There are numerous types of arc lamps made today in multiples of footprints. The arc lamps manufactured today use different additives which allow light transmission in various wavelengths for different needs. The internal pressures range from low to very high also dependent on the need of the applications.
Due to the numerous type which are available in the market today, special attention to the cooling requirements needs to be kept in mind. Usually very low wattage arc lamps require only ambient air cooling, and the higher the power of the lamp, forced air cooling must be in place. In special cases, liquid cooling such as a radiator system will be required to properly cool the arc lamp.
Cooling of the lamp can be affected by things such as ambient air temperatures, fan capacities, lamp connections, air turbulence, optical filtering amongst other things. In this particular case, the anode (+) connection to the lamp was extremely loose which caused an overheating of not just the lamp, but the connectors and the housing.
Sound off in the comments! Have you seen this before? Have you had this happen to your equipment before?