How do you calculate UV dose?

Multiply the irradiance at the part by the time it spends under the lamp. 850 mW/cm² for 1.8 s is 1,530 mJ/cm², 127.5% of a 1,200 mJ/cm² target, the UV Dose and Cure Margin calculator's own example. The exposure is the cure-zone length divided by the belt speed: a 3 ft zone at 100 ft/min is 1.8 s.

What is the fastest belt speed that still cures?

The cure-zone length divided by the exposure the target needs (target dose / irradiance), times 60. At 850 mW/cm² a 1,200 mJ/cm² target needs 1.41 s, so a 3 ft zone cures up to 127.5 ft/min.

Why hold a safety margin above the target?

Lamp output falls continuously as it ages, and reflectors and quartz get dirty. A line set to the bare target drifts into undercure before the next check. The margin on Setup (120% in the example) gives that drift room.

Does the radiometer band matter?

Yes. The irradiance and the target must be in the same spectral band; a UVA reading against a UVV target gives the wrong margin. Record the band of each product's target on Setup.

Does a dose on target prove the product is cured?

No. It is surface dose only; pigmented and thick films receive less at depth, and oxygen inhibition can leave a tacky surface. Confirm cure with a solvent rub, tack or gel content test.

Does the workbook use macros?

No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test checks and shows Self-check: PASS.

Quality and Inspection

UV Cure Dose Log Excel Template

UV dose = irradiance × exposure, with the exposure = cure-zone length ÷ belt speed. Log every radiometer check of your UV curing lines and see each product's dose against its target and your safety margin, the fastest belt speed that still cures, and how each lamp is ageing.

Free, and a plain .xlsx with no macros to enable. A CSV with live formulas and a printed how-to guide come with it.

Overview

This UV cure dose log is a working Excel workbook for coating, printing and bonding process engineers, quality technicians and line leads. Each radiometer check is one row with its line, product, the irradiance at the part and the belt speed; the cure-zone length of the line and the dose target of the product come from Setup. The workbook gives the exposure, the dose and its share of the target, the exposure the target needs and the fastest belt speed that still delivers it, and judges each check against your safety margin. It ships with eight weeks of checks on four UV lines at a fictional finisher, so every tile and chart is filled in when you open it.

In the example line UV1 runs a clear topcoat at 60 ft/min through a 2 ft cure zone, 2.0 s of exposure. At 850 mW/cm² that is 1,700 mJ/cm², 142% of the 1,200 target. Over seven weeks the lamp fades to 655 mW/cm² and the dose to 109%, under the 120% safety margin, until the lamp is replaced. On UV3 the line speed was raised from 50 to 60 ft/min: the ink's exposure fell to 1.5 s and its dose to 97% of target for two weeks, faster than the 58 ft/min the lamp could cure at, until tack complaints brought the speed back down.

A dose on target is not proof of cure; a solvent rub, tack or gel test is. The download is a plain .xlsx with no macros. A CSV with live formulas is also included for other tools; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx.

What this template includes

Setup sheet with your plant and safety margin, the UV lines with their cure-zone length, and the products with their cure-dose target and spectral band
Checks table, one row per radiometer check: date, line, product, measured irradiance and belt speed, with a Check column
Per check: exposure, dose, dose as a share of target, the exposure the target needs, the fastest belt speed that still cures, any shortfall, and a status in words
Per line at its latest check: irradiance, dose, target, dose against target, belt speed, fastest cure speed and status
Dashboard with four tiles (checks, checks below target, lowest dose at the latest checks, lines faster than they cure), dose against target over the last eight checks of the line you pick, belt speed against fastest cure speed by line, and the line and trend tables
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference and the UV Dose and Cure Margin calculator (Self-check: PASS)
CSV with live formulas for the Checks table; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx

Suggested use case

Use it to log weekly radiometer checks, to see when a lamp's fading output needs a slower line or a new lamp, or to check a proposed speed increase against the dose each product needs.

How to use it

On Setup, set your safety margin, list your UV lines with their cure-zone length, and your products with their cure-dose target.
On Checks, give each radiometer check a row: date, line, product, measured irradiance and belt speed.
Fix anything the Check column names.
Open the Dashboard: dose against target for the line you pick, and each line's speed against the fastest that cures.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate UV dose?: Multiply the irradiance at the part by the time it spends under the lamp. 850 mW/cm² for 1.8 s is 1,530 mJ/cm², 127.5% of a 1,200 mJ/cm² target, the UV Dose and Cure Margin calculator's own example. The exposure is the cure-zone length divided by the belt speed: a 3 ft zone at 100 ft/min is 1.8 s.
What is the fastest belt speed that still cures?: The cure-zone length divided by the exposure the target needs (target dose / irradiance), times 60. At 850 mW/cm² a 1,200 mJ/cm² target needs 1.41 s, so a 3 ft zone cures up to 127.5 ft/min.
Why hold a safety margin above the target?: Lamp output falls continuously as it ages, and reflectors and quartz get dirty. A line set to the bare target drifts into undercure before the next check. The margin on Setup (120% in the example) gives that drift room.
Does the radiometer band matter?: Yes. The irradiance and the target must be in the same spectral band; a UVA reading against a UVV target gives the wrong margin. Record the band of each product's target on Setup.
Does a dose on target prove the product is cured?: No. It is surface dose only; pigmented and thick films receive less at depth, and oxygen inhibition can leave a tacky surface. Confirm cure with a solvent rub, tack or gel content test.
Does the workbook use macros?: No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test checks and shows Self-check: PASS.