by R.W. Stowe, Director of Applications Engineering, Heraeus Noblelight America LLC Question: What does "optical thickness" mean, and how can it be measured in the lab? Answer: Optical thickness, along with the UV exposure factors of irradiance profile and UV wavelength, is one of the most important characteristics affecting depth of cure, speed and adhesion in a UV-curing … [Read more...] about UV Curing Q&A
UV Curing
Waterborne UV-Curable Coatings for Industrial Market Segments
by Raymond Stewart, CAS-NAFTA applications development, Covestro LLC Abstract Ultraviolet (UV) light-cured waterborne polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) are versatile in many industrial market segments. Today, there are ever-increasing customer requests for film properties specific to more than one market. There is no general solution: each customer has his/her own list of … [Read more...] about Waterborne UV-Curable Coatings for Industrial Market Segments
Mitigation of Oxygen Inhibition in UV-LED, UVA and Low-Intensity UV Cure
By Dr. Jo Ann Arceneaux, Allnex USA Inc. Introduction Oxygen inhibition is an age-old problem for coatings that cure via free-radical polymerization. Molecular oxygen can physically quench the triplet state of the photoinitiator/sensitizer, or it can scavenge the free radicals or active radical centers to produce unreactive peroxide radicals. The end results range from … [Read more...] about Mitigation of Oxygen Inhibition in UV-LED, UVA and Low-Intensity UV Cure
Next Generation of UV-Curable Cellulose Esters
By Dr. Ahmet Nebioglu and James Aerykssen, Dymax Corporation Abstract A new generation of UV-curable cellulose ester additives and binders provides improved surface hardness and solvent resistance in hard coating and ink applications. UV-curable cellulose ester additives do not disturb clarity; therefore, they are excellent additives for clear, very low haze coatings and … [Read more...] about Next Generation of UV-Curable Cellulose Esters
UV Q&A: What is a ‘Cure Ladder’ and How is it Used in UV Curing?
by R.W. Stowe, Heraeus Noblelight America LLC A cure ladder is the fundamental laboratory tool for the design or analysis of a UV-curing system. It is used to optimize the design of a UV system, ranging from the selection and specification of the UV source to the optimization of a UV-curable formulation – ink, coating, paint or adhesive. Determining the range of proper … [Read more...] about UV Q&A: What is a ‘Cure Ladder’ and How is it Used in UV Curing?