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RADIATION
CURING............Radiation
processing -- using high-energy radiation from ultraviolet lamps and
electron-beam accelerators -- has developed into a large industry. The
technically demanding radiation-cured coatings, inks and adhesives
sector, in particular, has grown into a profitable specialty business
for producers of monomers, oligomers and additives, as well as equipment
manufacturers and suppliers of formulated products.
EB- and UV-cured
systems, together, still represent a small fraction of the huge market
for industrial coatings, inks and adhesives. At the same time, the
radiation-cured products command a premium, owing to their special
properties and technical sophistication.
Radiation-cured
compositions are mixtures of oligomer -- a low molecular weight, usually
urethane, epoxy or polyester polymer capped with acrylic end groups --
along with reactive multifunctional and monofunctional monomers. For UV
curing, photoinitiator is added. Blends also can contain pigments, dyes
and filters. The composition is 100% reactive and curable at ambient
temperature. Advantages of radiation curing over conventional solvent
or aqueous systems include: absence of solvent, no need for drying,
floor space saving, faster production rates. UV curing is applicable to
thin coatings (e.g., 2 to 3 mils or less) with little or no pigment or
filler. Electron beam cure allows for deeper penetration and, hence,
significant layer thickness. Radiation curing was found to enhance
adhesion to various substrates. Progress is being made in devising
formulations with higher content of pigments and fillers, to be cured
with UV. This is facilitated by photoinitiators, which absorb at long
wavelengths.
Some of the subjects
included in the report are:
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COATINGS |
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Ultraviolet Cure |
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Wood & Composition
Board Products |
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Paper & Paperboard |
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Floor Covering |
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RAW MATERIALS |
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Films & Miscellaneous
Plastic Products |
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Oligomers |
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Metal Products |
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Epoxy Acrylate |
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Release Coatings |
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Epoxy Methacrylate |
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Optical Fibers |
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Urethane Acrylate |
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Electronics --
Conformal Coatings |
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Other Urethane |
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Electronics --
Dielectric Coatings |
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All-Acrylic Oligomers &
Polymers |
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Electron Beam Cure |
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Polyester Acrylate |
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Wood and Composition
Board |
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Unsaturated Polyester
Resins |
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Paper & Paperboard
(Non-Release Type
Coatings |
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Silicone-Based
Epoxides |
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Release Coatings |
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Styrene Block Copolymer |
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Floor Covering |
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Multifunctional
Acrylate Monomers (MFA) |
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Plastics |
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Monofunctional
Acrylates |
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Metal Products |
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N-Vinylpyrrolidone (NVP)
& Other N-Vinyl |
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Ultraviolet Cure |
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Amides |
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Inks for Electronics |
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Vinyl Ethers |
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Lithographic Inks |
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Miscellaneous Monomers |
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Flexographic Inks |
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Free-Radical
Photoinitiators |
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Letterpress Inks |
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Cationic
Photoinitiators |
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Miscellaneous Specialty
Inks |
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Photoinitiator-Free
UV-Cured Systems |
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Electron Beam Cure |
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New Developments |
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Inks |
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ADHESIVES |
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Visible Light Cure |
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Dental Adhesives |
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Ultraviolet Cure |
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Assembly Adhesives &
Potting Compounds |
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Pressure-Sensitive
Adhesives (UV & EB) |
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Abrasive Binders |
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Electron Beam Cure |
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Adhesives (Other than
Pressure-Sensitive) |
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