LED curing a reality

We have been asked about LED-based curing lamps for some years. The advantages which have resulted from the recognisable use of LEDs in traffic lights and car headlamps may also be true for industrial curing applications. LED outputs are consistent and have good longevity - and their use usually saves money.

However, the technology has been difficult to adapt to UV curing, for a lot of reasons - wavelengths, bandwidth and heat are just some.

Happily, our sales partners DYMAX have been able to come up with an LED lamp which is practical for curing - the BlueWave LED.

This product is not a drop-in replacement for traditional UV curing lamps, but it does have many applications. What is the difference between an LED visible light curing system and a traditional UV light curing system? Find out here.

Making a fashion statement

You probably already know that products from Araldite can be found in almost all areas of life. But it may come as a bit of a surprise to you that products made of our advanced materials can also enhance your personal glamor. Working closely with Swarovski, the Austria-based manufacturer of crystal jewelry, Huntsman has again demonstrated the versatility of its Araldite® 2000 PLUS adhesives range, this time in a highly decorative application.

Araldite 2011 high performance adhesive is now being used in the Enlightened™-Swarovski Elements product brand, to enhance the bonding of marcasite stones into a variety of pieces—including rings, earrings, brooches, necklaces and cufflinks. Most of Swarovski's customers now choose Araldite 2011 two component epoxy paste as their preferred adhesive for bonding marcasite stones, as it gives the jewelry an enhanced sparkle. These jewelers set a stunning total of around 500 million marcasite stones each year, worldwide.

Swarovski provides genuine marcasite stones — cut from Pyrite — for their customers, to produce many types of jewelry. By using Araldite 2011, they can even bond stones in the 1-2mm size range. Bonding with Araldite means there are no visible settings on the finished pieces — a feature not possible with traditional setting methods that use prongs and bezels.

Here's a tip - free catalogue download!

Download the latest 28 page PLATO catalogue.

It details our range of quality tools for electronics assembly and repair, including solder pots suitable for lead-free solders and the industry's most popular lead cutters. And of course, replacement soldering iron tips.