Optical Accessory for MCR:
UV Light Curing System

Directly measure change of viscosity under UV light in real time

The UV light curing system is a powerful tool for material characterization, which helps you reduce costs when redesigning the photochemical polymerization process of your UV-sensitive material. You benefit from quick, accurate temperature control from -20 °C to +200 °C with the actively controlled Peltier hood. For measurements under higher temperature conditions, an electrical temperature control from ambient temperature to 300 °C and convection temperature devices from -40 °C to +200 °C are also available. All systems allow purging with inert gas to avoid undesired chemical reactions. Exchangeable lower glass plates and disposable plates of various diameters are available for samples which cannot easily be removed from the plates after measurement.

Choose the light source to suit your needs

Consider the chemistry of your sample, your overall process design, and required maintenance before choosing the type of UV light to use.
Mercury light source: For homogeneous sample illumination, a powerful high-pressure mercury UV source is connected by default to the temperature device via a flexible light guide, controlled remotely with the RheoCompass software during sample preparation and measurement. The light source is available with different filters for the emission of discrete wavelengths and with a radiometer for calibration purposes.
LED light source: For monochromatic single-peak wavelength radiation, a UV LED light source, which uses arrays of light-emitting diodes, can be integrated. The light guide holder can be adapted to various UV LED light sources available on the market to perfectly fit your sample and process requirements.
Independent of the light source used, the sample environment is protected against ambient light.

Highly accurate, reproducible results

When UV curing materials are exposed to UV light, a chemical cross-linking reaction occurs, typically within seconds or a few minutes – depending on the chemical material, layer thickness, and UV light intensity. Comprehensively tracking this chemical reaction requires a very sensitive device such as an MCR rheometer. The MCR devices are equipped with features that guarantee the most accurate results. The MCR’s unique TruStrain method enables fast data acquisition and the highest possible data rate during oscillatory tests. The sensitive normal force control guarantees compensation of sample shrinkage during the reaction and ensures a correctly filled gap. The MCR rheometers also feature online compliance correction, to ensure accurate results even for the stiffest samples after curing. Analysis methods for onset and curing points are available as standard.

Enjoy the modularity and ease-of-use of the RheoOptics toolbox

The UV light curing system is one part of the modular RheoOptics Toolbox for the MCR rheometer series. The modular concept of the MCR series allows you to quickly and easily switch to other accessories for combined optical and rheological investigations. The Peltier and electrical temperature devices available for the MCR series can be used with other rheo-optic tools, such as Raman spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, (fluorescence) light microscopy, small-angle light scattering (SALS), and polarized imaging. This allows you to  efficiently use your MCR rheometer to apply different complementary methods and advance your materials research. Besides switching between different accessories, you can also combine certain methods, like UV and Raman spectroscopy, UV and IR spectroscopy, and UV and humidity control. This gives you access to even more sophisticated methods for your product development and research.

Investigate the rheological behavior of all kinds of UV-sensitive materials

Rheology plays an important role in the development of UV-sensitive materials for application-specific formulations. UV curing materials are an essential part of many industries, including medicine and life science, the automotive industry, polymers, packaging, printing, electronics, and even cosmetics (e.g., artificial fingernails and gel nail polish). The UV light curing system supports you in developing and producing such materials and helps increase the speed of production and reduce costs while ensuring high product quality.
Typical examples for such materials include:

• Epoxy resins
• Adhesives, glues
• Printing inks
• Coatings
• Hydrogels
• Dental composites