UV light is responsible for almost all photodegradation of durable materials exposed outdoors.

Fluorescent UV lamps are inherently more stable than other types of lamps, including xenon arc lamps. The spectral power distribution (SPD) does not change with lamp aging, even up to 8,000 hours. This gives more reproducible test results, fewer lamp changes, and lower operational costs.

Several different types of UV lamps are available for different applications, which are listed below.

UVA-340 Lamps
UVA-340 lamps give the best simulation of sunlight in the critical short wavelength region from 365 nm down to the solar cut-off of 295 nm.

UVA-340+ Lamps
UVA-340+ lamps offer the same spectrum as UVA-340 lamps but provide longer lifetime at high irradiance, up to 1500 hours at 1.55 W/m2/nm and 750 hours at the maximum irradiance (1.85 W/m2/nm).

UVA-351 Lamps
UVA-351 lamps simulate the UV portion of sunlight filtered through window glass. It is most useful for interior applications, for testing of some inks and for polymer damage that can occur in an environment near a window.

UVB-313EL Lamps
UVB-313EL lamps maximize acceleration utilizing short-wave UV that is more severe than the UV normally found at the earth’s surface. Consequently, these lamps may produce unrealistically severe results for some materials. UVB-313EL lamps are most useful for QC and R&D applications, or for testing very durable materials.

UVB-313EL+ Lamps
UVB-313EL+ lamps offer nearly the same spectrum as UVB-313EL lamps but provide longer lifetime at high irradiance, up to 1500 hours at 1.55 W/m2/nm and 750 hours at the maximum irradiance (1.85 W/m2/nm)

UVC Lamps
UVC lamps deliver high-intensity, monchromatic, short-wave UV light at 254 nm, which is well below the solar cut-on. This wavelength represents the most common type of UVC emission used for disinfection of surfaces exposed to harmful bacteria and viruses. While it can kill these pathogens effectively, UVC light can also cause photodegradation of plastics, coatings, and fabrics. UVC lamps reproduce this damaging irradiance, in order to evaluate durability of materials exposed to UVC light

QFS-40 Lamps
FS-40 lamps are still specified in a few legacy automotive test methods. QFS-40 lamps should only be used in the UV/basic tester. .

Cool White Lamps
The UV test chamber’s cool white lamps (used only in model UV/cw) effectively reproduce and accelerate indoor lighting conditions encountered in office and commercial environments as well as retail display lighting.