Hi Guys

So for some reason (well it's cost) I'm having a go at designing a lightbox, something I know nothing about.

We're looking at doing some photo etching and I need to get the full system in place.  Darkroom / etching bay/ ...

I'm at a really early design stage and have still to work out the optimal sheet size, but I think I've found a suitable lamp that's about 600mm long, so I'm working from there.

The datasheet for the photocoat we are using mentions an exposure distance of 250 to 300 mm.

So I just drew a parabola and threw in a few dimensions and this is what I got

So conceivably this could expose a sheet about 300 wide, but will it give an even exposure?

If I'd like to go wider (A square sheet 600 x 600) my options could be to add more lamps, move the lamp or sheet during exposure or multiple exposures.

Anyway just playing around here's what I've come up with so far

Did I mention I'm on a tight budget?

Anyway advice from someone who actually knows about these things would be greatly appreciated.

For example , these reflectors look a bit wrong to me

Maybe I'm overthinking it but I know good results require a consistent exposure and it would be great if I could get this right first time.

Thanks in advance

All the best

Rob

Lamp Data Sheet

Photocoat