Patent ID: 7211299

Claim:
An ultraviolet (UV) curing method for applying UV light to UV photo initiators in UV curable inks, coatings, or adhesives, on surfaces of products, articles, or other solid objects, comprising the steps of: emitting visible light from a group of visible light-emitting diode (LED) assemblies located in an array of rows of light emitting diodes secured to a panel to indicate to a user of the method that power is being supplied to all the light emitting diodes in the array of rows on the panel; emitting a first wavelength of UV light from a first group of UV LED assemblies in the array of rows secured to the panel onto the UV curable inks, coatings or adhesives on the surfaces of the products, articles or other solid objects, the first group being in different rows of the array of rows or being spaced apart in one or more rows of the array; emitting a second wavelength of UV light from a second group of UV LED assemblies secured to the panel onto the UV curable inks, coatings or adhesives on the surfaces of the products, articles or other solid objects, said second group of UV LED assemblies being in different rows of the array or being spaced apart in one or more rows of the array of UV LED assemblies, and said second wavelength of UV Light being different than said first wavelength of UV light; cooling the UV LED assemblies with a heat sink fixed to the panel and a variable speed fan; sensing the light intensity of the UV light emitted from the UV LED assemblies: sensing the temperature of the heat sink or UV LED assemblies; adjusting and controlling the speed of the variable speed fan in response to one of the sensed temperature of the heat sink or UV LED assemblies or of the light intensity sensed; maintaining the temperature of the UV LED assemblies at a generally constant temperature to maintain the light intensity of the UV light emitted on the UV curable items at a generally constant level; moving the panel in proximity to or adjacent the UV curable inks, coatings or adhesives on the surfaces of the products, articles or other solid objects while UV light is emitted from the first and second groups of UV LED assemblies; distributing the first and second wavelengths of UV light onto the UV curable inks, coatings or adhesives on the surfaces of the products, articles or other solid objects to cure the UV curable inks, coatings or adhesives on the surfaces of the products, articles or other solid objects with UV light of generally constant intensity.