If you’ve ever done a windshield repair at home, you know that it can sometimes be a pain to wait for the resin to dry. If you don’t wait long enough, you can cause additional cracks or chips in your windshield, not to mention annoying bubbles that may appear within the resin. As more and more people opt to do repairs at home instead of heading to the shop, companies have created easier alternatives to what were once costly and time consuming products.

About UV Resin

UV light curing repair resin is a material used to fix cracks and chips in windshields that uses UV radiation to set. As opposed to some resins that can take hours to dry even in direct sunlight, these materials shorten repair time and can reduce certain costs. While traditional resin may need hours to set, UV light curing repair resin can set in a matter of minutes.

How to Cure UV Resin

When using UV light curing repair resin, it’s important to ensure you’re using the right curing process to avoid further damage. A lot of factors can contribute to resin cure time, even if you’re using UV resin. Outside moisture, sunlight, and temperature are just a couple factors you can consider.

If you’re using UV resin on a sunny summer day, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about environmental factors affecting the time it takes to cure the resin. Working in adequate sunlight should do the job because the UV rays emitted from the sun are able to cure the resin alone. However, if it’s a cloudy day, you might need the help of UV lamp ultraviolet light.

UV Lights and UV Resin

If you aren’t fortunate enough to have plenty of sun when you decide to repair your windshield, you can use the rays from UV blacklights to cure just as fast. These lights emit UV rays similar to those of the sun, curing windshield repair resin quickly and efficiently. You can also use UV lamp ultraviolet light if you’re short on time and need a crack or chip fixed as quickly as possible. These lights can sometimes cut curing time to under a minute.

Benefits of UV Resin

When using UV light curing windshield repair resin, you’re not only giving yourself a faster repair time, you’re often using stronger materials to create a tighter bond. This ensures that your windshield repair will last and won’t spider or grow as soon as you hit a pothole.

What to Watch for When Buying UV Blacklights

When you’re purchasing UV lamps with ultraviolet light, it’s just as important to pay attention to specs as when you’re buying professional windshield repair kit. These lights have a tendency to run a little on the expensive side, but when you’re able to cut curing time by 75 percent they’ll definitely be worth it in the long run. Here are a couple features you’re going to want to have when buying UV blacklights:

• Suction cup – holds the light to the window during repair
• Cordless or battery operated – allows you to make repairs on the go without electrical connection
• Cure time – depending on how much time you can devote to repair, a device with shorter cure time would be more optimal
• Voltage – determines how strong the UV light will be

Conclusion – Curing UV Resin without Sun

At the end of the day, it’s always smarter to see a professional auto glass mechanic before you try to repair your windshield yourself. However, if you’re looking for a faster, more efficient way to cure resin in any condition, UV resin with UV blacklight is the way to go. You’ll end up with a stronger repair in nearly half the time.