Price: 10.00
The Japanese economy was still on the decline in 1998 and this brought about an imbalance between supply and demand in many industries. As a result the capital investment for extension of capacity has also been in decline. This trend is exceptional where the capital investment brings higher value added products, where the new process enable the manufacture of new products, or where the new process is environmentally required. Even after the burst of the Japanese bubble economy, UV and EB curing market have been enjoying steady growth in general. Japanese market size for radiation-curing products was estimated to be 29,310 tonnes 1996,1) therefore, the growth per annum between 1996 to 1998 has remained at 5.3%. The biggest applications lie in electronics and optical fiber coatings in Japan, even though the graphics sector (printing inks and overprint varnishes) is important. In addition, UV coatings and adhesives for CD-ROM and DVD as well as photoresists for liquid crystalline devices are promising new market leaders. The European market is the largest in size among the world However the differences in application exist in area. In Europe, wood and furniture varnish forms the largest sector, whereas, in the North America, the biggest application is graphic systems, including printing inks and overprint varnishes (OPV). From the viewpoint of curing equipment in Japan, the improved UV lamp output at specific wavelength, and the low price and compact size EB irradiators have been emerging. The present status in major applications of radiation curing technology in Japan is described in more detail.
