High Pressure Curing Lamps

High-pressure UV curing lamps are a subclass of mercury arc lamps optimized for extremely high UV output and customized spectral distribution. In lighting terms, “high-pressure” mercury lamps operate at mercury vapor pressures significantly above 1 atmosphere (often several atmospheres), resulting in a very dense plasma and intense light output. 

In the UV curing industry, these lamps are almost always metal halide lamps, meaning they contain not just mercury but also small quantities of metal halide additives. These additives are what differentiate high-pressure curing lamps by shifting and broadening the UV emission lines. A standard high-pressure mercury lamp, without additives, emits multiple UV lines – primarily the 254 nm UVC line and several UVA lines (313 nm, 365 nm, 404 nm, 436 nm, etc.)- with the strongest irradiance typically around 365 nm. When we add a metal halide like gallium, iron, or others, new spectral lines are introduced, and the intensity distribution changes. 

For example, an iron additive will add intense radiation in the UVA/visible boundary (~380–420 nm) and some in the UVB range, whereas a gallium additive will significantly boost output in the 400–450 nm range. The resulting lamp is often named after the additive (e.g. “iron-doped lamp” or “gallium lamp”). These high-pressure lamps require specialized electrical power supplies (typically magnetic or electronic ballasts with high open-circuit voltage and specific waveform output) to ignite and sustain the arc with the metal additives. Once running, they generate intense light and considerable heat, so lamp housings for high-pressure lamps usually incorporate robust cooling (forced air or water) and UV-filtering quartz shields or reflectors capable of withstanding UV and IR radiation.

High-Pressure UV Curing Lamp Performance and Advantages

The chief benefit of high-pressure metal halide lamps is their ability to match the lamp output to the photoinitiator of the material being cured. In UV curing, optimal efficiency is achieved when the lamp’s spectrum overlaps the absorption spectrum of the photoinitiator in the ink or coating. By choosing the appropriate doped lamp, you can dramatically increase curing speed or depth for a given formulation. For instance, if a clear coating has photoinitiators that respond best to 365 and 405 nm light, a mercury-gallium lamp (with strong 365 and 417 nm) will cure it faster than a lamp without gallium. If you’re curing a thick, black, pigmented layer, an iron-doped lamp (with a broader UVA range and more visible output) will penetrate and cure the pigment more effectively. 

This spectral optimization is a unique strength of high-pressure curing lamps. LightSources supplies a variety of standard spectra: our Gallium-Iodide-doped lamps have enhanced output in the ~400–450 nm range, and Iron-Iodide-doped lamps enhance output in the 350–400 nm range. We can also mix additives (for example, a gallium+iron “multi-spectrum” lamp) to cover a broader range or use other elements like lead or indium for special applications. Each additive combination yields a characteristic spectral fingerprint; for example, one might see peaks at 357 nm and 420 nm for a lead-doped lamp, or an extensive distribution for an iron + cobalt mix.

In terms of raw power, high-pressure UV lamps are among the most powerful UV sources available. They can be engineered with power ratings ranging from a few hundred watts for small handheld units to 10 kW or more for large industrial systems. Many high-pressure curing lamps operate at 200–600 W per inch, similar to medium-pressure units. Still, some specialized versions (with very short arcs and high current densities) are even more intense. The arc length of these lamps is generally shorter than that of low- or medium-pressure lamps for a given power, because the high pressure is easier to contain in a smaller volume. You might find high-pressure lamps with arc lengths from 1 inch to perhaps 40 inches (2.5 cm to 1 m), though longer are possible in multi-kilowatt systems. 

They produce a lot of heat (primarily as infrared radiation), so any curing system using them must manage this, either by filtering IR or by cooling the substrate. Despite the heat, the UV intensity delivered is unrivaled – irradiance levels of several W/cm² at the substrate are typical with HPUV lamps, enabling cure times of just a second or two even for high-performance coatings. This immediate curing (“dry to the touch” in moments) is a huge productivity boost in manufacturing. High-pressure lamps also tend to have a warm-up period (typically a few minutes) to reach full output, and if turned off, they require a cool-down before re-ignition (unless multiple lamps are used in staggered operation). These considerations are taken into account in automated curing lines (for example, shutters are used to block UV when no product is present, rather than switching lamps on/off frequently).

LightSources Quality High-Pressure UV Curing Lamp Construction

LightSources’ high-pressure lamps are built for reliability and performance. They share some construction elements with medium-pressure lamps – for instance, we use high-purity quartz envelopes and heavy-duty tungsten electrodes. However, due to the presence of metal halides, the quartz envelope may be doped or coated to manage UV transmission (for example, some lamps use ozone-free quartz to block <185 nm radiation if ozone generation is not desired). The electrodes in HPUV lamps often have an emitter coating optimized for the specific lamp chemistry, and the lamp ends use molybdenum foil seals, similar to those in other arc lamps. One difference is that high-pressure lamps frequently have specialized end fittings or cables to handle the high ignition voltage (which can be in the kV range). 

We ensure all our high-pressure lamps come with the appropriate end connectors – whether a ceramic ES base, a lead wire, or a custom ceramic housing – to ensure safe operation. Additionally, because these lamps operate at high power, we pay special attention to mercury dose and additive accuracy during manufacturing; precise amounts of gallium, iron, etc., are introduced to achieve the target spectrum and consistent performance lamp-to-lamp. Our quality control verifies the spectral output against specifications.

Lifespan: The operational life of high-pressure UV lamps is typically a few hundred to a couple of thousand hours. Factors such as running current, on/off cycles, and additive type can affect life. LightSources offers extended-life high-pressure lamps by using improved electrode processing and fill gas treatments. For example, our extended-life lamps might be rated for 2,000–3,500 hours with less than 10% drop in UV output. We achieve this by proprietary electrode coatings and by optimizing the gas fill (using inert gases and halogen ratios that reduce devitrification of the quartz). Even our standard lamps are designed to have minimal output depreciation until near end-of-life. Properly maintained (with cooling and correct ballast operation), a LightSources HPUV lamp will provide consistent curing power and predictable replacement intervals for your maintenance schedule.

High-Pressure UV Curing Lamp Applications and Industries 

High-pressure (metal halide) UV lamps are integral to many cutting-edge manufacturing processes. Some examples of industries and products that rely on them:

• Automotive & Aerospace: These lamps cure high-performance coatings – e.g. scratch-resistant clear coats on cars, or composite matrix resins in aerospace components – where quick cure and superior coating properties are needed. The automotive industry finds that UV clearcoats cured by high-pressure lamps yield durable finishes in a fraction of the time of traditional ovens. In aerospace, UV-curable paints and sealants enable faster turnaround in production and repairs.
• Printing & Packaging: UV offset and flexo printing presses often use high-pressure mercury or metal halide lamps to cure inks on paper, plastic, or metal foil at very high speeds (think tens of thousands of sheets or meters per hour). The “short arc” versions of these lamps provide intense, focused UV to pin and fully cure inks between print stations. Additive lamps (like iron-doped) are standard in printing white or dense colors to ensure through-cure.
• Electronics & Optical: Manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs) sometimes uses high-pressure UV lamps to cure solder masks or conformal coatings quickly without heat that could damage components. In the optical lens industry, UV-curable hardcoats are applied to eyeglass lenses and cured under high-pressure lamps to create scratch-resistant surfaces in seconds.
• Medical & Pharmaceutical: UV curing of coatings on medical devices (syringes, catheters, stents) often employs high-pressure UV lamps because of the precision and speed required. These lamps can be configured in cleanroom-compatible enclosures, providing rapid curing of biocompatible adhesives or coatings. Even some pharmaceutical processes, such as UV curing of tablet coatings or UV sterilization of packaging, can involve high-pressure UV systems due to their intensity.
• Specialty Curing: This includes things like UV-curing of fiberglass or carbon fiber composites, where resins are impregnated in fibers and then cured by passing under high-intensity UV lamps, or 3D printing (additive manufacturing) where certain printers use a high-pressure UV lamp to cure each layer of a photopolymer resin. In municipal infrastructure repair, high-pressure UV lamps are even used to cure resin linings in sewer pipes (trenchless pipe repair) – these lamps travel through pipes curing resin in situ, and their high intensity ensures a fast cure over large areas.

LightSources High-Pressure UV Curing Lamp Customization and Support

LightSources has experience supplying lamps for all these scenarios. We work with system integrators to ensure our high-pressure lamps deliver the exact wavelength output required by the material being cured. We understand that for an engineer specifying a UV system, details like “peak irradiance at 385 nm” or “energy dose in mJ/cm²” are critical. By providing spectral data for our lamps and, if needed, customizing the lamp fill, we help you achieve those target parameters. 

Our team can also advise on the number of lamps and their placements to achieve uniform curing across the substrate, as well as considerations such as reflector design (to focus the UV) and shutter mechanisms (to protect against excess UV or enable instant on/off control). We also ensure that our lamps meet safety and regulatory standards (for example, many of our lamps are designed to be ozone-free where required to comply with environmental regulations, or we provide guidance on proper shielding from UV exposure for operator safety).

In summary, high-pressure UV curing lamps are the powerhouse of UV curing technology – delivering tailored, high-intensity UV to tackle the most demanding curing challenges. With LightSources’ high-pressure lamps, customers can expect peak performance in curing speed and efficiency, backed by the confidence of our high-quality manufacturing and technical support. Whether it’s a standard mercury lamp or a custom-blended metal halide lamp, we provide the solution that will give your UV curing system a competitive edge.

LightSources offers MPUV curing lamps ,  High-Pressure Curing Lamps, and Low-Pressure UVC Amalgam Curing lamps with custom design and engineering to meet your specific requirements.

Learn more about UV Curing , UV Curing Applications , and explore our Educational Resources on UV Curing, including FAQs, Downloadables, and a UV Curing glossary. 

LightSources is a global supplier of high-pressure UV curing lamps, trusted by OEMs for reliable performance and proven durability. Our ISO 9001:2015 certification reflects a commitment to quality in every stage of development. Contact our expert engineers to create precision-matched UV lamp solutions for your curing system, including high-pressure UV curing lamps.