UV curing technology is increasingly used also in complex 3D applications. In order to achieve a consistent curing quality for the products, UV irradiation should be as homogenous as possible across the 3D workpiece surface. In the industry there is a strong demand for helpful tools for the planning and optimization of 3D curing processes. A new computer simulation program, developed in collaboration with an automotive manufacturer, is presented that allows for the modeling of 3D UV curing processes, i.e calculation of irradiance and dose, for arbitrarily shaped 3D objects with respect to lamp positioning, number of lamps needed, power output, lamp motions, conveyor speed, etc. The program has already been successfully used to simulate automotive UV curing processes.
