UV Curing worked example

UV Ink Press Cure Speed with ink target cure dose of 380 mJ / cm²: a worked example

Push ink target cure dose up to 380 mJ / cm² and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it during press makeready and SKU changeover to dial in a starting cure speed instead of running blind off the operator's last memory.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Ink target cure dose: 380 mJ / cm² (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 150)
  • Lamp cure-zone length: 8 in (unchanged)
  • Measured irradiance at the web: 400 mW / cm² (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Required dwell (sec) = ink target dose ÷ measured irradiance at the web) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 42.11 ft / min press speed for press speed, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.95 sec for required dwell.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 8 in for cure-zone length.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where ink target cure dose sits at 150 mJ / cm² and the headline result is 107 ft / min press speed, this scenario comes in 60.53% below the baseline at 42.11 ft / min press speed.
  • It computes required dwell from dose over web irradiance, then converts the cure-zone length and that dwell into a maximum press speed in feet per minute. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Press speed: 42.11 ft / min press speed (headline result)
  • Required dwell: 0.95 sec
  • Cure-zone length: 8 in

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.