How to solve the problem of incomplete curing of UV coating?
Quick answer: Photoinitiator choice is usually driven by lamp match, cure depth, yellowing, and whether the final film still performs on the real substrate. The best package is rarely the cheapest single grade.
UV coating technology has become the mainstay of green coatings because of its environmental friendliness, high efficiency and high hardness, and is inevitably and increasingly accepted in a wide range of applications. The range of substrates it can be applied to has evolved from wood and paper to plastics, metals, ceramics, glass and other fields.
UV curing principle and characteristics
UV curing (UV curing), refers to the strong ultraviolet light irradiation, the system of photosensitive substances in the chemical reaction to produce active fragments, triggering the system of active monomer or zwitterionic polymerization, cross-linking, so that the system from the liquid coating instantly into a solid coating. curing process is a photochemical reaction process, that is, under the action of ultraviolet light energy, prepolymer In a very short period of time cured into a film, UV light in addition to causing the surface curing of the material, more penetration into the liquid UV-curable ink, and stimulate the further curing of deep ink; compared with traditional ink, UV-curable ink polymerization and drying more thoroughly, without any evaporation or solvent-based contaminants, 100% curing. UV curing technology has been developed rapidly in the world, and rapidly in Electronics, printing, construction, decoration, medicine, machinery, chemical and automotive industries to promote the application.
UV curing technology is widely used mainly because of its unique advantages: it cures quickly, catering to the needs of modern automated production; pollution-free, in line with the direction of development of modern coatings and inks; high quality coating film, high hardness, scratch resistance, corrosion resistance and other advantages and has attracted much attention.
Here we discuss the six factors that affect the incomplete UV light curing
1, the energy of ultraviolet light.
(1). UV light energy is insufficient, generally because the uv lamp production power density is too small, or with the transformer parameters do not match, thus causing incomplete curing.
(2). UV coatings in the photoinitiator is not enough to absorb reasonable UV energy, resulting in incomplete curing.
2. The temperature inside the UV furnace is too low.
UV furnace due to excessive air volume of the centrifugal fan, or the role of excessive water cooling, the oxygen blocking situation is too strong, resulting in the UV lamp surface temperature is too low to work properly, resulting in incomplete curing of UV coatings.
3, the distance of the light curing lamp.
UV lamp and reflector and the distance between the surface of the illuminated object in 7 ~ 8cm when the strongest UV energy, but according to the different curing substrates, the general curing distance is selected at about 10 ~ 15cm.
(1). Distance is too low, because the UV lamp surface temperature is very high, the substrate is deformed by heat.
(2). Distance is too high, UV energy is small, the surface of the substrate is not dry and sticky.
4, the thickness of the UV coating.
UV coating thickness plays a key role in the effect of UV curing, according to the paint hue, temperature, curing speed, substrate surface and other different conditions for appropriate deployment.
(1). The coating is too thick, the drying time is relatively long under the irradiation of the same power light source, on the one hand, it affects the deep drying of UV coating, on the other hand, it will make the surface temperature of the substrate too high, leading to the deformation of the substrate.
(2). The coating layer is too thin, which will lead to poor surface gloss of the product and fail to achieve the required surface effect.
5. Speed of conveyor belt of coating line.
According to the different substrates, coatings and curing distance, the speed of the equipment conveyor belt, i.e. the speed of light curing, should be adjusted appropriately.
(1). Curing speed is too fast, the substrate surface UV coating sticky or surface dry but not dry inside.
(2). Slow running speed, the surface of the substrate will age.
6, the environment of light curing process.
UV coating viscosity changes greatly due to temperature, so the room temperature should be adjusted, generally controlled at 15-25 ℃ is more appropriate, the temperature is too low will produce orange peel phenomenon, and pay attention to the printing can not be exposed to direct sunlight.
UV Photoinitiator Same series products
A practical selection route for photoinitiator-related projects
When technical buyers or formulators screen photoinitiators, the most useful decision frame is usually cure quality plus application fit: which package cures reliably, keeps appearance acceptable, and still works under the lamp, film thickness, and substrate conditions of the actual process.
- Match the package to the lamp first: mercury lamps, UV LEDs, and visible-light systems can rank the same photoinitiators very differently.
- Check depth cure and surface cure separately: a film that feels dry on top can still be weak underneath.
- Balance yellowing with reactivity: the strongest deep-cure route is not always the best commercial choice if color or migration risk becomes unacceptable.
- Use the final formula as the benchmark: pigment load, monomer package, and film thickness can all change the apparent ranking of the same initiator.
Recommended product references
- CHLUMINIT TPO-L: A strong low-yellowing reference for LED-oriented UV systems.
- CHLUMINIT 819: Useful when a formulation needs stronger absorption and deeper cure support.
- CHLUMINIT 1173: A practical comparison point for classic short-wave UV initiation.
- CHLUMINIT ITX: A useful long-wave support route in many printing-ink packages.
FAQ for buyers and formulators
Why are blended photoinitiator packages so common?
Because one product may control yellowing or lamp fit well while another improves cure depth or line-speed performance, so the full package is often stronger than any single grade.
Should incomplete cure always be solved by adding more initiator?
Not automatically. The real limitation may be the lamp, film thickness, pigment shading, or the rest of the reactive system rather than simple under-dosage.