Why QUV Testing Matters in Edgebanding

Sunlight pouring through a kitchen window. A skylight in an ensuite bathroom. A wall of windows in a sunny office setting…

Edgebanding materials face constant exposure to sunlight, heat, and moisture—all of which can cause fading, yellowing, and surface degradation over time. So how do you predict how a product will look and perform after years of exposure? QUV Accelerated UV Testing is the answer.

What Is QUV Testing?

QUV Testing simulates the long-term effects of ultraviolet radiation and moisture on materials like edgebanding by using specialized fluorescent UV lamps in a controlled environment. At Teknaform™, we use QUV Accelerated UV Testing (UVonly) to evaluate how our products—and our competitors’—stand up to UV exposure specifically over time.

How It Works

The process is simple but powerful:

Step 1: Samples are placed in a chamber and exposed to controlled, repeatable UV light. We typically use UVA-340 lamps, which closely replicate the sun’s UV range (315–400 nm), and UVB-313 lamps for more aggressive testing.

Step 2: Samples are put through a standard test cycle that might involve: • 8 hours of UV exposure at 60°C • Followed by 4 hours of condensation at 50°C (if moisture exposure is relevant)

Step 3: This cycle is repeated continuously, often for hundreds or thousands of hours, to simulate months or years of real world exposure in a matter of weeks.

Why It Matters

At Teknaform, we believe that testing under real-world conditions—replicated in a lab—is the best way to ensure product quality. UV radiation is one of the most destructive environmental forces for plastics, and QUV testing helps us validate our product’s durability and color stability under these conditions. Furthermore, all QUV testing is conducted by a reputable third-party lab, ensuring results are unbiased, accurate, and meet industry standards.

The results will shock you. Stay tuned for Part 2 where we’ll explore how Teknaform’s use of a key ingredient gives our edgebanding unmatched performance in QUV testing—and how one of our competitors failed catastrophically in comparison.