FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DESIGN OF ELECTRON BEAM CURING CHEMICALS.

Economic and environmental pressures have, in recent years, encouraged many sectors of the paper, plastics and finishing industries to consider alternative processes for the curing of inks, adhesives and coatings. Ultraviolet and electron beam irradiations of 100% solids coatings have now become commonplace alternatives to the thermal cure of solvent containing products. Ultraviolet curing has dominated the technology for inks and thin, clear coatings while electron beam has proved to be more practical and cost effective for applications involving high throughput and thick pigmented coatings. The applications of electron beam technology are summarized and the factors influencing the choice of electrons over other curing technologies are highlighted.