UV Uses

We have a wide variety of UV Inks, Dyes, Phosphors and Pigments.

  • Lights - LED and Tube, 254nm, 375nm, 385nm, 405nm; UV Curing
  • Inks - Invisible and Visible
  • Powders - High performance, world-class fluorescing
  • Filters -Ultraviolet Light Pass / Visible Light Blocking filters
  • Cameras - Modified digital SLR cameras and dedicated UV video cameras. Monochrome and Color.

 

Document and forgery analysis: UV light can sometimes show alterations and erasures to documents.  Alterations or changes will sometimes become directly visible when illuminated by UV light.  UV light can also be used as an exciter source.   Alterations sometimes emit IR light in response to a UV exciter source.  Use the UV light or a flash behind our XNite330 ultraviolet filter in conjunction with a IR filter (such as our X-Nite 1000nm) and an IR sensitive camera.  This technique is sometimes called IR fluorescence.  

Crowd and access control:  Often access to events is controlled using an invisible mark on a hand or card that when illuminated with UV becomes visible (fluoresces).   Instead of carrying around heavy and hot black lights, this UV LED penlight can be slipped into a pocket.  Alkaline battery life is 70 hours.   Readmission and beverage control codes can be quickly viewed with the UV light at nightclubs, amusement parks and controlled events.

Crime scene inspection:  Some bodily fluids will fluoresce under UV light.  Some people even inspect their hotel sheets before use to see if the beds have been changed.  Arson investigators use UV to search for the presence of accelerants.

Currency and Bill verification:  Many currencies contain a UV fluorescing strip.

Leak detection:  By adding a UV powder or liquid to a system with a leak and using a UV light source, leaks can be quickly found.  Automotive repairmen often use UV leak detection systems for the repair of air conditioner leaks, oil leaks, sunroof leaks, cooling system leaks and oil leaks.

Rodent detection:  The urine of many animals, including cats and rodents will fluoresce under UV.    Ultraviolet light itself is invisible to the human eye, but can cause materials such as rodent urine and hair to visibly fluoresce. For sanitation purposes, it is necessary to identify rodent presence in all areas of the food industry, from the large industrial plant to the small retail outlet. This is especially true in older establishments where construction and location make it more difficult to monitor rodent activity. To determine rodent presence, simply illuminate the area in question with a UV light.  Dry rodent urine glows a blue-white if fresh to a yellow-white if old. Rodent hair glows blue-white and is easily identified on sacks or intermixed with food grains.

 Scientific, laboratory and educational analysis:  UV light can be used in a wide variety of scientific experiments.  This UV light is the most portable and rugged small source available.  A few examples are: Gel Electrophoresis Photography,  Transilluminators for Visualization of Stained DNA, Bacterial Destruction,  DNA/RNA Crosslinking to Nylon Membranes, Hybridization Ovens for the Laboratory, Photodocumentation, TLC Thin Layer Chromatography, Ultraviolet Shadowing of Nucleic Acids on Acrilyamide and Agrarose Gels,

 UV Curing:  UV light is used to cure many special epoxies and glues.  Special adhesives require UV light to set up.  This is usually accomplished using expensive, plug-in sources.  We have a special UVCureMX light designed to rapidly cure adhesives.

Painting and Rug Repair Detection: Many modern inks, paints and dyes may look identical to old colorings under visible light.  However, under UV, differences can be seen because the chemical composition of newer substances usually includes synthetic materials.

Gemstone and Mineral Inspection: UV lights are often used to reveal fluorescent activity in gem materials aiding in indentification.    For example, To separate the two simulants, determine optic character and birefringence. YAG is singly refractive and tends to have more dispersion than tanzanite or synthetic corundum. Tanzanite can be separated easily from the two simulants by determining specific gravity or by close microscopic evaluation to detect natural or synthetic inclusions.  One of the easiest tests to separate the YAG simulant from tanzanite is by looking at the stones under UV fluorescence. YAG glows yellow to red, while the natural tanzanite remains blue.  By passing a UV lamp over a lot of stones, you can tell instantaneously if any of the material is YAG

Another example is the identification of natural versus synthetic blue diamonds.  Although the UCD synthetic blue diamonds are visually identical to natural type IIb blue diamonds, they may be separated by the careful observation with a loupe or microscope, of inclusion features, color zoning characteristics, as well as graining and strain patterns, which are different between the two. Additionally, the fluorescent and phosphorescent reactions to UV light also provide a ready means to separate the two (in particular the short-wave ultraviolet light reactions). 

Shortwave UV Uses

Medical skin treatments:  UV light is sometimes as a treatment for psoriasys, Lichen Planus, eczema, dandruff, and seborrheic dermatitis under a doctor's supervision (FlashUV5)

EPROM Erasure:  EPROM stands for Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory.  EPROM chips are widely used to store computer instructions.  EPROM's contain a small window which when exposed to UV light erases the memory on the chip (FlashUV5).  

Gemstone and Mineral Inspection:  Some minerals and gemstones will fluoresce under shortwave UV light while not fluorescing under longwave UV light. (FlashUV7)

Higher Security UV Marks:  The most common type of invisible UV markings fluoresce under common longwave UV lights.  Shortwave UV markings are much more secure because few people think look for a shortwave UV mark and few have shortwave UV lights (FlashUV7).  Some manufactures put shortwave UV codes on their products which are not visible under normal blacklights.

 

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