Price: 10.00
Due to the increasing use of plastics as construction materials in automotive, electronic and
telecommunication fields, the coatability of plastics is becoming more and more important. With the development of telecom, electronic and auto industry, there is a growing demand for high performance, high efficiency and value added coatings on various plastic substrates. Finding a universal coating for all types of plastics is still a utopia. Due to the low surface energies, the sensitivity to temperature and solvent, many plastics are difficult to coat. The number of different materials consisting of homopolymers or blends of different polymers is enormous and mostly requires tailor-made solutions for each plastic. Moreover, due to different intrinsic characteristics within a polymer family (e.g. PP), different properties are targeted. Optimization and fine-tuning of well-known materials by blending or additive approach to obtain better properties require simultaneous adjustment of the coating properties. The drive towards cheaper polymers, replacing existing polymers, is determined mostly by their coatability to obtain the surface aesthetics of the latter. With UV-technology, one is no longer limited to coat plastics with solvent-based products only. The high VOC-emissions, the thermal drying requiring long drying tunnels and much space as well as the limited curing speed by using solvent based products have been the key drivers to look for alternative products and technologies in the past. Although UV-technology has already proven to overcome these obstacles, other advantages as the ability to coat heat sensitive substrates, the performance improvement like scratch and stain resistance are becoming more and more important as well
