ushio has also developed a series of IR Modules and auxiliary components that serve as basic building blocks for many typical IR processes. The standard portfolio consists of IR modules with power densities ranging from 150kW/m² to 300kW/m². All IR modules feature integrated cooling, a quick exchange mechanism for IR lamps, and are ready for immediate use. For your IR heating application testing needs, Ushio has unveiled the modular IRtenser series. Billed as the “Swiss Army knife” of the infrared world, this revolutionary range even includes a lamp that can simultaneously treat two surfaces. This type of technology is further proof of Ushio’s commitment to providing its 55 years of lighting expertise, but putting a firm impetus on allowing its clients to make their own informed choices.

Applications Perfected By Ushio UV and IR Technology

Ushio Report UV Curing and Composite Surface Pre-Treatment Successes

If infrared doesn’t catch your eye, then perhaps Ushio can provide you with the pinnacle of ultraviolet (UV) drying and curing solutions. In the vast field of UV radiation, Ushio has become the master in customisation and manufacture of unique goods for both OEM’s and commercial entities. Offering large scale UV lamps is only a small slice of Ushio’s offering, because there is also provision to deliver power supplies, UV LED modules, and full integration support from its conveniently located manufacturing base in Germany. The specially trained engineers design, produce, and test every device alongside the client to ensure the achievement of every individual requirement in the composites treating process.

Fraunhofer ILT Credit Ushio With Providing “The Missing Key”

The surface curing abilities of excimer have already made waves at printed electronics trade shows in 2019, with coveted weight reduction possibilities catching the attention of aviation and automobile industry leaders at LOPEC in Munich. Other recent UV successes for Ushio include its crucial involvement in the PhotonFlex project headed by the LASER technology arm of Europe’s largest application-orientated research organisation, the Fraunhofer Institute. By providing vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) excimer solutions, Ushio enabled Fraunhofer to find “the missing key” for their roll-to-roll solar cell production line.

“We could not have achieved these results without the Ushio excimer technology. It was the missing compact piece to our puzzle. The Ushio team has been dedicated to this project from start to finish, their expertise and service has only intensified the outstanding results the excimer technology generated for the project. Excimer fixed our surface adhesion to achieve outstanding flexibility and transparency the PhotonFlex project required. Ushio made it happen in the best possible time, size and way.”
– M. Sc. Ludwig Pongratz
Project Manager of Micro and Nano Structuring,
Fraunhofer-Institute for Laser Technology

Excimer Provides Perfect Solution For Coating Thinner Composites

The most common excimer irradiation wavelength of 172nm enjoys a rather shallow penetration depth which leaves a thin polymerised film on the upper layer of UV-curable coatings. This effect means deeper layers are left unaffected, but the resulting shrinkage leaves a dull matte finish on the surface and brings scratch resistance to your composite coatings. This may be used in conjunction with one of our UV drying solutions to complete the curing process.

As for Composites Europe, many eyes will be on Ushio’s Medium Pressure Mercury Long Arc Lamps and their Metal Halide equivalents which are often used in conjunction with UV-curable primers that are applied to composite laminates prior to painting. For ultra-fast, high-volume curing, UV lamps remain the top choice when it comes to thinner applications such as the painting of automotive vehicles. Also on show, UV LED light sources promise to produce far less heat than traditional lamp solutions and are able to concentrate their emissions on a narrower, more efficient bandwidth within the UV spectrum.

Ushio hands out free tickets to Composites Europe

Ushio remains the market leader in vast swathes of the industrial light market and is looking forward to welcoming you & your business to Hall 9 Stand F69. Here you will meet our UV & IR experts who, over a delicious cup of coffee, will offer you the best solutions to fit your composite material needs. We don’t want you to miss out, so you will need a free ticket, which you can get from here.

Composites Europe
FoamExpo Europe
10-12 September 2019
Messe Stuttgart, Germany
Hall 9 Stand F69

If you have any questions or would like to spark a conversation before the show begins, feel free to send us a message through our website contact page.

Further Reading

IR-A Solutions Product Page
IR-B / SWIR Solutions Product Page

UV-A/B Solutions Product Page
UV-C Solutions Product Page

VUV Excimer Module Brochure