UV Coating

A UV coating is a surface treatment which either is cured by ultraviolet radiation, or which protects the underlying material from such radiation's harmful effects.

Ultraviolet cured coatings can be applied over ink printed on paper and dried by exposure to UV radiation. UV coatings can be formulated up to 100% solids so that they have no volatile component that contributes to pollution. This high solids level also allows for the coating to be applied in very thin films. UV coatings can be formulated to a wide variety of gloss ranges. UV coating can be applied via most conventional industrial coating applications as well as by silkscreen.

Due to the normally high solids content of UV coating/varnish the surface of the cured film can be extremely reflective and glossy. 80 lb text and heavier weights of paper can be UV coated, however, cover weights are preferred.

UV can be applied on spot locations of the paper or by flooding the page. This coating application can deepen the color of the printed area. Drying is virtually instantaneous when exposed to the correct level of UV light so projects can move quickly into the bindery.

A printed page with UV coating applied can be very shiny or flattened to a matte finish. A good example of UV coated paper is photo paper sold for home printing projects. UV coatings that are not fully cured can have a slightly sticky feeling.

Glass and plastic can be coated to diminish the amount of ultraviolet radiation that passes through. Common uses of such coating include eyeglasses and automotive windows. Photographic filters remove ultraviolet to prevent exposure of the film or sensor by invisible light. UV curable coatings can be used to impart a variety of properties to polymeric surfaces, including glare reduction, wear or scratch resistance, anti-fogging, microbial resistance, chemical resistance. Computer screens, keyboards, and most other personal electronic devices are treated with some type of UV-curable coating. Coatings are usually applied to plastic substrates via spray, dip, roll, flow and other processes. UV-curable coatings are often specified for plastic parts because the process does not require heat, which can distort the plastic shape. [1]

The industrial wood finisher has essentially three options in types of UV-curable coatings to use—100% UV, water-reduced UV and solvent reduced UV. Each type of UV-curable coating can be applied by virtually any method of application. The selected method of application is dependent on the surface structure/property to be finished, the finish quality desired on that surface, and the production rate that finishing must achieve. Another consideration is recovery, typically UV-curable coatings are more expensive than conventional cure coatings and as such any material that does not get applied to the part would need to be recovered as efficiently as possible. The selection of the UV-curable coating type applied by any method is really a matter of finish build or thickness, the ease to achieve certain finish subtleties (gloss, leveling, etc.), and the ease of use of the coating system. In general, if 100% UV-curable coatings can be used to produce the desired finish quality, it is best to set a course of action to use them. Costs, operation expenses and reporting requirements will be most advantageous with 100% UV-curable coatings. If very thin film builds are desired, less than 100% actives may be necessary and the use of water-reduced UV-curable coatings is most preferential.

...
Wikipedia