Application and Growth of UV Curing Technology in China

By Qi Fu, Qingfeng Wang, Wenfeng Shi, Youkai Jin , Yangzhi Jin

Continuously increasing environmental concerns and ongoing legislation to cut the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been the major driving forces behind the fast development of radiation-curing tech­nology over the last few decades. 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 type of “clean and green technology.”

Currently, this technology is 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 fabrica­tions of microcircuits and printing plates.

In addition to its great speed and spatial saving, radiation curing presents many other advantages compared with other traditional curing methods; in particular, ambient temperature operation, solvent-free formulations, low energy consumption, and the pro­duction of polymer materials with tailor-made properties.

The markets for radia­tion-curable products have been greatly expanded in China. However, the strong growth in radiation curing in China currently is still predominantly in UV-curing technology. Limited by the price of accelerator, the de­velopment of EB applica­tion is still slow. Only a few EB lines for ink and adhe­sive applications have been established in recent years.