LED curing apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A radiation curing apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of solid state radiation sources to generate radiation that cures a first material;
a plurality of optical concentrators, wherein each concentrator receives radiation from a corresponding one of said solid state radiation sources;
a plurality of optical waveguides, wherein each of the plurality of optical waveguides includes a first end and a second end, wherein each first end receives concentrated radiation from a corresponding concentrator; and
a support structure to stabilize the plurality of optical waveguides between the first and second ends.
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Abstract
A radiation curing apparatus comprises a plurality of solid state radiation sources to generate radiation that cures a first material. The solid state radiation sources can be disposed in an array pattern. Optical concentrators, arranged in a corresponding array pattern, receive radiation from corresponding solid state radiation sources. The concentrated radiation is received by a plurality of optical waveguides, also arranged in a corresponding array pattern. Each optical waveguide includes a first end to receive the radiation and a second end to output the radiation. The curing apparatus can be utilized for continuous substrate, sheet, piece part, spot curing, and/or 3D radiation-cure processes.
124 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A radiation curing apparatus, comprising:
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a plurality of solid state radiation sources to generate radiation that cures a first material;
a plurality of optical concentrators, wherein each concentrator receives radiation from a corresponding one of said solid state radiation sources;
a plurality of optical waveguides, wherein each of the plurality of optical waveguides includes a first end and a second end, wherein each first end receives concentrated radiation from a corresponding concentrator; and
a support structure to stabilize the plurality of optical waveguides between the first and second ends. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 30)
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9. The radiation curing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the banding is reconfigurable.
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19. A radiation curing system, comprising:
a solid state radiation source, comprising a plurality of LED dies to generate radiation that cures a radiation curable chemical formulation;
a plurality of optical concentrators, wherein each concentrator receives radiation from a corresponding one of said LED dies;
a plurality of optical fibers, wherein each of the plurality of optical fibers includes a first end and a second end, wherein each first end receives concentrated radiation from a corresponding concentrator; and
a substrate to support the radiation-curable chemical formulation. - View Dependent Claims (23, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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31. A method of curing a radiation curable chemical formulation, comprising:
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providing a solid state radiation source that includes a plurality of LED dies to generate curing radiation, a plurality of optical concentrators, wherein each concentrator receives curing radiation from a corresponding one of said LED dies, and a plurality of optical fibers, wherein each of the plurality of optical fibers includes a first end and a second end, wherein each first end receives concentrated curing radiation from a corresponding concentrator; and
exposing the radiation-curable chemical formulation to the curing radiation, wherein a substrate supports the radiation-curable chemical formulation. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification