News & Events

Using a UV Lamp with GT Controller

Issue

I have been doing systems with UV lamps since 2002 and I have noticed in almost all installations that people have to be reminded to tie in the emergency circuit and stop into the lamp!

Graph-Tech AG can not, does not, and never has guaranteed that the controller will switch off the lamp in every event.

Graph-Tech takes no responsibility whatsoever in wrongly connected UV lamps that burn belts or even persons!

Please follow the safety instructions given by the lamp manufacturers on how to operate the lamps. Fusion UV manuals talk about microwave radiation, UV radiation, ozone, high temperatures, high voltage, and other dangers. Place appropriate stickers warning people of the danger.

1) How do I connect the emergency circuit?

Every lamp is different, every machine is different. However, all modern machines have an emergency circuit and all modern lamps have an emergency input that shuts off the lamps.

Please check the manuals of the machine and UV lamp manufacturer and make sure that you connect the emergency circuit of the machine to the emergency input of the lamp.

For example, the popular FusionUV LightHammer 6 has one. The LH6 manual, says in page 55 “Installing the External Interlock Control” that “There is an input available for use as an external interlock control on J105B. When activated, this signal will cause the system to shut down. Refer tot table 6 for details”

The emergency circuit has nothing to do with the GT controller.

2) How do I connect the stop circuit?

Every lamp is different, every machine is different. However, all modern machines have a stop circuit (they have to stop their motors too, don’t they?) and all modern lamps have either a shutter or a stop input that instantly reduces the UV radiation to a minimum so that the belt or substrate does not get burned. This input allows to get back quicker into production by opening the shutters or stop input when conditions are met.

One condition is generally that the belt achieves a certain speed. Some lamps have a shaft encoder to measure the belt speed and do it themselves. But you may use GT controller to achieve the same.

However, on top of the GT controller output, you need always to add in series the machine relay that tells that the machine is running. Thus, the lamp will only open when both the machine and the controller tell it to do so. Do never just use one of them !

Setup of UV lamp

While in production or peripheral test (Service/Peripheral test), lift the shaft encoder 1 while belt is moving, the output should go low. Put it back the output goes high.