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As eyeglass lenses evolve toward functionalization and high precision, the quality of the coating curing process directly impacts lens performance and service life. LED UV curing light sources have emerged as a critical technical support in this field by virtue of their unique advantages.

I. Application Background
Driven by consumers’ diversified demands for eyeglass functions, coated lenses with features such as blue light blocking, UV protection, wear resistance and water repellency have become mainstream in the market. The quality of the coating layer on eyeglass lenses directly determines their service performance and lifespan, while the curing process after coating is key to ensuring tight adhesion between the coating and the lens substrate.

Traditional curing methods for lens coatings mainly include thermal curing and mercury lamp UV curing. Thermal curing tends to cause warping and deformation of resin lenses, compromising optical accuracy. Mercury lamps, on the other hand, suffer from high energy consumption, excessive heat generation, short service life and a broad ultraviolet wavelength range, which easily leads to uneven coating curing. With its precise, efficient and low-temperature characteristics, LED UV curing light sources have gradually become the core equipment for coating curing in eyeglass lens production.

II. Adaptation Advantages of LED UV Curing Light Sources
Guarantee Optical Accuracy
Eyeglass lenses, especially resin lenses, are temperature-sensitive. LED UV curing light sources adopt low-temperature curing technology, which controls the lens surface temperature at 30–40℃ during irradiation. This prevents lens warping, refractive index variations and other issues caused by high temperatures, ensuring the accuracy of key parameters such as the optical center and diopter of the lenses.

Enhance Coating Quality
It can precisely match the ultraviolet wavelength (commonly 365nm or 395nm) according to the lens coating materials (e.g., silicon oxide, titanium film). By adjusting the irradiation intensity and duration, the coating molecules are fully polymerized to form a uniform and dense cured layer. The cured coating boasts stronger adhesion, with its wear resistance grade improved by 2–3 levels. Meanwhile, it features higher light transmittance stability, reducing coating peeling, scratches and other defects during use.

Improve Production Efficiency
LED UV curing light sources offer ultra-fast curing speed. The coating curing of a single lens takes only 3–8 seconds, which is 5–10 times more efficient than the 30–60 seconds required by traditional mercury lamp curing. When integrated with automated production lines, it enables continuous curing of lenses, significantly increasing the daily output of factories.

Reduce Comprehensive Costs
The service life of LED UV light sources can exceed 20,000 hours, 5–8 times that of mercury lamps, reducing the frequency of light source replacement and downtime costs. In addition, its energy consumption is only about 30% of that of mercury lamps. Long-term use can significantly cut electricity expenses, aligning with enterprises’ needs for energy conservation and consumption reduction.

III. Practical Application Process
Lens Pre-treatment : Cut and shaped lenses are rigorously cleaned to remove surface oil, dust and other impurities that may affect coating and curing effects. After cleaning, drying equipment is used to remove surface moisture, ensuring the lenses are completely dry.

Vacuum Coating : Pre-treated lenses are placed into a vacuum coating machine. Based on the designed coating functions, different material layers (e.g., blue light blocking coating, anti-reflective coating) are deposited sequentially. During the coating process, parameters such as vacuum degree and deposition rate must be controlled to ensure uniform coating thickness.

LED UV Curing : Coated lenses are conveyed to the LED UV curing station. Curing parameters (wavelength: 365nm/395nm; irradiation intensity: 600–1000mW/cm²; irradiation duration: 3–8 seconds) are set according to the coating material.

Quality Inspection : After curing, lenses undergo a series of tests, including:
Coating Adhesion Test: A friction test is conducted to check for coating peeling.
Light Transmittance Test: A spectrometer is used to verify performance such as blue light blocking and light transmittance.Visual Inspection: Checking for defects like uneven coating and scratches.Only qualified lenses proceed to subsequent processing steps.