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 of photoinitiators and UV light intensity was investigated with respect to the rate of the photoinitiated polymerization. Based upon these experimental results, a continuous UV curing process was optimized for industrial applications. It is demonstrated that a careful selection of the photoinitiator system can help to minimize unwanted effects of fluctuating UV power and web speed in continuous processes.