Knowledge base

This knowledge base contains all articles and proceedings ever presented at RTE conferences and seminars. You may search through the database using the filters below. Articles are free of charge for our members (after login).

UV Process Control: Hardware and Software

Recent advancements in hardware and software have enabled a new UV process management methodology based upon the establishment of UV process windows. Process windows are a toleranced set of critical parameters which establish where one's UV process works best. Operating within the windows optimizes productivity and reduces waste. Jim Raymont, among

Closed Loop Operation: The Key Tool for UV-curing Processes under Oxygen Reduced Conditions

The core value of UV curing is that it enables users to do things that otherwise would be impossible or not as economical or efficient. Thin coatings, typical printing inks and overprint varnishes, are particularly affected because oxygen replenishment is most effective in the few micrometers below the film surfaces. Well known are the benefits fro

Thermal effects on the network structure of electron-beam polymerized diglycidylether of bisphenol-A

Electron beam (EB) induced polymerization of diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) in the presence of a diaryliodonium salt (DAIS) was studied by FTIR spectroscopy and by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA). The obtained results allow to draw the gradual increase of the temperature for the network thermomechanical transition (Ta, associated

Shortening the Gap between Automotive Refinish and OEM Coatings

From the inception of the automotive coatings industry in the early 1900's, through the 1950's, the coatings utilized by the automobile manufacturers to paint new vehicles was essentially the same technology used to repair and refinish those vehicles. Later, in the 1960's with the increased use of chemical crosslinkers, original equipment man

UV and Visible Light Induced Polymerization of Wood Coatings: Inhibiting Effect of the Wood Components

The photopolymerization of model clear coatings for wood applications in the presence of photoinitiating systems under UV and visible light has been investigated. The effect of the phenoliccompounds found in wood extracts, especially quercetin, on the final properties of the coating and the influence of various parameters have been discussed.

In-line Monitors of the Degree of Cure after UV and EB Curing using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

The functional properties of UV- and EB-cured coatings strongly depend on the final conversion of the acrylic double bonds which is achieved during irradiation. For instance, scratch and abrasion resistance depend on the hardness of the layer which is directly related to the degree of cure. Similarly, a high weathering resistance of coatings for ou

UV curable Thermoforming Inks for Applications on Polymer Surfaces

The performances of UV-cured thermoforming inks for plastic surfaces are usually based both on the high photopolymerization rates and good film-forming properties, maintained also under high elongation at high moderately temperatures. The industrial process is initially based on the UV-curing reaction of an ink on the thermoplastic material surface

Analytical Investigations of UV-curable Acrylate Systems for Industrial UV

This article illustrates the optimization of industrial UV curing processes by means of real-time infrared spectroscopy (RTIR). Using an experimental setup designed to follow the kinetics of photochemical reactions on a millisecond time scale, the UV curing of various acrylate systems was investigated. The influence of parameters such as the type o