UV-curable acrylate resins have revolutionized various industries due to their fast curing, environmental benefits and exceptional performance. These resins, which are a combination of oligomers and active monomers, are combined with components such as photoinitiators, antioxidants, stabilizers and softeners and form coatings that are cured by ultraviolet light. Some of the characteristics of these resins are:
1- Chemical structure: Acrylate resins are composed of monomers and oligomers containing acrylate or methacrylate functional groups. These groups easily polymerize and form networks after exposure to UV rays.
2- Fast curing: Unlike conventional drying methods, curing of UV-cure resins is done almost immediately. The energy from the UV light initiates a photochemical reaction and turns the liquid resins into solid coatings.
3- Adhesion: these resins adhere well to various substrates such as plastic, metals, paper, glass and wood.
Among the applications of coatings made based on UV-cure acrylate resins, the following can be mentioned:
Wood Coatings: UV-cure acrylate coatings offer the ability to be used as durable, scratch-resistant coatings for furniture, flooring, and cabinets.
Car coatings: UV-cure clear coats increase gloss, hardness, strength and weather resistance of car coatings.
Printing inks: UV-cure inks provide the possibility of fast printing in methods such as flexo, gravure, offset and digital printing due to their high drying speed.
Overprint Varnish (OPV): UV-cure varnishes are applied to the printed surface after the ink has dried, resulting in a protective layer with properties including transparency, strength, flexibility, increased visual appeal, and resistance to wear. Yellowing is added to the coating. These varnishes work best on absorbent surfaces such as paper.
The advantages of these coatings include high curing speed, less energy consumption for drying, high durability, absence of volatile substances (VOC) and compatibility with the environment.
