UV, LED and Excimer technology for wood and wood-based materials

Nürtingen, 9. August 2022: At the IWF (International Woodworking Fair), which will take place from August 23-26 in Atlanta, USA, UV equipment manufacturer IST Metz will showcase a broad product portfolio of UV, LED and excimer technology for curing, gelling and matting of coatings and varnishes on wood and wood-based materials at booth B8142.

Wood and wood-based materials are coated and lacquered with different UV-curing finishes, such as fillers, sealers, primers and topcoats, and printed with UV inks, depending on the requirements. UV technology is used for partial curing, pre-gelation as well as for matting and final curing of the finishes and inks. At IWF, IST Metz will present, among other things, the LAMPcure unit BLK LAMPcure with long-wave gallium lamp, which influences both the viscosity of the coating and the reactivity au the emission of the excimer lamp during gelation. The BLK LAMPcure was developed for the highest industrial requirements and can also be supplied in the LED version LEDcure with 365,385 or 395nm wavelength for a variety of applications. Angling by means of UV or LED technology influences the feel of the coating even after curing: additional properties such as a soft-touch surface or an anti-fingerprint effect can be achieved.

Matting by means of Excimer technology

At a wavelength of 172nm, excimer lamps have an enormously high-energy emission that starts a polymerization process in the uppermost part of a layer of UV-curable coating. The final ring depth of the UV emission is comparatively low, so this process leaves a thin film on the wet coating without affecting deeper layers of coating. Since this film formation is subject to shrinkage, the film near the surface exhibits micro-folds, resulting in a matte surface. These can be cured in the final cure using conventional LAMPcure technology. The result is a mechanically and chemically highly resistant surface.