UV Mercury Replacement Bulbs

AAA Press stocks medium pressure mercury vapor UV replacement bulbs for most
major manufacturers.

AAA Press has been providing high quality replacement bulbs to the UV curing industry for over 15
years. We stock more than 250 replacement bulbs for many UV curing systems including Lightouch,
Aetek, UV Technology, Brewer, IST, GEW, Honle, UV research and many others. If we do not carry
your specific replacement bulb, we can provide you a direct match by obtaining a bulb sample from
your existing system.

Medium pressure mercury vapor bulbs consist of a handful of critical components that must be precisely manufactured & assembled to deliver high performance results. These components include a quartz
tube, a small amount of liquid mercury, an inert gas (argon, neon, crypton, etc), steel electrodes,
end caps and short electrical wires on each end. The quartz tube is used to contain the mercury and
is capable of withstanding high temperatures. 

The quartz must be of very high quality without cracks or blemishes so that the quartz can transmit all
of the critical UV rays. Typical finished diameters are approximately 21mm or 26mm. The mercury must
be measured to exact volume depending on the length of the lamp. The lamp is then made by exhausting
all gasses creating a vacuum. It is then back-filled with a small amount of inert gas which remains within
the body of the lamp. The exact amount of mercury is typically inserted by injection and sits in the body
of the lamp as a liquid at room temperature. The end caps hold the metal electrodes and the electrical
wire is attached to the electrodes to allow power interface with the lamp.

When the lamp is placed in circuit and power is applied to it through wire and electrodes, it will initially
draw high current. At this point, it is firing electrons from one electrode to the other. A high level of
energy is required to create a path between the two electrodes. As the electrons collide with the atoms
of gas, the gas collides with the mercury and the heat energy from the collisions vaporize the mercury
into the arc. The current and voltage begin to stabilize only when all of the mercury has been completely vaporized. This initial stage is known as “striking” when the mercury is in its liquid form. The secondary
stage is known as “burn-in” when the mercury begins to vaporize. The voltage and current stabilize after
the burn-in and stable current is imperative to smooth operation and optimum UV output. 

A UV bulb will typically operate producing temperatures between 600-800°C on the quartz surface and approximately 250°C at the end caps. A lamp must operate in this temperature window for optimum usage
and longevity, therefore the way a lamp is cooled is critical to smooth performance and high output.