UVB Lamps

The UVB spectral region includes the shortest wavelengths found in sunlight at the earth's surface. UVB radiation is responsible for most polymer damage. Because of this, fluorescent UVB lamps are widely used for simulating the damage caused by outdoor sunlight. These lamps have demonstrated good correlation to outdoor exposure for the gloss retention on coatings and for the material integrity of plastics. However, the short wavelength output below the solar cut-off can cause anomalous results, especially for color retention in plastics and textile materials. For many applications, UVB lamps are the fastest and most cost efficient lamps.

Two types of UVB lamps are available i.e. UVB-313 & QFS-40. They emit different amounts of total energy, but produce the same UV wavelengths in the same relative proportions. The peak emission of these lamps is at 313 nm. Both lamps have similar SPDs.

UVB-313

The UVB-313 lamp was designed specially for QUV testing. It is the most widely used type of fluorescent UV lamps. Compared to the QFS-40 lamps, it produces substantially higher UV output and faster test results.

The Solar Eye irradiance controller can be used to decrease the output of the UVB-313 to mimic the irradiance of a QFS-40. This allows longer lamp life and minimizes lamp replacement coasts.

QFS-40

Also known as the FS-40 or QFS-40, this is the original UVB lamp and has been used in the QUV for many years. It is still specified in many automotive specifications, particularly for coatings