UV Curing worked example

UV Adhesive Bond Cure Time at 35% depth-of-cure and process safety margin: a worked example

What does the result look like when depth-of-cure and process safety margin reaches 35%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it on assembly cells where UV adhesive is the cycle-driver and you need a defensible bond cure setpoint, not the data sheet's surface-cure number.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Bondline dose target: 3,000 mJ / cm² (unchanged)
  • Measured irradiance at the joint: 300 mW / cm² (unchanged)
  • Depth-of-cure / process safety margin: 35 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 30)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base cure time (sec) = bondline dose target ÷ irradiance at joint) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 13.5 sec to bond cure for recommended bond cure time, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10 sec to bond cure for base cure time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 35 % for depth-of-cure margin applied.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 300 mW / cm² for irradiance at joint.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where depth-of-cure and process safety margin sits at 30% and the headline result is 13 sec to bond cure, this scenario comes in 3.85% above the baseline at 13.5 sec to bond cure.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when depth-of-cure and process safety margin is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes irradiance is steady and measured at the actual joint; thick, filled or shadowed bondlines may still need bench-verified pull testing to confirm full through-cure.

Results at a glance

  • Recommended bond cure time: 13.5 sec to bond cure (headline result)
  • Base cure time: 10 sec to bond cure
  • Depth-of-cure margin applied: 35 %
  • Irradiance at joint: 300 mW / cm²

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live UV Adhesive Bond Cure Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.