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Method for curing light-curable materials

  • US 7,066,732 B2
  • Filed: 02/11/2002
  • Issued: 06/27/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for curing a composite material comprising the steps of:

  • providing a curing light that includesa wand adapted to be grasped by a human hand for use in positioning and manipulating the curing light,an elongate heat sink with a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end being proximate said wand, said elongate heat sink having a longitudinal axis,a mounting platform located at said elongate heat sink distal end, said mounting platform being adapted to have a LED chip module mounted on it, andan LED chip module mounted on said mounting platform, said LED chip module includinga primary heat sink, said primary heat sink having a smaller mass than said elongate heat sink,a well on said primary heat sink for mounting an LED chip,an LED chip mounted in said well,a cover that provides protective covering for said LED chip and which permits light emitted by said LED chip to pass through it to provide usable light exiting from said light module,powering said LED chip with a pulsed current input at power level I in alternating periods of generally constant intensity current input to the chip followed by periods of rest with no current input in order to minimize heat effect on light output from the chip while maintaining non-pulsed light output from said LED chip,permitting light to be output from the curing light;

    applying said light to a material to be light cured;

    wherein the curing light achieves an average power output level is greater than the power output level that would result from powering the same chip with a continuous current input at level I instead of pulsed current input, due to minimizing heat effect; and

    wherein said LED chip is geometrically oriented with respect to said elongate heat sink longitudinal axis so that light emitted directly forward from the front of said LED chip travels in a direction that is at an angle of from about 30 degrees to about 150 degrees with respect to said longitudinal axis.

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