Using UV/EB Resins in Coatings

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Marc Hirsch 2 comments

Coatings have a variety of curing options,

including UV and LED mechanisms. In this article, we discuss the types of resins utilized in those
same UV-curable coatings as well as Electron Beam (EB) curing.
As mentioned in the previous article, UV-LED curable coatings offer a high-speed light curing
process with a number of advantages over more conventional cure processes. In addition to fast
line speed (higher productivity) and solvent-free compositions, UV/EB curable coatings offer
many more important benefits. These include:

Reduced floor space UV/EB curing equipment has a much smaller footprint and is
more compact than conventional drying ovens, and the solvent-free compositions require less
storage space than solvent-based coatings, providing comparable dry film weight.

Suitable for heat-sensitive substrates The absence of thermal drying and fast line
speeds achieved with UV/EB curable coatings result in a relatively cool coating process which
can be used for coating heat-sensitive substrates, such as plastic, wood and paper.

Reduced in-process inventory A conventional thermal curing coating manufacturing

process, requiring intermediate drying stages, can be converted into a single-step, in-line
process with UV/EB curable coatings.

Lower insurance costs and reduced handling hazards Solventless UV/EB curable
coatings are rated as non-flammable liquids. This means reduced insurance costs, less
stringent storage requirements and a reduction in handling hazards compared to flammable
solvent-based coatings.

Compliant technology Federal, state and local governments recognize the many
advantages offered by UV/EB curable coatings in complying with volatile organic compounds
(VOC) and hazardous air pollutants (HAP) restrictions 1 2. For example, UV curable coatings for
metal can application have been reported by the EPA to contain less than 0.01 VOC/gallon of
coating. Coors reported no significant emission of ozone or other undesirable emissions from a
UV can line for one billion cans per year.

Reduced costs According to several studies, switching from conventional thermal

curing coatings to UV/EB curable coatings can result in a significant reduction in energy costs.
Additional studies show that switching to UV/EB curable coatings is less expensive than
converting an existing solvent- based coating operation into a VOC and HAP compliant
operation.

Proven technology UV/EB curable coatings are a proven technology in commercial

use worldwide since the 1960s.
One can formulate with bio-based raw materials instead of ones derived from petrochemicals. 1
With a focus on sustainable and renewable raw materials, using plant-derived materials to
formulate products is quite attractive, and they often perform as well as or better than their
petrochemically-derived counterparts.
The types of unsaturation used in UV/EB cured coatings are provided in Table I, with acrylate the
largest type by far.

Cure

Table I Type of Unsaturation used in UV/EB

UV Curable Monomers and Oligomers

UV Curable monomers and oligomers are other key ingredients that determine the performance
of UV cure formulations. Figure 2 illustrates typical monomers that are used and their
performance characteristics.

Table II. General Performance Versus Monomer Functionality2

Generally, a mixture of monofunctional (one acrylate group) and polyfunctional (more than one
acrylate group) acrylates is used in order to optimize cured film properties and liquid coating cure
speed. Monofunctional monomers tend to reduce viscosity more effectively than polyfunctional
acrylates. The monofunctional monomers also reduce cured film shrinkage and increase the
elasticity of the cured film. However, a high concentration of monofunctional monomer severely
reduces the coating cure speed.
Highly functionalized monomers increase coating cure speed and cured film resistance to
abrasion. Unfortunately, these two desirable cured film features are achieved at the sacrifice of
embrittling the cured film and reducing adhesion to the substrate. Optimized coating properties
are achieved by systematically balancing the oligomer and monomer concentrations. Eyeglass
lenses are coated for abrasion resistance and other attributes, which can easily be accomplished
utilizing UV coatings based on these materials.

Figure 3. Typical Monomers and Performance Characteristics3

There are a number of UV curable oligomer types available as well depending on the type of
performance desired. Figure 3 lists some of the common oligomer types available along with an
overview of performance characteristics.

Figure 3 UV Cure Oligomer Types/Characteristics

Waterborne UV and Powder UV

In addition to 100% solid liquid UV coatings, other UV types include waterborne UV and powder
UV. Waterborne UV curables have advantages over conventional UV cure as no reactive diluent
is necessary to control viscosity. Also, as opposed to conventional UV cure formulations, the
viscosity of the coating is independent of the molecular weight of the resin and for spray
application viscosity; solids are adjusted by adding water rather than low viscosity reactive
monomer.
In addition, since there are fewer double bonds to cure, shrinkage is lower and can thus improve
adhesion. The main disadvantage is that the water needs to be removed by passing through an
oven at about 80C prior to UV curing.
In powder UV cure coatings, the part is sprayed electrostatically. Automatic guns are
recommended over manual application to ensure an even, consistent film thickness is applied.
Next, the applied coating is baked in a convection, IR or oven to melt and flow the powder. This
step is at a much lower temperature and less time (175-280F for a few seconds, instead of 320390F for 5 to 20 minutes) for conventional powder coating. Once the powder is melt flowed, the
parts enter a UV cure chamber that cures the coating in seconds instead of minutes, as with
traditional thermal powder.

References and resources:

1.

Synthesis of bio-based unsaturated polyester resins and their application in waterborne

UV-curable coatings

2.

Image: CibaGeigy literature

3.

Ibid

4.

An Introduction to Ultraviolet Light (UV) and Electron Bean (EB) Curable Coating
Technology

5.

UV-LED Curable Coatings Why Wait When You Can Cure at the Speed of Light
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Filed Under: Paint & Coatings Tagged With: Resin, coatings

About Marc Hirsch

Mr. Hirsch is a Senior Development Scientist and Principal Consultant at M&M Hirsch &
Associates. In his career, he has formulated architectural, industrial, military and specialty
coatings. He developed applications and methodologies for sol gel coatings, and has earned his
Green Belt in MAIC Six Sigma and trained for MAIC Black Belt. He has applied MAIC
methodology to the CTR for several laboratory and manufacturing processes in the coatings
industry, resulting in substantial savings. In addition, he has written more than $4M in proposals
through the SBIR process for the DoD, DoE and more than $145M of proposals for fossil and
nuclear power plant simulation.