UV curing and EB curing Technology

Study and Compilation by: Anuj Agrawal

Date: 15th August 2022

UV Curing Process and Technology

Drying or curing of dyes, printing inks, coatings and adhesives using ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a
technology whose use is increasing in many areas of application.

Ultraviolet radiation is the strongest form of

radiation which occurs naturally in nature.
It can be divided into following wavelengths:

UVC: 180-280nm
UVB: 280-320nm
UVA: 320-400nm

Curing occurs because of the

photochemical reaction triggered by UV
radiation, whereby a solid film is generated
by crosslinking or polymerization.

Substances which can be cured by UV radiation are specially manufactured reactive liquids i.e. no solvents
are required, hence resulting in an ecofriendly coating system. However photosensitive additives (so
called photo initiators) are necessary.

Photoinitiators can be a problem when used with products used in the open air, because they often
cause yellowing after a period of time.

Advantages of UV Curing:

• No thermal energy required

• Faster conversion with high production speeds
• Substrate is not exposed to heat
• Results in good surface quality
• Dry film thickness is same as the application thickness

Medium pressure mercury lamps are the main kinds of UV lamps used. Because of their compact
construction, UV curing systems have small carbon footprint. No exhaust air line and no cooling zones are
required.

Since the UV coating liquids are highly reactive, they must be protected against inadvertent UV
radiation during storage i.e., must not come in contact with sunlight.

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Curing Variations:

There are 3 types of UV curing variations, which are well described and differentiated in the table below.

Oxygen Inhibition: Oxygen tends to react with the unsaturated compounds (alkene group containing
molecules), preventing complete polymerization – this leads to cured deeper layers but uncured and sticky
top layers. Thereby not providing the scratch or chemical resistance as per expectations.

EB Curing Process and Technology

Electron Beam (EB) curing is one of the most economically modern curing methods for polymerizing
systems. EB are used to crosslink acrylate coatings on paper, PET, polyolefins, PVC, wood and metal.

Electron beams can penetrate a

monomer containing, still liquid
lacquer layer, and polymerize fully to
create resistant layers. Regardless of
the pigments or other extenders, one
achieves very well cured coatings, as
long as the lacquer coat thickness
does not exceed the usable range of
the electrons. The depth of
penetration of electrons in the
lacquer coat can be calculated and determined using more precise curves (electron crosslinking sheet).
Drying and curing takes place in a matter of seconds.

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The electron beam accelerator is constructed analogous to cathode ray tube. Electrons are emitted in a
vacuum by hot cathode, accelerated in electric field, redirected by magnetic field in the direction of anode,
and meet on the surface to be irradiated that is being transported through the beam curtain at different
speeds. When the electrons meet the surface, the short chain molecules react to long chain polymers and
thus cure the surface.

Advantages of EB Curing:

• Ecofriendly process because of solvent free coating substances

• Curing of thick lacquer coatings in fraction of seconds
• Results in coatings with high crosslinking density
• No long wait times after drying – quick finishing

Disadvantages of EB Curing:

• Polymerization is strongly hindered by oxygen

• High acquisition costs

What is the difference between UV & EB curing Technology?

1. Difference in energy content

The smallest “bit” of EB energy is the electron. Unlike photons (in case of UV), electrons have
mass, and they are negatively charged. The energy of electrons is determined by the voltage
potential used in the acceleration process. Simple conversion of energy units shows that a 350nm
UV photon is equivalent to 3.5 eV. This contrasts with 70,000 eV of electrons when they hit the
surface. This means that EB electrons are on the order of 20,000 times more energetic than UV
photons! If one considers that a typical C-H or C-C bond energy is on the order of 4 to 5 eV, then
it becomes clear that EB has more than enough energy to break chemical bonds. This bond-
breaking ability qualifies EB as a form of “ionizing radiation” as compared to UV, which is “non-
ionizing.”

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 The bond-breaking power of EB is why free radical curing occurs without an added
photoinitiator. The radicals can form directly by EB acting on the monomer and oligomer
portion of the compositions.

2. Curing mechanism or Energy deposition mechanism

UV energy deposition is determined by the optical density of the material. UV curing can occur
quite deep (multiple inches) into clear materials where there is limited absorbance of the base
material in competition with the photoinitiators. However, UV curing has its limitations for
pigmented coatings since they have high optical density and result in higher absorbance.
EB energy deposition does not depend on the optical density of the material. It penetrates equally
well into clear and opaque materials.

With UV, there are a large number of

relatively low energy photons. The
energy of the photons is concentrated
at the surface and decreases
exponentially though the material as
predicted by Bouguer-Lambert Law.
Longer wavelength photons may be less
strongly absorbed and have enough
penetration to cure through the
material. With EB, there is a smaller
number of higher energy electrons. Each electron may result in multiple initiating events. Given a
selection of accelerating voltage appropriate for the material, the EB energy can be very uniform
from the front to back surface of the material.

References

1. Coating substrates and Textiles. Springer. Andreas Giessmann. 2020.

2. Electron beam effect on biomaterials I: Focusing on bone graft materials. Biomaterials research. Soung Min
Kim et al. 2015.
3. EB curable Ink. Kao Collins Inc.
4. UV+EB Technology. Q&A: EB Curing Technology. Stephen Lapin. 2015.