Making Infrared Lamps Actually Work With Your ROQ Flash Dryer
Let’s be honest: trying to find a replacement infrared lamp that actually fits five different brands of printing machines usually feels like a gamble. It’s not about some secret trick. It just comes down to the basics—making sure the electrical footprint and the physical size match the wiring you already have in your shop. With ROQ dryers, the real challenge is the current. You need a lamp that can handle a heavy load without turning your terminals into a toaster. The nitty-gritty of power We spend a lot of time obsessing over the wattage-to-voltage ratio. Why? Because if you plug a 230V lamp into a 400V circuit, it’s gone. Poof. Burned out in seconds. We focus on the Ohmic resistance of the filament so the lamp pulls exactly what the ROQ power supply expects. You want those high-wattage tubes because they give you the heat density to cure ink fast. Just double-check that your machine’s contactors can handle the amperage, or you’re asking for trouble. Quartz and the “click” We use high-purity quartz glass because these things go from cold to screaming hot in a heartbeat. That kind of thermal shock would shatter cheaper glass. Then there are the connectors. We usually stick with R7s or something similar so you can just drop the lamp in and get back to work. If the fit is loose, you get arcing. And arcing is a death sentence for a lamp. We keep the tolerances tight so it seats firmly in the socket. No wiggle room. What happens in the real world Here is where things usually get messy. We’ve seen plenty of shops struggle because their older machines have undersized wiring. If your voltage drops by even 5%, your curing time climbs. You’ll start noticing the ink isn’t setting quite right, and suddenly your production slows to a crawl. It’s frustrating. Plus, keep in mind that these lamps pull a lot of juice. Make sure your breakers are rated for the total wattage of every tube in the bank. Nobody wants the power to trip right in the middle of a huge rush job.