Hot Topic

Leszek Glasner / Shutterstock.com

Here’s a great technical question asked of the team at JW North America (formerly Wolff System and Cosmedico, now merged):

[gap height=”15″]How much of the output of a tanning lamp is UV radiation, how much is visible light and how much is heat?

[gap height=”15″]First, remember that watts represent power consumption. A 100W sunlamp consumes 100W of power and delivers irradiance – UV, visible light and infrared (IR) radiation – while generating additional heat as part of the process. A 160W sunlamp consumes 60 percent more power with resulting increases of these properties.

[gap height=”15″]The above values are approximate, rounded for ease of display, and may not equal 100 percent due to rounding and the uncertainty inherent in each of several tests. It is also based upon “blue” sunlamps; if you use warm-tone, or “pink” sunlamps, the visible portion will be slightly higher.

[gap height=”15″]Most of the resulting energy from low-pressure lamps is heat, which is normal for fluorescent lamp operation. Other light sources such as high-pressure sunlamps or incandescent home-lighting bulbs will demonstrate similar characteristics, though in different proportions. The trick for equipment makers is determining what to do with the heat. For a sunbed to be temperature-neutral, 100 percent of the heat, including the IR radiation, must be dispersed – almost impossible. For this reason, some of your tanning systems run warmer than others.

[gap height=”15″]Most salons have customers who like a “sweaty tan,” so there is a place for warmer beds; but, you don’t want them to run too hot. This will reduce the output of the lamps and shorten their effective service life, as well as reduce satisfaction for your salon guests who want to stay comfortable-but-dry during their sessions.

[gap height=”15″]The total input power to the tanning system is the power that must be removed from the system during operation. Power that is not dispersed by adequate airflow will raise the temperature of the unit (and anything in it). Approximately two-thirds of the power into each lamp must be lost from the bulb wall in free air. When the lamp is operating in an enclosure (like a sunbed) where the air is confined, convection losses will decrease with an accompanying increase in IR. If there is forced air through the system, convective loss will increase with an accompanying decrease in IR (heat).

[gap height=”15″]TIP: To keep the lamps in your tanning systems operating at peak performance, keep the unit and its airways clean.

[gap height=”15″]Great tans = happy tanners!

[gap]
The trick for tanning equipment makers is determining what to do

[gap height=”60″]