Light Stabilizer for Waterborne UV-curable Coatings — Faster, Safer, and Even More Eco-friendly

18 Jun, 2021

Author : Specialty Chemical Business Unit

Light stabilizer for waterborne UV-curable coatings — innovative, eco-friendly, and high performance.

UV-curing coatings possess many advantages such as convenient processing, superior film-forming properties, short curing times and low curing temperatures. This effectively reduces production cost, and as a result they are widely used in the fields of packaging materials, inks, wooden articles and metals.

As pointed out in the industry reports [1]-[2] by two market research companies Research and Markets and Allied Market Research, the vigorous development of automotive and aerospace industries could lead to an approximately 7% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of UV-curing coatings from 2019 to 2024, and the annual sales could reach as high as seven billion dollars in 2024. Asia is particularly believed to hit the largest growth rate.

For example, China will forcefully promote the production of electric vehicles, expecting an annual production of seven million units by 2025, while the Indian government is expected to construct 100 airports by 2032. Policies like these have increased the demand for UV-curing coatings. In addition, many emerging technologies such as 3D printing and digital printing will also drive their development.

Moreover, in recent years, we have developed a new type of coating product which combines waterborne and UV-curing technologies, offering dual advantages of both: the fast film-forming feature of UV-curing coatings can overcome the disadvantage of the time-consuming process of waterborne type, and viscosity can be directly diluted with water, which avoids shrinkage of the coatings. A further plus is that it does not use any solvents (non-VOC), which makes it even more eco-friendly, conserves more energy, and meets with the trend towards green chemistry of recent years.

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No matter how awesome a coating is, deterioration remains a problem...

Although waterborne UV-curing coatings offer more than a few advantages, they are still not completely immune to the fatal damage of all coatings—prolonged exposure to the sun will cause deterioration such as flaking and fading, which will have an impact on the product's appearance and the protective functionality of its substrate.

However, conventional light stabilizers have poor dispersibility when in water and the balance of their emulsification systems is easily destroyed, causing difficulties in the coagulation and spraying of emulsifier adhesive. Also, UV absorbers will compete with photoinitiators for UV energy, which affects the speed of curing and film formation. The lighting exposure steps have to be repeated; but multiple exposures to UV light not only consume energy and are laborious work, the process will also cause damage to the polymer resin and reduce the weatherability of the coating.

Everlight Chemical makes waterborne UV-curing coatings perform better!

In order to traverse the impasse of the industry's transition from solvent to waterborne UV-curing and fully bring out its benefits, Everlight Chemical has applied its accumulated experience in the field of weatherability to the development of a “light stabilizer for waterborne UV-curing coatings,” which utilizes innovative waterborne resin stabilization technology. It features excellent dispersibility in waterborne resin without affecting the speed of curing or film formation, and thus solves the processing and weather resistance problems of environmentally-friendly coatings.

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Product Features of Eversorb® Light Stabilizer

Superior compatibility

It’s suitable for waterborne coating systems, and disperses well in water.

No interfering with UV-curing speeds

It reduces the time and energy required for the curing process, thereby significantly bringing down production costs.

Effective ingredients as high as 70~90%

It dynamically protects the film of waterborne UV-curing coatings, slowing down deterioration such as discoloration and fading, and effectively improving product durability.

Excellent storage stability

It does not easily clot or coagulate into solid lumps in low temperature environments, and the shelf life of this product can be anything up to 24 months.

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Everlight Chemical continues to strive tirelessly for the industry and for environment protection

Our “new light stabilizer for waterborne UV-curing coatings” effectively solves the weathering problem of coatings, and meets with the current trend towards green chemistry. The product has also won the critical acclaim of the Product Innovation Award at the 2018 Chemical Technology Industry Elite Awards. Looking to the future, Everlight Chemical will also bring out more high-efficiency and eco-friendly products, and will continue to dedicate its efforts to industrial progress and innovation, as well as to the environmental protection of the Earth.