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The requirements for modern surface finishing processes in the wood and furniture industry continue to increase. In addition to high production speeds and outstanding surface quality, sustainability, energy efficiency and regulatory compliance have become key priorities. With FREEcure, IST METZ introduces an innovative UV curing technology that sets new standards in photoinitiator-free UV direct crosslinking.
Conventional UV curing systems in many applications rely on photoinitiators or nitrogen inerting. FREEcure takes a different approach: By significantly increasing the UVC content within the lamp spectrum, direct crosslinking becomes possible – without additional photoinitiators and without inertization.
Developed jointly by IST METZ and BASF, the technology addresses several key challenges within the wood and furniture industry:
Manufacturers of furniture surfaces, flooring and engineered wood products especially benefit from a simplified process design combined with high production performance.
FREEcure is based on a specially engineered UV lamp technology featuring optimized plasma characteristics as well as adapted lamp and reflector materials. This significantly increases short-wave UVC radiation.
Compared to conventional UV systems, FREEcure achieves more than 70% higher output within the process-relevant spectral range while considerably reducing energy consumption.
For industrial production lines, this means:
Particularly in the wood and furniture industry, where floor space and energy efficiency are critical competitive factors, FREEcure delivers substantial economic advantages.
In addition to efficiency and sustainability, the technology also provides excellent material performance. UV direct crosslinking achieves high double-bond conversion rates, resulting in outstanding chemical and mechanical resistance properties.
The result is robust, high-quality surfaces with:
This makes FREEcure especially suitable for premium furniture surfaces, decorative wood materials and demanding industrial coating applications.
As regulatory requirements increase and sustainable manufacturing becomes more important, photoinitiator-free UV curing is gaining significant momentum. FREEcure enables manufacturers to make existing production processes more efficient, sustainable and economical.
As one of the world’s leading suppliers of UV, LED UV, IR and excimer technologies, IST METZ develops solutions designed to future-proof industrial production. FREEcure demonstrates how innovative UV technology can successfully combine sustainability with maximum process performance.
