Method and apparatus for ultraviolet curing of three dimensional objects without rotation

A method of curing three dimensional objects with a plurality of ultraviolet lamp units without rotating the objects, comprising the steps of;

• providing at least a pair of focussed ultraviolet lamps units, each of which focusses the light emitted therefrom at a focal plane,
• defining a translation path for said three dimensional objects,
• locating one of said lamp units on one side of said translation path generally facing said path, and the other of said lamp units on the other side of said path generally facing said path, and
• moving said objects along said translation path close enough to said lamp units so that parts of each object are substantially closer to said lamp units than said focal planes, said lamp units being linear lamp units having a long dimension and a short dimension, and being situated opposite each other across said translation path with the long dimension of the respective lamp units making an acute angle with the translation path.

A method of curing three dimensional objects with a plurality of ultraviolet lamp units without rotating the objects, comprising the steps of:

• providing at least a pair of focussed ultraviolet lamp units, each of which focusses the light emitted therefrom at a focal plane,
• defining a translation path for said three dimensional objects,
• locating one of said lamp units on one side of said translation path generally facing said path, and the other of said lamp units on the other side of said path generally facing said path, and
• moving said objects along said translation path close enough to said lamp units so that parts of each object are substantially closer to said lamp units than said focal planes, said lamp units of said pair being separated from each other in the translation path direction, and each lamp unit having a reflector opposite thereto across said translation path, said reflectors being parabolic reflectors.

A method of curing at least a three-dimensional section of a single three-dimensional object with a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means without rotating the object, comprising the steps of;

• providing a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means, one of said light source means comprising the combination of an ultraviolet lamp and a reflector, and the other of said source means comprising a reflecting means for reflecting light which is emitted by said combination source means,
• defining a translation path for said single object,
• disposing said object in said translation path, the length of each elongated light source means being substantially greater than the length of said single three-dimensional object in the translation path direction,
• locating one of said light source means on one side of said translation path generally facing said path, and the other of said light source means on the other side of the path, generally facing said path, and
• moving said single object along said translation path close enough to said elongated light source means so that a forward facing surface portion of said section of said object, which portion lies in a plane perpendicular to said translation path and is a portion to be cured, is irradiated across its entirety by light rays which are isotropically emitted from points along the length of the elongated light source means in front of the object, so that as the object progresses along the translation path, the surface portions of the object generally facing said light source means are cured by light rays emitted from the portions of the source means that the object is between, and the forward facing surface portion is cured by said isotropically emitted rays emitted from points on the source means which are in front of the object.

A method of curing at least a three-dimensional section of a single three-dimensional object with a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means without rotating the object, comprising the steps of;

• providing a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means, each of said light source means comprising a focussed light source means which focusses the light emitted therefrom at a focal plane,
• defining a translation path for said single object,
• disposing said object in said translation path, the length of each elongated light source means being substantially greater than the length of said single three-dimensional object in the translation path direction,
• locating one of said light source means on one side of said translation path generally facing said path, and the other of said light source means on the other side of the path, generally facing said path, and
• moving said single object along said translation path close enough to said light source means so that parts of said object are substantially closer to said light source means than said focal planes and close enough to said light source means so that a forward facing surface portion of said section of said object, which portion lies in a plane perpendicular to said translation path and is a portion to be cured, is irradiated across its entirety by light rays which are isotropically emitted from points along the length of the elongated light source means in front of the object, so that as the object progresses along the translation path, the surface portions of the object generally facing said light source means are cured by light rays emitted from the portions of the source means that the object is between, and the forward facing surface portion is cured by said isotropicaly emitted rays emitted from points on the source means which are in front of the object.

A method of curing at least a three-dimensional section of a single three-dimensional object having a longitudinal axis with a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means without rotating the object, comprising the steps of;

• providing a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means,
• defining a translation path for said single object,
• disposing said object in said translation path, the length of each elongated light source means being substantially greater than the length of said single three-dimensional object in the translation path direction,
• locating one of said light source means on one side of said translation path generally facing said path, and the other of said light source means on the other side of the path, generally facing said path, said elongated light source being oriented so that their respective long dimensions make an angle with said longitudinal axis of said object of other than 0.degree. or 90.degree., and
• moving said single object along said translation path close enough to said elongated light source means so that a forward facing surface portion of said section of said object, which portion lies in a plane perpendicular to said translation path and is a portion to be cured, is irradiated across its entirety by light rays which are isotropically emitted from points along the length of the elongated light source means in front of the object, so that as the object progresses along the translation path, the surface portions of the object generally facing said light source means are cured by light rays emitted from the portions of the source means that the object is between, and the forward facing surface portion is cured by said isotropically emitted rays emitted from points on the source means which are in front of the object.

An apparatus for curing at least a three-dimensional section of a single three-dimensional object with a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means without rotating the object, comprising,

• a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means, each comprising a focussed light source means which focusses the light emitted therefrom at a focal plane, each light source means being located on one side of a translation path for said single object, the length of each of said light source means being substantially greater than the length of said object in said translation path direction when said object is disposed in said path, and means for moving said object along said translation path close enough to said light source means so that parts of said object are substantially closer to said light source means than said focal planes and close enough to said light source means so that a forward facing surface portion of said section of said object, which portion lies in a plane perpendicular to said translation path and is a portion to be cured, is irradiated across its entirety by light rays which are isotropically emitted from points along the length of the elongated light source means in front of the object, so that as the object progresses along the translation path, the surface portion of the object generally facing said light source means is cured by the light rays emitted from the portions of the source means that the object is between, and the forward facing surface portion is cured by said isotropically emitted rays which are emitted from points of the source means which are ahead of the object.

An apparatus for curing at least a three dimensional section of a single three dimensional object having a longitudinal axis with a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means without rotating the object, comprising,

• a single pair of elongated ultraviolet light source means, each light source means being located on one side of a translation path for said single object, said light source means being oriented so that their respective long dimensions make an angle with said longitudinal axis of said object of other than 0.degree. or 90.degree. when said object is disposed in said path, the length of each of said light source means being substantially greater than the length of said object in said translation path direction when said object is disposed in said path, and means for moving said object along said translation path close enough to said elongated light source means so that a forward facing surface portion of said section of said object, which portion lies in a plane perpendicular to said translation path and is a portion to be cured, is irradiated across its entirety by light rays which are isotropically emitted from points along the length of the elongated light source means in front of the object, so that as the object progresss along the translation path, the surface portion of the object generally facing said light source means is cured by the light rays emitted from the portions of the source means that the object is between, and the forward facing surface portion is cured by said isotropically emitted rays which are emitted from points of the source means which are ahead of the object.