UV Curing calculator

UV Dose Mapping Calculator: Cold Points on a Shaped Part

Turn a grid of dose readings over a shaped part into a decision. Enter the coldest and hottest points, the grid average and the required dose.

What this calculator does

  • Read a dose map on a shaped part: does the coldest point cure, and what does lifting it cost the hot spot?

Formula used

  • Dose spread = hottest point − coldest point
  • Variation from average = spread ÷ average × 100
  • Cold-point margin = (coldest − required) ÷ required × 100
  • Scale to clear the cold point = required ÷ coldest
  • Average needed = average × scale; hot spot after scaling = hottest × scale

Inputs explained

  • Coldest Grid-Point Dose: Lowest dose on the map; often a face turned away.
  • Hottest Grid-Point Dose: Highest dose on the same map.
  • Average Grid Dose: Mean of every grid point, which no point received.
  • Required Cure Dose: Dose the material needs, in the mapped band.

How to use the result

  • Best suited to qualifying a shaped part for production, explaining why a recess fails while flats pass, choosing between more dose and a second head.
  • Three summary numbers cannot describe where the cold region is or how much surface it covers. Scaling assumes a proportional lift; moving the lamp closer changes the geometry. A coarse grid overstates the cold point because the true minimum is below it.

Common questions

  • How is this different from the uniformity page? This maps a shaped part, where spread comes from geometry and the fix is fixturing, rotation or a second head. Uniformity surveys a lamp.
  • Why does raising dose worsen the hot spot? A lift is proportional, not additive. Closing a 20% cold shortfall adds about 26% to the hot point as well.
  • My cold point is in a recess. What helps? Change what the feature sees. Rotate between passes, add a head at another angle, tilt the fixture, or reflect light into the recess.
  • Can I use the average dose as cure evidence? No. Cure is local, and the average can sit well above requirement while a specific feature stays short.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.