Paint & Coatings Industry - April 2008 - (Page 46)

The Future of UV Coatings is Now! through conventional thermal ovens are subject to accelerated wear as lubricants rapidly deteriorate and result in excessive bearing and guide wear. Staying with the 100foot thermal oven example, conveyor maintenance costs for the curing portion of the line would average $8,000/ year. Using a 10-foot bank of four UV lamps, conveyor maintenance costs would be only $400/year. Figure 4 illustrates conveyor chain replacement costs. the allowances in your emissions permit. If required, non-VOC solvents, such as acetone, can be used for less than 100%-solids formulations. In addition, paint filters can be dried and disposed in the trash, as opposed to a costly hazardous waste hauler. Figure 5 summarizes the cost comparisons. Application Methods and End Uses UV-cured formulations have been applied by a variety of techniques. These include roll coating, flow or curtain coating, dip coating, and spraying with either a conventional or HVLP gun. In general, UV-cured materials are used as coatings, inks, adhesives and sealants for metal, plastics, wood, glass and composites. The following describes some of the major industries using UV-cured coatings and some of the products produced. • Graphic Arts – Sometimes uses the EB method for curing; products include screen, litho, jet print and overprint varnishes. • Wood Industry – Products include shelving, cabinets, furniture and flooring. • Optical Fibers – Two UV protective coatings are applied to prevent damage to the fiber through bending and handling. A hard outer (buffer) coating and a soft (cushion) coating, between the outer coating and the fiber, is used to achieve the necessary protection. • Compact Discs – Also used as a protective coating on CDs and DVDs. • Adhesives – Used to bind together various substrates. • Rapid Prototyping – This is a new development that allows a three-dimensional model on a CAD system to be translated directly into a 3-D functional model. Products include mold castings, functional production models (engine manifold), damaged bone structure (surgeons) and teeth (dentists). • Dental Industry – Dental resins for tooth repair, sealants, impression material and Rapid Prototyping. • Composites/Plastics – Used on automotive parts, vacuum metallizing, aircraft parts, bottles, bicycles, cosmetics, glass fibers and carbon fibers. • Industrial – Products include hand tools, metal cans, propane tanks and electronic circuit boards. Improved Productivity UV coating materials typically cure in seconds versus up to several hours in a conventional thermal oven, so the cycle time for each coated part can be cut dramatically. This allows quicker response to your customers’ requests and better delivery performance. Faster cycle time also leads directly to a reduction of Work in Process (WIP), lowering inventories and freeing up capital for other investments. Since UV coatings do not dry until they are exposed to high-intensity UV light, reclaiming overspray is much easier, making for higher application efficiency. Reduced Environmental Impact A 100%-solids UV formulation contains zero VOCs and no HAPs. This will have a positive impact on FIGURE 4 | Conveyor chain replacements (costs/year) Illustration of Benefits Conveyor Chain Replacement Chain Changes Length /Year Thermal Oven UV Curing Lamps (4) 100 ft 10 ft 4 2 Cost ($) Cost ($) /Foot /Year $ 20.00 $ 20.00 $ 8,000 $ 400 FIGURE 5 | Cost comparison summary. Illustration of Benefits C os t C omparis ons 4 lamps UV Curing $ 600 $ 22,560 $ 400 $ 23,560 Gas oven Thermal $ 6,000 $ 44,736 $ 8,000 $ 58 ,736 Future of UV Coatings It is predicted that there will be a continued growth of 5-10% per year in UV coatings usage in North America. This will be driven by: • environmental compliance (increased VOC restrictions); • increased speed/productivity; Space Energy Maintenance Totals/year 46 APRIL 2008 | W W W . P C I M A G . C O M http://WWW.PCIMAG.COM

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Paint & Coatings Industry - April 2008 Contents Viewpoint Industry News Calendar of Events Company News Mergers and Acquisitions Names in the News Snapshots of Success – Automotive Applications Designing UV-Curable Materials for High-Temperature Optical Fiber Applications The Future of UV Coatings is Now! Milling Media Review Part 1 – Bead Density Effect Preparation and Properties of UV-Curable Polyurethane Acrylate Resins for Metal Surfaces Conquering Color Harmony High-Performance PU Crosslinkers for Two-Component Waterborne Applications Decorative Film Laminates How Long Will the Gilding Glitter? Gaining a Competitive Advantage Using Benchmarking Supplier Showcase Materials Watch Products and Literature Classifieds Advertiser Index Automotive Color Trends New England Museum Solves Century-Old Vanderbilt Mansion Mystery

Paint & Coatings Industry - April 2008

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