With governments and corporations increasingly emphasizing innovation, advanced materials, new energy technologies, and sustainability, applications for energy-cured coatings, adhesives, and sealant systems have grown rapidly. According to a recent survey by RadTech International, the average anticipated annual growth rate of energy-cured formulations will accelerate to 7% or more per year in North America.
Energy-cured systems (with the exception of dual-cure systems) typically use ultraviolet (UV) energy, visible light (vis), or electron beam (as opposed to thermal, moisture-activated, or oxidative reactions) to form a bead, coating, film, pattern, bond, or shape. Typical energy levels used for energy cure are 200-400 nanometers (nm) for UV light, 400-450 nm for fluorescent and visible light (see Figure 1), and less than ~ 400 KeV for low-energy electrons. This article focuses on UV/vis light cure technology.