Growth and Use of Radiation-Curing Technology in China

By Qingfeng Wang, Wenfang Shi

The markets related to radiation-curing technology in China have expanded and grown along with the development of China’s economy in recent years. This article summarizes the input of 109 leading companies, including 37 that produce raw materials, 75 that manufacture UV products, and 12 that supply UV lamps and equipment (some of them supply multiple products).

The growth rates of raw materials and UV curable products were 11.8% and 27.4%, respectively, with the total growth rate of 17.3% in 2004. The production value of raw materials, radiation curable products, and UV lamps and equipment in China increased with the growth rates of 26.3% 13.4%, and 42%, respectively, and the total growth rate of 19.3% in 2004. Some remarkable progress has also been achieved in basic and application research.

Market trends, growth rate of each major segment, and  technological developments are reviewed. Increasing environmental concerns and ongoing legislation to cut the emissions of volatile organic compounds.(VOCs) have been the major driving forces behind the development of radiation-curing coatings over the past 30 years. Radiation curing, including ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) curing technology, is now being increasingly used in various sectors of applications because it is a clean and green technology that increases productivity as compared with other traditional curing methods.

This technology is now commonly utilized to perform the ultra fast drying of protective coatings, varnishes, printing inks, and adhesives, and to produce the high definition images required in the manufacture of microcircuits and printing plates. In addition to its great speed and spatial resolution, radiation curing presents a number of other advantages, in particular ambient temperature operation, solvent-free formulations, low energy consumption, and the production of polymer materials with tailor-made properties.

Despite some contradictions and problems, the Chinese economy has been maintaining rapid and sustainable development in recent years. While the economies in much of the world struggled, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) totaled 13.65 trillion yuan (1 .65 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2004, a jump of 9.5% from the previous year. Quite definitely, the country with the most growth last year and also forecasted for the next five to eight years is China. In this economic environment, the markets for radiation curing in China have been greatly expanded. The strongest growth in radiation curing currently is UV curing technology.