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The properties and characteristics of a textile substrate can be changed by the application
of a polymeric layer or coating [1,2]. Coatings are applied to give textiles a more aesthetic
outlook or to obtain a product with a better perfomance, e.g. watertightness or a higher
wear resistance.
Coatings used in the textile industry consist usually of plastisols (PVC) or solvent and.:
water based pastes of polymers. In the application of water based systems considerable
amounts of energy are consumed in the necessary removal of water during a drying step
prior to the actual curing of the coating. The drying and curing steps in the application
process need to be carefully controlled to ensure an optimal quality of the final product. In
most cases the production speed is limited by the interplay of the drying and curing steps.
In addition, the use of various types of organic solvents gives rise to toxic and environmental
problems. For this reason water based systems are almost exclusively used in the
Dutch textile industry.
UV-curable polymeric systems circumvent the problems stated above, by offering the
following advantages over conventional coating techniques:
- no solvents or water needed;
- freedom in formulation;
- low energy consumption;
- enhanced process integration;
- fast curing and processing;
- short start-up times;
- low environmental pollution;
- compact equipment with low fabric content;
- heat-sensitive substrates can be coated;
- thick coating layers can be applied in a one-step process;
- double-sided coatings can be applied in a single operation.
