How do I calculate the UV dose my line is actually delivering?

Dose in mJ/cm2 equals irradiance at the part times exposure time. Use UV Irradiance at Part with UV Lamp Distance Intensity Loss to get the real intensity at the surface, then UV Dwell Time Under Lamp or UV Exposure Time for the time under the lamp at your belt speed. UV Dose and Cure Margin multiplies the two and compares the result against the material's required dose, showing whether you have margin or are running undercured.

What belt speed do I need to hit a target cure dose?

The UV Conveyor Belt Speed calculator inverts the dose equation: given irradiance at the part and the required dose, it solves for the fastest belt speed that still delivers full cure. Faster belt means shorter UV Dwell Time Under Lamp and lower dose, so there is a maximum speed for each recipe. Always leave headroom via UV Dose Margin, because UV Intensity Decay vs New means the same speed delivers less dose as the lamp ages.

How much does lamp distance affect UV intensity at the part?

Intensity falls off steeply with working distance, so small changes in fixture height matter. UV Lamp Distance Intensity Loss quantifies the drop between your reference distance and the actual part surface, and UV Irradiance at Part gives the resulting value to feed into dose. Raising a part even a few millimeters can cut irradiance enough to lose cure margin. Check UV Shadowing Risk Score too, since geometry can block the part entirely in spots.

How do I know when a UV lamp needs replacing?

Track output decay, not just hours. UV Intensity Decay vs New compares current radiometer irradiance against the lamp's new-lamp baseline, and UV Lamp Life Remaining estimates hours left before output drops below the level that still delivers required dose at production speed. When decay eats your UV Dose Margin, plan replacement. UV Lamp Replacement Cost and Mercury UV Lamp Energy Cost help time the swap against the cost of running a fading lamp.

Does a UV LED retrofit pay off versus mercury arc lamps?

UV LED Retrofit Payback compares LED capital cost against the savings from UV LED Energy Cost versus Mercury UV Lamp Energy Cost, plus reduced UV Lamp Replacement Cost, longer life, and no warm-up idle. LEDs draw less power and last far longer, but the wavelength must match your material's absorption. Feed in your duty cycle and current lamp spend; high-hours lines usually reach payback fast, while low-utilization lines take longer.

How do I check cure uniformity across a wide part?

Uniformity fails at edges and in shadowed pockets even when the center reads good. UV Dose Uniformity and UV Dose Mapping Spread quantify the high-to-low dose variation across the part width, and UV Shadowing Risk Score flags geometry that blocks direct exposure. Correct your field readings first with UV Radiometer Reading Calibration Correction so the map is accurate. The lowest-dose point must still clear the required dose, not the average, or those areas undercure.

Manufacturing calculator category

UV Curing calculators

This category covers the process math of UV curing, from delivered dose and irradiance at the part to belt speed, lamp life, and energy cost. It is for process engineers, line operators, and coating and adhesive specialists who need to hit a cure spec repeatably. The calculators here translate radiometer readings and lamp geometry into the dwell time, belt speed, and dose margin that actually cure the material.

What this hub covers

Calculators for UV curing process engineers covering UV dose, irradiance, belt speed, exposure time, lamp life, cure uniformity, and LED energy cost.
Browse uv curing calculators for manufacturing planning, quoting, quality, capacity, and operations decisions.

Best calculators in this category

UV Dose and Cure Margin: Calculate UV dose from measured irradiance and exposure time, then compare it with the material cure-dose target and conveyor speed limit.
UV Exposure Time: Solve for the seconds of UV exposure needed to deliver a target dose at a measured irradiance, with a safety margin baked in.
UV Conveyor Belt Speed: Set conveyor belt speed (fpm) so parts spend long enough under the UV lamp to hit a target dose at a known irradiance.
UV Dose Margin: Compare a measured UV dose against the chemistry's required dose and see how much headroom (or shortfall) you have before lamp drift puts you under-cure.
UV LED Energy Cost: Cost out a UV LED cure system per shift and per part using array wall-plug power, runtime, utility rate, and units cured.
UV Lamp Life Remaining: Project days until the next UV lamp swap from rated hours, hours already on the lamp, and current runtime per day.
UV Dose Uniformity: Quantify UV dose uniformity across a work surface from radiometer pass min, max, and average - see whether the worst spot still cures.
UV Dwell Time Under Lamp: Convert belt feet-per-minute and the lamp's effective cure-zone length into seconds the part spends under UV per pass.
UV Irradiance at Part: Estimate the UV irradiance reaching the part from rated lamp output, distance falloff, and reflector / focal-distance efficiency.
Mercury UV Lamp Energy Cost: Cost out a mercury arc UV lamp per shift and per part - including the always-on idle period mercury lamps need between jobs.
UV Lamp Replacement Cost: Roll lamp price, downtime, technician labor, and the scrap risk of running too long into a true cost-per-swap and annualized lamp cost.
UV LED Retrofit Payback: Compare a UV LED retrofit's installed cost against the annual mercury energy + lamp + scrap savings to see years to payback.

Common manufacturing problems solved

uv curing
uv dose
irradiance
exposure time
lamp distance
uv led
radiometer

Category questions

How do I calculate the UV dose my line is actually delivering? Dose in mJ/cm2 equals irradiance at the part times exposure time. Use UV Irradiance at Part with UV Lamp Distance Intensity Loss to get the real intensity at the surface, then UV Dwell Time Under Lamp or UV Exposure Time for the time under the lamp at your belt speed. UV Dose and Cure Margin multiplies the two and compares the result against the material's required dose, showing whether you have margin or are running undercured.
What belt speed do I need to hit a target cure dose? The UV Conveyor Belt Speed calculator inverts the dose equation: given irradiance at the part and the required dose, it solves for the fastest belt speed that still delivers full cure. Faster belt means shorter UV Dwell Time Under Lamp and lower dose, so there is a maximum speed for each recipe. Always leave headroom via UV Dose Margin, because UV Intensity Decay vs New means the same speed delivers less dose as the lamp ages.
How much does lamp distance affect UV intensity at the part? Intensity falls off steeply with working distance, so small changes in fixture height matter. UV Lamp Distance Intensity Loss quantifies the drop between your reference distance and the actual part surface, and UV Irradiance at Part gives the resulting value to feed into dose. Raising a part even a few millimeters can cut irradiance enough to lose cure margin. Check UV Shadowing Risk Score too, since geometry can block the part entirely in spots.
How do I know when a UV lamp needs replacing? Track output decay, not just hours. UV Intensity Decay vs New compares current radiometer irradiance against the lamp's new-lamp baseline, and UV Lamp Life Remaining estimates hours left before output drops below the level that still delivers required dose at production speed. When decay eats your UV Dose Margin, plan replacement. UV Lamp Replacement Cost and Mercury UV Lamp Energy Cost help time the swap against the cost of running a fading lamp.
Does a UV LED retrofit pay off versus mercury arc lamps? UV LED Retrofit Payback compares LED capital cost against the savings from UV LED Energy Cost versus Mercury UV Lamp Energy Cost, plus reduced UV Lamp Replacement Cost, longer life, and no warm-up idle. LEDs draw less power and last far longer, but the wavelength must match your material's absorption. Feed in your duty cycle and current lamp spend; high-hours lines usually reach payback fast, while low-utilization lines take longer.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.