RadTech Hosts Inaugural Hands-On Surface Curing Workshop

By Melissa DeDonder, former managing editor, Peterson Publications, Inc.
Jennifer Heathcote, Phoseon, gives a UV-LED curing demonstration.

RadTech International North America hosted a hands-on UV/EB Surface Curing Workshop on Sept. 10 at Georgia Power Company’s Customer Resource Center (CRC) near Atlanta, Georgia. The full day of training included small working groups participating in 30- to 45-minute sessions of active learning about UV, EB and UV-LED surface curing technology with ink, coating and adhesive formulations.

Jennifer Heathcote, Phoseon, gives a UV-LED curing demonstration.
Cindy Fruth, Ashland, prepares materials for a demonstration.
RadTech’s UV/EB Surface Curing Workshop featured 30- to 45-minute sessions of active learning about UV, EB and UV-LED surface curing technology with ink, coating and adhesive formulations.

The day’s events included overviews of UV and EB technologies’ processes, equipment and applications; an analysis of the basics of UV, UV-LED and EB chemistry; a comparison of UV- and EB-curable adhesives and which situations warrant using each; and real-world UV and EB user case studies. The most noteworthy aspect of the workshop was the series of hands-on radiation technology equipment demonstrations, which allowed attendees to work with UV and EB equipment.

“While UV equipment is relatively common, EB equipment rarely is available to the public for testing and research,” said Tony Carignano, business development and strategic marketing specialist, PCT Engineered Systems. In addition to sponsoring the event, PCT and COMET Group coordinated an agreement for a fully operational ebeam laboratory unit to be showcased at the CRC through December 2015. The facility already housed UV equipment.

Tony Carignano, PCT, conducts an EB demonstration.

According to Georgia Power, the RadTech event was the largest outside group event to be held at the facility. Georgia Power Company’s CRC promotes electric end use technologies and energy-efficient products through hands-on learning opportunities with production-grade equipment. For more information about the venue, visit georgiapower.com.