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LED UV light source curing has now gained wide adoption in many fields such as medical care, electronics, automotive, and optoelectronics. It must have its unique advantages. Today, we will discuss the comparison of advantages and disadvantages between mercury lamps (for industrial use) and LED UV light sources.

1.Characteristics of Mercury Lamps

（1）Multi-wavelength output, but high power consumption; excess wavelengths generate heat energy.
（2）Short service life, with an average lifespan of only 1,000 hours.
（3）Requires warm-up; it takes 3 minutes to reach peak performance after ignition.
（4） Produces harmful ozone gas during operation.
（5） High heat generation, with an ultraviolet light output efficiency of only 23%, making it unsuitable for some industries.
（6）Contains mercury; discarded lamps require special disposal.
（7）Relies on high-voltage excitation (up to 5,000V), posing significant safety risks.
（8） Requires numerous auxiliary equipment, occupying a large area.

2.Advantages of LED UV

（1） Ultra-long service life: Its lifespan is more than 10 times that of traditional mercury lamp curing machines, reaching up to 20,000 hours.
（2） Cold light source with no thermal radiation: It causes low surface temperature rise of irradiated objects, solving the long-standing thermal damage issue in optical communication and liquid crystal production.
（3）Low heat generation: It addresses the problem of excessive heat from mercury lamp-based inkjet equipment, which was unbearable for workers.
（4） Instant on: No warm-up is needed, and it immediately achieves maximum rated power ultraviolet output.
（5） Service life is not affected by the number of on-off cycles.
（6）High energy output, stable light emission, and uniform irradiation effect, improving production efficiency.
（7） Customizable effective irradiation area, with lengths ranging from 7mm to 1000mm.
（8）Mercury-free and ozone-free, making it a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional light source technologies.
（9） Low energy consumption: Its power consumption is only 20% of that of traditional mercury lamp curing machines, saving 80% of electricity.

However, LED UV also has some limitations, such as single-wavelength output (due to the single wavelength of the chip), short effective irradiation distance (10mm-50mm), high cost of lamp beads, and high difficulty in large-scale mass production.

With the continuous advancement of technology, ongoing innovation and R&D have further optimized LED UV light sources, making them better aligned with the needs of modern industrial development.