Frequently Asked Questions about uv powder

The most common questions are presented below. If you have other questions or would like to have further information please use the contact us form .

Is UV powder technology cheaper than my current technology?
When you compare your system to UV powder not only the price of the paint should be taken into account, but rather the total system cost per square meter. DSM has developed a program to help you calculate these costs. Please contact us for further information.

Is UV powder a commercial technology?
Yes, several applications are running. A.o. on MDF, pre-assembled metal and PVC flooring.

During manufacture, the resulting extrudate is very sticky, what can I do about this?
The Uracross products are of a semi-crystalline nature. The processing is preferably done between the glass transition temperature and the melt range. Too high extrudate temperatures may lead to entering the melting range which will lead to tackiness of the extrudate. Adjust the extrusion temperature to obtain an extrudate temperature of no more than 70°C and allow some time before grinding.

What can I do if the powder tends to get sticky with the grinding process?
A powder with a semi-crystalline nature may be a little sticky. Two parameters may cause this problem. First, it is very important to have (air)cooling to prevent the material from getting too warm. Second, after extrusion the material needs to be given sufficient time to recrystallize, two, or more, hours at least are recommended.

How do I correctly store my material to prevent quality loss?
It is advisable to store the powder under dry and dark conditions. The maximum temperature depends on the formulation but is generally below 30°C.

Is matting of UV powder formulations possible?
A smooth matt coating is still difficult to obtain in UV powder technology. The best result yet obtained is our semi-gloss formulation mentioned in table 5. It has a gloss level of 40-45 @ 60°.

Can all colors be cured properly?
When yellow pigments are used, the cure may be incomplete due to absorption of the UV light by the pigment.

Does the surface smoothness improve by longer melting under the IR lamps?
Generally surface appearance improves when the coating is given more time to flow. A very slight orange peel effect, however, can still occur. The other important factor influencing surface quality is the layer thickness of the coating. Thick layers ( >120 µm ) tend to give much better esthetic properties.

Spraying equipment
http://www.nordson.com/powder
http://www.wagnerspraytech.com
http://www.itwgema.com

UV equipment
http://www.fusionuv.com
http://www.ist-uv.com
http://www.heraeus-noblelight.com
http://www.curing.com

IR equipment
http://www.heraeus-noblelight.com
http://www.blasdelent.com
http://www.infrared-systems.com
http://www.leinweber.at

Equipment lines
http://www.triab.com
http://www.nutro.com
http://www.pedtech.com
http://www.abb.com

Organizations
http://www.uvcuring.com
http://www.pra.org.uk
http://www.radtech.org
http://www.coatings.de