Chances are several times today you touched an object "cured" using either ultraviolet (UV) or electron beam (EB) processing by simply reaching for your morning cereal box, handling a CD or DVD, reading a magazine, using your credit card, typing on your keyboard, driving your car, or just walking on your floor.

UV (LED) and EB curing offer efficient drying processes for coatings, inks, adhesives, and more, using ultraviolet or electron beam radiation. This method is faster, energy-efficient, and cost-effective compared to traditional alternatives, making it particularly beneficial for heat-sensitive substrates.

Advantages include rapid curing, reduced energy consumption, and environmental friendliness due to the elimination of solvents. The UV & EB process utilizes UV lamps, LEDs, or lasers for UV curing and high-energy electrons for EB curing. This technology ensures immediate product readiness, making it suitable for high-speed processes.

The UV & EB curable compositions involve monomers, oligomers, and photoinitiators, with oligomers playing a crucial role in determining the final properties. Monomers act as diluents, and photoinitiators induce crosslinking. Additives, such as stabilizers and color pigments, enhance the formulation.

For those considering the switch to UV (LED) & EB technology, benefits include energy savings, improved productivity, suitability for sensitive substrates, and environmental and user-friendliness. The process is solvent-free, emits fewer pollutants, and requires minimal space.

To explore the sustainable benefits of UV curing, a video by RTE member RAHN provides insights into how UV curing reduces production costs and carbon footprint across various applications, from packaging to 3D printing.

Download the UV/EB brochure here or get in contact with the RTE Secretariat via mail@radtech-europe.com. We are happy to answer your questions or direct you to the right organization.  

Educational webinar series

Want to know more about UV(LED)/EB energy curing technology in general? RadTech Europe has done a couple of webinars that will tell you more about the basics. 

Introduction to UV/EB technology

UV-LED webinar series 2023:

  • An introduction - Introduction to the UV-LED series and UV-LED technology, presented by Angelique Runacre of Fujifilm and Paul Kelly of LuxsitUV. 

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  • Basics of LED - Rob Karsten from Phoseon Technology and Holly Steedman from IST INTECH will introduce the fundamentals of LED Curing technology. You can expect to learn about the components of the system and how these are combined to form curing systems. The introduction will also dive deeper into technical subjects such as thermal management, optics and focusing, and finally, discuss LED terminology and the implementation in the application. 

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  • The chemistry and materials behind LED - Presented by guest speaker Jacques Lalevee of the University of Haute Alsace. Photopolymerization technology has been developing steadily benefiting from the characteristics of spatial and temporal controllability, environmental protection, and efficient processes. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used as irradiation sources in photopolymerization increasingly due to their higher safety, lower energy consumption and longer emission wavelength than the conventional mercury lamps. Nowadays, LEDs are almost the primary choice to carry out photopolymerization experiments. In this work, new photoinitiating systems for radical, cationic or hybrid polymerization will be presented for different spectral ranges: near UV, visible, Near Infrared. This work will be extended to photopolyaddition processes. Some applications for coatings, 3D printing and photocomposites will be provided. The mechanical properties of the generated polymers/composites will be also discussed. 

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  • Energy Advantage - Presented by Jennifer Heathcote of GEW UV. Corporate net zero pledges, shifts to renewable power generation, growing electricity demand, and geopolitical events are stressing an already strained electrical grid.  The direct impact on manufacturing is steadily rising electricity costs and threats of frequent rolling blackouts. Learn how UV LED curing systems can:
    • reduce total energy demand
    • reduce total energy consumption
    • lower carbon footprint
    • mitigate rising energy costs

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  • Regulatory landscape of UV curing equipment - Presented by Jennifer Heathcote of GEW UV. A clear understanding of mercury vapor lamp and electronic device regulation is necessary for users of UV curing equipment to confidently plan future operations. Learn the drivers behind mercury and electronic device regulation, the status of leading global policy, and the impact on UV curing equipment and the environment. regulatory policy creates awareness and pressure to expedite change. once change is technically, economically, and practically viable, regulatory policy holds markets accountable. 

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  • How to tackle the challenges of using LED - Presented by Holly Steedman of Integrated Technology and Jochen Christiaens of Zeller+Gmelin. Are you still an LED sceptic? During this webinar, we will hear from LED converts who can tell their story of successful LED implementation. We will also discuss key challenges with using LED, like standardised measurement, current formulation capabilities, and the desire to have an LED replacement for Arc lamps. 

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  • The future of LED - Panelists discussing the opportunities and challenges of LED. 

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