The world’s largest event dedicated to the educational, technical, and scientific advancement of ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) technologies.
The world’s largest event dedicated to the educational, technical, and scientific advancement of ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) technologies.
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Yueguo Dong, TIANJIN JIURI NEW MATERIALS CO.,LTD
Jiuri New Materials is a company that has been dedicated to the research and development of photoinitiators for over 20 years.
In recent years, both regulations and application requirements have posed many challenges to photoinitiators, such as toxicity, odor, yellowing, etc. In response to these issues, We have been continuously researching and developing new products to meet new market and regulatory demands.
It takes a long time to invest in the structural design and commercialization of new products. We will continue to increase research and development investment in new PIs in the future, providing high-quality raw material supply and guarantees for the healthy development of the UV curing industry.
This report introduces the ideas of Jiuri New Materials in developing a new type of photoinitiator, some problems encountered during the development process, and response plans for the many challenges faced by current PIs.
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Dr Steve Postle and Maj Grit Kruse, BCH Bruehl GmbH
Acylphosphine oxides, including BAPO (Phenyl bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phosphine oxide) and TPO (2,4,6-Trimethylbenzoyl diphenyl phosphine oxide) have been widely used as photoinitiators in UV-curable coatings, inks, and adhesives due to their efficient initiation and photobleaching properties. However, these materials bring some problems like the low solubility of BAPO and the recent regulatory bans due to potential health concerns of TPO. These issues have prompted the need for alternative photoinitiators, including so-called “liquid BAPOs”, using the advantages of acylphosphine oxide chemistry. We will discuss advancements in new photoinitiator design, such as improved reactivity, reduced toxicity, and enhanced compatibility with existing formulations (both 100% solids and waterborne systems). The comparative analysis of these photoinitiators highlights the progress and challenges in the search for effective, readily-formulable, and regulatory-compliant novel acylphosphine oxides.
Ilaria Pasquali, IGM Resins USA Inc.
Polymeric photoinitiators are an established technology with different chemistry used for Hg- and LED-curing. A new polymeric Type II PI was designed based on our latest glyoxylate chemistry. This product combines good reactivity under LED with low yellowing and is suitable for applications requiring low migration. This represents an additional opportunity for the formulator to phase out classical photoinitiators and obtain the desired performance for both traditional and sensitive applications.
Kenji Kikuta, Osaka Organic Chemical Industry Limited
We reported a new acrylate curing system with H-donor acrylate and H-acceptor acrylate for Norrish type II curing at Photopolymer Week in Boulder, CO in October 2022 and Radtech Florida in Orlando, FL in May 2024. This system helps with low migration because both molecules have an acrylate group. The area for improvement in this system is the absorption curve, including wavelength and intensity. In this presentation, we will report on the development of a system that cures with different types of light sources.
Maj Grit Kruse and Dr Steve Postle, BCH Bruehl GmbH
As the demand for sustainable materials grows, it is important to look at all parts of a formulation for improvement of the overall environmental impact. This presentation will not only cover biobased monomers and oligomers, but also biobased photoinitiators. Derived 100% or partially from renewable resources, these substances offer a greener alternative to traditional petrochemical-based products, aligning with the industry’s push towards the goal of sustainability, and outperforming purely natural products. We will explore the synthesis methods, sustainability benefits, and practical applications of the biobased products and address the challenges of integrating these materials into existing manufacturing processes. Looking at application examples, we will highlight the transformative potential of biobased photoinitiators, monomers and oligomers in promoting a more sustainable future for the graphic arts, coatings and adhesives industries.
Clementine Champagne, Arkema
For the world to change, the materials we use must evolve. In the design phase, one of the challenges is to replace virgin fossil feedstocks by feedstocks coming from biomass or recycled origins. The mass balance approach is a virtuous method to accelerate the transition and allow capex intensive supply chains the access to renewable feedstocks. The approach is framed by robust certification schemes applied across the whole value chain to ensure a full traceability from the feedstocks to the end products. We will discuss the benefits of mass balance solutions in UV-LED-EB curable applications, with a special focus on performance coatings, graphic arts and industrial materials, and how they enable industry players to achieve their sustainability and climate goals while enhancing product performance.
Imtiaz I Rangwalla, Energy Sciences Inc.
Sustainability and recyclability mandates for packaging and other applications are being closely monitored and the deadline to meet them is getting closer. Energy curing in particular electron beam curing offers several advantages. What are these advantages and how modern EB equipment is being developed to meet them will be discussed. Also, latest update on recyclability of Mono material packaging with EB curing will be presented.
Kristy Wagner, Red Spot Paint and Varnish
UV curable coatings have successfully been used in exterior automotive applications for over 25 years. Due to their crosslinking capabilities, they can also be used to improve interior automotive coating properties. Technologies range from clear, to pigmented to PVD finishes. UV curable coatings provide superior scratch and abrasion resistance as well as the ability to withstand the daily assault of chemicals, lotions, and cleaners. Not only does the technology have superior performance, but the application process is leaner and more efficient. With continued emphasis on sustainability and environmental regulations, UV curable coatings will be able to meet many future demands.
Joseph D Lichtenhan, Hybrid Plastics Inc
Coupling agents are well known as additives that promote the binding of polymers to dissimilar surfaces. This technology has recently evolved into a systematized additive platform (POSS®) designed to promote the interfacial bonding between dissimilar polymers, in situ, using UV light.
Optical coatings were chosen to demonstrate the power of POSS co-coupling agents because morphological incompatibility is readily detectable as haze or opacity. Furthermore, there is significant industrial demand to improve the physical characteristics of optical coatings. For example, a holy grail development would be a 1-part, UV formulation with the mechanical characteristics of PET and the scratch tolerance of a sol-gel hard coat.
This study utilized oxetanes (cationic cure) mixed with arcylates (free radical cure) and compatibilized with epoxy acrylate POSS additives. Along with optical transmittance, the thermomechanical, scratch, and mechanical properties will be discussed and compared to PET.
Sage Schissel, PCT Ebeam and Integration
Hybrid polymerization – the combination of free-radical and cationic polymerizations in a single system – has proven in photopolymerization literature to be a successful pairing of the two mechanisms, balancing out the disadvantages of one with the advantages of the other. For example, the shrinkage and shrinkage stress experienced by free-radical systems can be counterbalanced by ring-opening cationic systems. These findings could provide new formulation opportunities for robust applications, such as metal coil coating. However, little research has been done to explore how switching the initiation source from UV to EB impacts the resulting hybrid polymer. This work seeks to provide a preliminary investigation into EB-initiated hybrid polymerization through polymer conversion and physical property data.
Finnis Ginder, Mississippi State University
Raman spectroscopy effectively measures conversion in electron-beam-cured polymers; however, a stable reference peak is required. Benzene rings are ideal for this purpose, as they resist changes when exposed to irradiation. This necessity limits monomers that can be studied using this technique to those containing a benzene ring, excluding most industrially relevant monomers. By introducing pyrene to the formulation as an external source of the benzene ring peak, conversions can be measured with minimal impact to polymerization.
Jim Raymont, EIT 2.0 LLC
The use of LEDs in UV curing applications continues to grow exponentially. The good news is the growth has created new UV users, formulators and suppliers in the curing industry. Unfortunately, the level of practical UV “know-how” has not kept pace with this growth. Misconceptions such as, “If a UV LED source lasts for “tens of thousands” of hours, why would I even need to measure it?” or “I can use any UV instrument to measure UV LEDs,” are still prevalent in the industry. This presentation will present real world measurement data differentiating the performance of radiometers designed for broadband (mercury) sources and narrow-spectra UV LED sources within the same UV bands (UVV, UVA, UVB, UVC). The pitfalls of a ‘one radiometer fits all’ approach to UV curing will be highlighted, as well as the impact of establishing a cure specification with an instrument not optimized for the lamp source.
Endrit Shurdha, Arkema
The growth of UV LED curing is driven by its low energy consumption and reduced environmental impact. However, it faces limitations in terms of available photoinitiator choice and type, due to the narrow band emission of LED UV light. Amine synergist are a class of resins necessary for use with most type II photoinitiators. Current regulations have created new needs in the type of amine synergist needed to be used such as faster cure, low migration and less yellowing. Arkema has been working in developing new amine synergist that tackle some of these issues and will be discussed during this presentation.
Kenji Kikuta, Osaka Organic Chemical Industry Limited
Osaka Organic Chemical has various kinds of oxetane/carbonate/urethane monomers. However, we have not reported on their physical properties and curing properties of (meth)acrylates materials. In this presentation, we will report radical curing properties of oxetane/carbonate/urethane monomers and cationic curing behavior of oxetane/carbonate (meth)acrylates.
* This presentation may be cancelled
Robert Antolovich, Miwon
Urethane acrylates are widely used in coatings for their flexibility, adhesion, and weather resistance. This study investigates how blending various diluent monomers can synergistically enhance these properties beyond what individual diluents can achieve. We systematically varied diluent combinations and ratios to identify optimal blends that maximize performance. These findings provide formulators with valuable insights into tailoring urethane acrylate coatings for specific applications.
Christian Bykovets, Evonik
Viscosity management, reinforcement, dimensional integrity/accuracy, optical clarity, and solid/liquid component separation control are all crucial properties of photopolymers used in layer-by-layer 3D printing processes. The addition of fumed silica to photopolymer formulations can aide in managing these properties, specifically when using fumed silica tailored for radiation cured materials. AEROSIL® VP RS 720 is after-treated with a methacrylate silane as a hydrophobization agent. Unlike traditional fumed silicas, where the surface treatment is typically chemically inactive, this treatment contains functional sites that allow greater integration into methacrylate resins, providing greater levels of strength and reinforcement. VP RS 720 is specifically manufactured to provide low-thickening effects and improved dispersion performance in photopolymer systems, providing enhancements for these crucial properties.