SkyBeam: About & highlights, every question, answered
36 answers below, written from the manufacturer's manuals and our own bench experience. Prefer to tap through them? The same answers power the live chat in the corner. Ready to buy? See the SkyBeam or request a quote.
What is the SkyBeam?
The SkyBeam is a four-channel UV LED spot curing system from Uvitron International (P/N UV3979). It's a bench-top, machine- or fixture-mountable light source for rapid curing of photo-initiated adhesives, resins, coatings, inks, and paints.
It's equally at home in the lab or in volume industrial production, and we configure it with one to four light guides at order time.
What materials can the SkyBeam cure?
It cures photo-initiated adhesives, resins, coatings, inks, and paints, single-component materials that polymerize on demand when exposed to UV light.
Reactivity varies by manufacturer and chemistry, so check your material's datasheet for the wavelength and exposure it needs.
Who makes the SkyBeam?
Uvitron International, Inc. of West Springfield, Massachusetts builds the SkyBeam. We're UV Spot Shop, a US-based supplier, every unit we sell ships from our stock with Uvitron's 2-year OEM warranty.
How many light guides can it drive?
Up to four. Each of the four channels drives its own light guide independently, with its own exposure mode, power level, timer, and service-life record.
Which LED wavelengths are offered?
Four: 365, 385, 395, and 405 nm. You choose the wavelength per light guide at order time, and each guide ships with 6 mm and 12 mm lenses.
Which wavelength should I choose?
Match your adhesive datasheet. Longer wavelengths (385–405 nm) penetrate thick, opaque, or colored materials better because UV attenuation drops as wavelength increases; 365 nm is the classic UV-A curing line for many established chemistries.
Not sure? Note your adhesive on a quote request and our product specialists will recommend a guide.
Does the SkyBeam need warm-up time?
No. The solid-state LEDs are instant on/off with no warm-up or cool-down, you get your full set output the moment an exposure is triggered.
How intense is the output?
Peak irradiance is 11,000 mW/cm² typical initial with a 365 nm guide and the 3 mm lens, and up to 14 W/cm² with the 4 mm lens on a 405 nm guide. Uvitron rates irradiance at one inch at 900–14,000 mW/cm² UVA, lens dependent.
How does UV light curing work?
Photoinitiators blended into the resin react to specific light wavelengths, polymerizing the liquid into a solid. Unlike two-part epoxies, light-cure resins are single-component, no measuring or mixing, and they cure on demand when exposed to UV.
How do I estimate cure time?
A useful approximation: curing time in seconds = required energy (J/cm²) ÷ light intensity (W/cm²). The relationship isn't always linear, so start from the adhesive manufacturer's recommended exposure and verify on your own parts.
How is LED curing different from mercury lamps?
A mercury arc lamp emits a broad spectrum with many peaks; SkyBeam LEDs concentrate output in a narrow band at your chosen wavelength (365, 385, 395, or 405 nm). LEDs also switch instantly, run cool, and last 20,000 hours typical.
Can each channel use different settings?
Yes. Every channel independently sets its exposure mode (auto, manual, step, or closed), UV power from 10–100%, and timer from 0–999.9 seconds.
Can it integrate with a PLC or automated line?
Yes, that's a core design goal. The rear panel offers pluggable terminal blocks with run/stop inputs and READY/BUSY/ERROR outputs, an RS-232 port for remote control, and an emergency safety interlock for production-line integration.
What exactly is a light guide?
It's the delivery head: a flexible 2-meter cable ending in a housing that contains the UV LED, its focusing lens, and a screw-on output lens that sets the spot size. Fan-cooled and convection-cooled versions are available.
Is the UV LED in the controller or the guide?
In the guide. Each light guide head contains its own non-detachable UV LED and focusing lens, plus a detachable output lens that sets spot size. The controller supplies regulated drive current, timing, and control.
What does the front display show?
A backlit LCD presents all four channels at once, each row shows the channel's UV power, mode, and irradiation time, and the same display walks you through all setup menus.
What does the security key switch do?
It locks out parameter changes. Settings can only be modified with the key switch turned on (clockwise); turn it back off and remove the key so operators can't alter approved running parameters.
How long do the LEDs last?
20,000 hours typical. Actual life depends on the number of on/off cycles, the intensity setting, and operating temperature.
Do the LEDs dim with age?
Slowly. Uvitron's typical life chart (at 80% power, 25 °C ambient) shows output holding near 100% for thousands of hours and easing to roughly 85% relative output around the 20,000-hour mark.
Can I adjust the UV power?
Yes, from 10 to 100% per channel using the front panel keypad. You can also fine-tune intensity at the part by moving the guide tip closer to or farther from the substrate.
How repeatable is the dose?
Drive current to the LEDs is regulated to ±1% over line and load, and the per-channel timer precisely regulates exposure duration, so part-to-part dose stays consistent for validated processes.
What applications is the SkyBeam used for?
Adhesive bonding, coating, sealing, and printing, typical uses include PCB and component tacking, adhesive bonding and potting, and medical and optical assembly.
What is step (16ST) mode?
Step mode runs a programmed sequence of up to 16 steps, each with its own UV power and time, and the PS setting repeats the sequence 1–99 times. It's useful for pulsed or ramped exposure profiles.
What exposure modes are available?
Four per channel: A (automatic, timed exposure, timer counts down), M (manual, on while triggered, timer counts up), 16ST step sequences, and CLOSE to disable the channel.
Does it log how long each LED has run?
Yes. Each channel keeps a total irradiation time record in hours, which you can view or reset in the system parameters menu, handy for tracking guide service life against the 20,000-hour rating.
Fan-cooled vs convection-cooled guides?
Fan-cooled guides (82 mm head) dissipate heat better and are suggested for continuous operation; convection-cooled guides (85 mm head) have a smaller overall build and suit intermittent duty.
You choose the cooling type per guide at order time.
How durable are the guide cables?
Very, the 2-meter flexible cable is a high-flex industrial type tested to more than 10 million bending cycles, built to withstand rigorous production use.
Can I fire a cure from the front panel?
Yes. The keypad arrows trigger exposures directly: up = channel 1, left = channel 2, down = channel 3, right = channel 4.
Is a foot switch included?
Yes, the UV4045 exposure control foot switch with a 2-meter cable ships with every system for hands-free triggering.
Can I change the spot size?
Yes. Unscrew the detachable lens at the guide tip and swap it. Each guide includes 6 mm and 12 mm lenses; additional sizes, 3 and 4 mm for 365 nm, 4 and 15 mm for 385/395/405 nm, are available separately.
How does SkyBeam compare to the SunSpot 2?
The SunSpot 2 is our 200 W arc-lamp spot system delivering over 18 W/cm² UVA; the SkyBeam is a four-channel LED system with instant on/off, 20,000-hour sources, and independent per-channel timers.
LED shines for multi-point work, cool operation, and low maintenance, happy to help you compare against your application.
How does SkyBeam compare to the SkyWand?
The SkyWand is a handheld LED unit for rework and field repair; the SkyBeam is a bench- or fixture-mounted four-channel controller built for repeatable production curing with timers, I/O signals, and RS-232.
Is it suitable for benchtop lab use?
Yes, it's designed as a bench-top unit and equally supports machine or fixture mounting. The controller is convection cooled, the LEDs run cool, and the footprint is just 6.63 × 3.62 in with 5.91 in height.
What documentation comes with it?
A printed 32-page instruction manual (UV4011, Rev E) is included, covering installation, operation, external interfacing, maintenance, troubleshooting, full specifications, and warranty. The manual and 2-page brochure are also free downloads.
What happens when I power it on?
The rear power switch lights red and the LCD illuminates with four rows of blue blocks; after roughly 4 seconds of initialization, each channel's operating parameters appear and the unit is ready to configure or run.
When is 365 nm the right choice?
When your adhesive datasheet calls for it. 365 nm sits deepest in the UV-A band of the four options and is specified by many established adhesive chemistries; its lens family reaches 11 W/cm² with the 3 mm lens.
