nomically practical when items to be coated are three-dimensional. “Three-dimensional items have recessed shadow areas
where the UV curing mechanisms cannot easily ‘see’ the coatings in those recessed areas to be cured,” explained Phillips.
“Improvements have been made but not without compromises in process line speed, hybrid curing mechanisms and post-product handling.”
Other limitations occur with pigmented radcure coatings.
“These are limited since the UV curing mechanism cannot easily transverse through the pigment particles and search out
the oligomer to cross-link very efficiently,” said Phillips.
Wood flat stock traditionally has been and still is the greatest growth area for radcure coatings. “The trend in radcure
coatings market of flat two-deminsional wood products will
continue at a high level of growth capturing more market
share,” said Phillips. “Plus this segment of the market will
enjoy the benefits associated with the trend in North America
that is seeing a greater percentage of floor space shifting to
wood versus carpeting.”
UV/EB technology is becoming more dispersed over more
markets due to acceptance in markets that did not use UV/EB
a decade ago, according to Hart. “UV/EB coating technology is
being used in the metal coatings market, and some exterior
coatings markets that were only dreamed about ten years ago,”
he said. “The wood market is expanding due to concerns over
emissions and is always looking to increase efficiency since finishing wood tends to be a labor intensive process.”
At the same time, the auto OEM sector is the slowest market to accept UV/EB technology due to the extensive testing
that must be done on coatings in this market, according to
Hart. “The general health of the auto sector also has slowed the
adoption of a new technology that requires capital investment,”
he added. “The plastic sector is rapidly adopting UV technology due to the increases in curing speed and the low temperature cure that this sector generally requires.”
Discussing the auto OEM market in further detail, Phillips
said this market continues to covet the promise of radcure coatings including fast throughput, hard and tough coatings,
improved smoothness and DOI, and space savings that would
allow orders of greater magnitude at assembly plants.
“However, the current model for coating a car would have to be
completely changed and only a new ‘greefields’ plant would be
a potential option for the coating of automobiles via radcure
today,” he said. “Importantly, those same drawbacks of three-dimensional object configuration mentioned above would eliminate the unadulterated use of radcure coatings even in a new
‘greenfields’ plant with today’s technologies.”
On the refinish side of the auto market, there is a great
deal of buzz in this area, according to Tanner. “It seems many
of the major UV/EB resins and coatings suppliers are working to commercialize the UV/EB technology for the auto
refinishing market, but it may be a few more years before
this segment develops and sees sustainable growth,” he said.
MOVING FORWARD
One of the major barriers to growth in the UV/EB coatings segment is the high initial cost of investment
Photo: BASF
required to switch over and implement the new system.
“While the UV/EB market continues to grow despite
the down turn in the economy, we are not seeing as
many new start ups due to fewer people investing in
capital equipment,” Wagner said. “There are still finishers who are interested in all the advantages of a UV
system until they find out the cost of the equipment. So
the investment is considered a disadvantage to some.
However, the return on investment can be made up
quickly. When all things are considered, it is still economical to switch to a UV system.”
“The initial cost of equipment is still high,” concurred
Hart. “Even a simple spray and cure unit for small parts
can cost $100,000. More complex spray and curing units
can cost between $250,000 to $500,000,” he said. “This
market has been dominated by many European firms and
prices of imported equipment has risen recently due to the
increase in the value of the Euro to the U.S. and Canadian
dollars. More manufactures have entered this market in
the U.S. and thus given the manufacturer an alternative to
imported equipment.”
However, as both the market and technology evolve it is
likely that in the future anytime there are flat or near-flat
two-demensional substrates requiring clear or semi-clear topcoats, radcure coatings are likely to be under consideration.
Chemark believes there are some significant breakthroughs coming to the market in the near future through
advances in nanotechnology. “For example, one such breakthrough will occur with electronically sensitive nano tubes
designed into the radcure coating, which will allow curing to
take place in the shadow areas of three-demensional surfaces,” Phillips said. “Also, near nano-sized pigments will
allow fully pigmented coatings to be radcure coated and cured
at high throughput speeds.”
Tanner also discussed the evolving role of nanotechnology. “Ecology has been successful in implementing nanotechnology into UV curable coatings,” he said. “The nanoparticles provide formulators with the ability to incorporate and
combine properties that have never been achieved previously, allowing for the ability to gain adhesion and performance
on all types of metals.” CW
