Keywords
Citation
(2006), "Cytec Surface Specialties to introduce innovative UV-curable products for plastic, metal, graphics and wood", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 35 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2006.12935aad.009
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Cytec Surface Specialties to introduce innovative UV-curable products for plastic, metal, graphics and wood
Cytec Surface Specialties to introduce innovative UV-curable products for plastic, metal, graphics and wood
Keywords: Coatings technology, Metals, Plastics
Cytec Surface Specialties, the world leader in resins for UV curable coating and ink resins featured a number of valuable new UV-curable coating products at the RadTech Europe 2005 trade show in Barcelona, October 18-20, 2005.
Company representatives also gave four ground-breaking technical papers at the RadTech conference which runs concurrently (details below). Philippe Goethals, Business Director for RADCURE® resins in Europe for Cytec Surface Specialties, said: “The breadth of the UV technologies we spotlighted at the show provides a clear demonstration of our commitment to solve problems and create value for customers in a wide range of industry segments. UV-curable resins are one of our core strengths as a company, and we continue to invest in new ways to use this technology to bring value and performance to the UV-coating and ink formulator, not only in the traditional segments, where UV is well known, but also in plenty of new ones.”
The following RADCURE® resins and technologies were featured at the company's exhibit.
Plastics
UV-cure technologies promise to eliminate many of the problems associated with traditional solventborne plastic-coating systems – problems such as high VOC-emissions; the space, time and energy required for thermal drying; and the inability to coat heat-sensitive substrates. Recent developments in UV- curable resins are now making these promises a reality in an increasing range of applications on plastic materials. New solutions include:
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IRR 585 – a low odour urethane monoacrylate particularly suited for plastics coatings in any applications where a high level of flexibility is required.
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IRR 577 (EBECRYL® resin 113) – an aliphatic mono-acrylate with low shrinkage, low odour, good pigment wetting and good adhesion to plastic substrates. It is slightly more flexible than IRR 585 and can be used in dual-cure formulations.
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IRR 214 – a difunctional aliphatic diluting acrylate, characterized by high reactivity combined with low viscosity. Offer low shrinkage, low water permeability, high toughness and good weatherability – particularly useful for coatings on rigid plastics, and for temperature- resistant coatings.
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Acrylated oligomers – used as adhesion promoters.
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Radiation curable polyurethane dispersions (PUD-UV), specifically designed as low viscous, high performance resins, used to coat three-dimensional objects via sprayers.
Metals
Although UV-curable coatings are not widely used today in the metal coating market, there are technologies commercially available that provide the protection characteristics required for many typical applications. Cytec Surface Specialties has developed a modular system of urethane acrylates and epoxy acrylates that enable coating formulators to tailor coatings to specific end-use requirements. Components of the modular system include:
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high-reactive epoxy acrylates, to provide excellent corrosion protection and chemical resistance;
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urethane acrylates, to optimize adhesion and flexibility; and
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reactive diluents, to adjust the viscosity of metal coating formulations.
Graphics
Targeted for applications in the graphics industry, a new family of resins for UV-curable inks and overprint varnishes (OPVs) has been introduced – technology that offers a significant reduction in odour release and migration compared to previously available resins. The new low extractable/low odour (LEO) resins are used in the production of packaging materials for human foods, pet foods, pharmaceuticals and similar products:
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IRR 560 a trifunctional diluting acrylate, compatible with a wide range of acrylated resins. Offer performance characteristics similar to EBECRYL® 160 resin but with significantly improved odour-release and migration-extraction results.
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IRR 561 an amine modified polyether acrylate, offering performance characteristics similar to EBECRYL® 81 resin in OPVs and inks, but with significantly improved odour-release and migration-extraction results.
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IRR 562 an amine modified polyether acrylate with higher viscosity than the above. Performance in formulating OPVs and inks is similar to that of EBECRYL® 83 resin, but with much lower levels of migration and odour release.
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IRR 597 an undiluted epoxy acrylate offering performance characteristics similar to EBECRYL® 3700 resin in OPVs and inks and specifically developed for use in conjunction with the LEO resins product range for food applications.
Wood
Complementing the company's existing range of 100 per cent UV-curable coating systems for flat surfaces processed through roller coaters, Cytec Surface Specialties will feature a number of recently developed technologies that enable the use of other application techniques – such as spray or curtain-coating systems. The new waterborne technologies include the following UCECOAT® resins:
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Partially water-soluble polyurethane acrylates, used to formulate adhesion primers applied in thin coats by roller coater.
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UV-PUD (water-based dispersion of a polyurethane acrylate) – a low-viscosity technology very suitable for application by spray or by curtain coater. For the first time, this technology makes it possible to apply UV-curable coatings to structured wood surfaces such as 3D furniture pieces.
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UV-PUD resins – designed to replace the multi-coat systems previously required to protect outdoor wood joinery pieces. The new technology offers excellent durability, and produces a higher performance surface – permitting the stacking of finished pieces immediately after UV-curing.