Flexible LED-Based Illumination Blanket for Visible Light Curing of Corrosion Control Coatings

The Navy has qualified a visible light-initiated resin system for spot repair and corrosion control on ballast tanks. This system, developed by Spectra Group Limited, cures in a very short period of time under visible light illumination to yield the patch and corrosion control coating. The major difficulty with this system is the unwieldy size and weight of the lamp housing and power supply. Additional problems include the lack of ability to cure large areas; the current systems are limited to 3 x 6-in. areas, and limited flexibility for curing in oddly shaped configurations or in hard-to-reach areas. Adherent Technologies, Inc. is proposing to develop an illumination blanket based on visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on a flexible substrate for this application. LEDs themselves are very small, typically 2-3 mm in diameter and can be purchased with a wide illumination cone, allowing for illumination of a large area with only a few LEDs. They also have minimal power requirements with respect to conventional lamp systems, allowing the use of simpler and smaller power supplies. Advantages of the proposed system include illumination at a wavelength optimized for cure of the Spectra Group resin system, flexibility of the illumination blanket, allowing conformity to oddly shaped areas, and low power requirements; a weight reduction of at least 50% over current systems is expected. This system is also inherently safe to the user --it emits only visible light with no harmful UV component and the power requirements are minimal.