Ultraviolet (UV) light is commonly associated with the bulbs found in tanning beds, although UV light bulbs have many uses and provide high-tech solutions to a broad range of applications. UV light tubes are often used in tanning beds to emit ultraviolet light, although UV light bulbs can come in many shapes and sizes, in the form of UV light tubes, U-shaped bulbs, and custom-designed lamps.
UV Light Bulbs and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
UV light is a type of electromagnetic radiation that is emitted anywhere between 10 to 400 nanometers (nm) on the electromagnetic spectrum. These are shorter wavelengths than visible light, in between visible light and x-rays. All electromagnetic radiation is considered light, although the human eye can only detect a small portion of this radiation which occurs when light is emitted between 380 to 700 nm. This is called visible light.
Visible white light is actually made up of a rainbow of colors with shorter wavelengths of 380 – 400 nm violet in color and longer wavelengths of 650 – 700 nm red in color. UV light is closer to the shorter wavelengths of visible light at 380-400 nm; therefore, UV light is “beyond violet.” Learn more about the electromagnetic spectrum and UV radiation.
UV light is further broken down into three categories of UVA, UVB, and UVC light. Each one of these types of UV radiation is created when manufacturing various types of UV light bulbs for use in many industries and applications.
Ultraviolet UV Light Bulbs
UV light bulbs are designed, engineered, and developed to provide a variety of solutions to many applications far beyond tanning, with UV lamps designed to provide black light solutions (UVA), medical phototherapy (typically UVB), and germicidal solutions (UVC). UV light tubes are used for these purposes and many others, designed to help the human race in many ways to eliminate the risk of contagious disease, treat various medical conditions, and help a variety of industries with specific UV lighting uses.
Not all UV lamps are created equal, be sure that you use high-quality UV light bulbs in your application by working with a reputable UV lamp supplier.
UV Light Tube and Bulb Applications
There are a large number of industries and applications utilizing the power of UV light. Some of the most common applications include:
Blacklight
Black lights might bring up images of blacklight posters with cool psychedelic patterns, or lighting up the dance floor at nightclubs, although blacklight bulbs provide many high-tech solutions to a wide range of applications. Black lights are used by criminal investigators to highlight bodily fluids, they can identify organic waste, such as to trace the activity of bed bugs, and they can be used to validate currency for fraud detection. These are typically UVA lamps that can also be used in bug zappers and insect traps and are not harmful to humans except in high dosage amounts.
UV Curing
UV lamps are used in many industrial and commercial applications to quickly cure coatings, varnishes, lacquers, glazes, and adhesives. UV curing light bulbs can be high-pressure, medium-pressure, or amalgam lamps and create a photochemical reaction that instantly cures these various coatings. This speeds up industrial applications in many industries, such as automotive, electrical, medical, optical, and industrial applications.
UV Germicidal
UV light bulbs designed to emit ultraviolet radiation in the UVC range, specifically at 254 nm, are proven to provide high germicidal efficacy in many sterilization applications for surfaces, water, and air purification systems. UVC light emitted by the sun is fully absorbed by the ozone layer and does not reach the Earth’s surface, but lighting engineers can replicate this wavelength of radiation to pinpoint the most effective wavelength that inactivates harmful microorganisms.
UVC germicidal lamps penetrate and alter the DNA of harmful cells to prevent replication which renders them harmless and unable to spread disease. UVC germicidal lamps are highly effective at killing many viruses and bacteria and preventing mold and mildew. Several studies show the effectiveness of UVC lamps against SARS-CoV-2, and UVC light is known to eliminate other beta coronaviruses such as MERS and SARS and also other antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
UVC light tubes are designed in a variety of shapes and sizes to meet the germicidal needs of many applications, including Surface Sterilization, Air Disinfection, and Water Purification.
UV Medical Phototherapy Lamps
UV light tubes are used in many medical phototherapy applications to treat a variety of skin disorders, neonatal jaundice, mood and sleep disorders, and other illnesses.
Tanning
Not all tanning UV light bulbs are created equal, and working with an experienced UV tanning lamp supplier provides many advantages. LightSources is a leading global supplier of UV lamps and offers proprietary tanning technologies such as SolGlass®, an innovative glass for effective indoor tanning, and A-Power™ Technology, high-pressure tanning lamps designed to produce peak UVA output while filtering out UVB.
Ozone Lamps
Ozone lamps are UV lamps designed to emit radiation at the specific wavelength of 185 nm, which provides effective oxidation and sterilization power. Ozone has the ability to remove odor and sterilize the air and water.
Protecting UV Light Tubes with Quartz Sleeves
Quartz sleeves are a smart investment and protect UV light tubes in a variety of applications. Quartz sleeves can be designed to protect custom sizes of UV light bulbs and provide benefits in any application, including surface, water, and air purification systems.
LightSources: Leading Supplier of UV Light Bulbs
LightSources is a leading global supplier of UV light bulbs custom-designed to provide specific OEM-oriented solutions. We offer high-tech UV lamp solutions to a wide range of industries and applications worldwide. Our team of UV lighting engineers possess deep technical knowledge of UV radiation and offer custom design and engineering, including custom phosphor plans to meet specific wavelength emission requirements.
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UV Germicidal LampsLAMP APPLICATIONS:
UV Germicidal ApplicationsLightSources is recognized as an industry-leading UV lamp supplier offering high-tech, high-quality UV lamp solutions to a broad range of industries. We follow strict quality policies as part of our ISO9001:2015 registration and offer prototype development and proprietary technologies that protect your lamps and provide longer-lasting performance. Contact us with any questions and to learn more about the many opportunities for custom-designed UV light bulbs.
