Water jacket for ultraviolet lamp

A lamp assembly for curing photopolymerizable materials on a substrate which moves relative to said lamp assembly and which receives a focused band of radiation from said lamp assembly;

• said lamp assembly comprising, in combination:
• an elongated ultraviolet radiation producing lamp having spaced terminals;
• electrical power source means connected to said spaced terminals for energizing said lamp;
• an elongated liquid-conducting quartz jacket surrounding said lamp and being substantially coextensive with said lamp;
• said quartz jacket being substantially transparent to ultraviolet radiation;
• a source of cooling liquid connected to said liquid-conducting jacket and circulating cooling liquid down the length of said jacket;
• said lamp being thermally coupled to said cooling liquid, whereby a portion of the heat produced by said lamp is transferred to said cooling liquid and is removed from the vicinity of said lamp;
• means for deionizing said cooling liquid;
• an elongated curved reflector means at least partly surrounding said lamp and intercepting at least a part of the radiation of said lamp and reflecting and generally focusing a part of said radiation into said generally focused band;
• and means connected between said power source means and said substrate for reducing power to the lamp when the speed of said substrate is decreased below a given value;
• said lamp being unshuttered and being capable of continuing to illuminate said substrate when the speed of said substrate is descreased below said given value.

An ultra violet lamp assembly for producing a generally focused band of ultraviolet radiation comprising in combination:

• an elongated ultraviolet radiation producing lamp having spaced terminals;
• electrical power source means connected to said spaced terminals for energizing said lamp;
• an elongated liquid-conducting jacket, generally circular in cross-section and made of a material which is substantially transparent to ultraviolet radiation, surrounding said lamp and being substantially coextensive with said lamp;
• a source of cooling liquid connected to said liquid conducting jacket and circulating a cooling liquid down the length of said jacket;
• said lamp being thermally coupled to said cooling liquid, whereby a portion of the heat produced by said lamp is transferred to said cooling liquid and is removed from the vicinity of said lamp;
• means for deionizing said cooling liquid;
• the cross-section of said liquid conducting jacket defining a thickened bottom region which gradually tapers to a thinner section in the fashion of a convex lens, whereby the liquid in said cylinder defines a focusing lens for radiation from said lamp;
• and
• elongated curve reflector means at least partially surrounding said lamp and intercepting at least part of the radiation of said lamp and reflecting and generally focusing a part of said radiation into said generally focused band.

An ultraviolet lamp assembly for producing a generally focused band of ultraviolet radiaiton comprising, in combination:

• an elongated ultraviolet radiation producing lamp having spaced terminals;
• electrical power source means connected to said spaced terminals for energizing said lamp;
• an elongated liquid-conducting jacket surrounding said lamp and being substantially coextensive with said lamp, said jacket comprising a single cylinder surrounding and being radially spaced from said lamp whereby said cooling liquid is in direct contact with the outer-diameter of said lamp, said cylinder being of a material which is substantially transparent to ultraviolet radiation;
• a source of cooling liquid connected to said liquid conducting jacket and circulating a cooling liquid down the length of said jacket, said lamp being thermally coupled to said cooling liquid, whereby a portion of the heat produced by said lamp is transferred to said cooling liquid and is removed from the vicinity of said lamp;
• means for deionizing said cooling liquids;
• elongated curve reflector means at least partially surrounding said lamp and intercepting at least a part of the radiation of said lamp and reflecting in general a part of radiation into said generally focused band.

An ultraviolet lamp assembly for producing a generally focused band of ultraviolet radiation comprising, in combination:

• an elongated ultraviolet radiation producing lamp having spaced terminals;
• an electrical power source means connected to said spaced terminals for energizing said lamp;
• an elongated liquid-conducting jacket surrounding said lamp and being substantially coextensive said lamp, said jacket being substantially elliptical in cross-section and being comprised of a material which is substantially transparent to ultraviolet radiation;
• a source of cooling liquid connected to said liquid conducting jacket and circulating cooling liquid down the length of said jacket, said lamp being thermally coupled to said cooling liquid, whereby a portion of the heat produced by said lamp is transferred to said cooling liquid and is removed from the vicinity of said lamp;
• means for deionizing said cooling liquid;
• and
• a reflective coating formed on an outer surface region of said jacket, said lamp being located along a focus of said elliptically shaped jacket whereby said coating intercepts at least part of the radiation of said lamp and focuses a part of said radiation into said generally focused band.