berita perusahaan tentang The road to light-curing automotive coatings: quality and durability

The road to light-curing automotive coatings: quality and durability

  Automotive body paint is a true work of art, and manufacturers strive to create a flawless, aesthetically pleasing finish. Meanwhile, year after year, cars are subjected to the ravages of sun, rain, wind, frost, acid rain, saltwater from de-icing agents, and rockfall. Maintaining this aesthetic and preventing rust under these conditions places stringent demands on the coating. Consequently, automotive coatings are considered the pinnacle of coatings.

  Most car bodies are made of steel, but plastics are also widely used, so the coatings have different requirements. In addition, car repair paint is also an important component of car coatings. Light-curing coatings have various advantages. In order for light-curing coatings to enter the ranks of automotive coatings, in addition to the coating itself meeting the requirements, suitable coating and curing equipment is also required. Generally, light-curing coatings are generally used for coating flat surfaces and simple-shaped objects. Since the shapes of automotive parts vary, three-dimensional (3D) coating and curing equipment is required. The combination of the two is possible to fully enter the automotive field.

  Automotive metal parts, especially the car body, are typically primed with cathodic electrophoretic paint or other anti-rust paints, which contain large amounts of pigments and additives. UV-curable paints are difficult to replace. However, when a car body is damaged and needs repair, it is impossible to use electrophoretic paint as the primer, nor is it easy to use thermosetting paints. Room-temperature curing paints are time-consuming. ICI has now developed a UV-curable primer, UVSpeedprime, that utilizes a resin commonly used in electronics, an initiator for low-energy UV light, and specialized pigments. The pigments added meet the requirements for corrosion resistance, hardness, matting, and pore filling without affecting the UV-curing speed. Unlike conventional opaque primers, this product is transparent. It is easy to apply, sand, and use safely. Using a low-energy handheld UV lamp, it cures in under two minutes. After conditioning and sanding, the topcoat can be applied, making the entire repair process quick and easy.

  UV-curable powder coatings combine the advantages of both powder coatings and UV-curable coatings. They can be applied not only to metal but also to plastics, wood, and other heat-sensitive components, significantly expanding the application range of powder coatings. Consequently, they have great potential for automotive use and are attracting significant attention. Powder coatings can replace conventional paints on surfaces such as car frames and rims. Metal frames on automobiles are subject to damage from stone chips, stains, and blisters, and are typically treated first with electrophoretic paint. However, electrophoretic paint has limited color options and often exhibits streaking and other defects. To enhance its decorative properties, UV-curable powder coatings can be used to compensate. The combination of these two methods can achieve satisfactory results, with powder coatings imparting exceptional decorative qualities. Wheel rims made of aluminum alloy place extremely high demands on the coating. Traditional rim coatings typically consist of a thermosetting powder coating as a primer, followed by a shimmering midcoat, and finally a clear topcoat. UV-curable coatings can now replace all three layers of paint.