EB Electron Beam Curing - New Applications on Decorative Films

Electron Beam (EB) refers to the flow of electrons with a certain amount of energy that gather in space and move in the same direction. The process of using an electron beam to transform a liquid material into a solid material is called electron beam solidification.

EB curing technology is an efficient, pollution-free, and energy-saving processing technology, widely used in industries such as coatings, inks, adhesives, and composite materials. EB curing is a cold process that does not generate heat, so its advantages can be applied to heat resistant materials for printing and coating processing.

Heat resistant materials specifically refer to heat shrink film, heat sensitive paper, RC photo paper for photography, heat transfer paper, etc. By using EB curing technology, the product's stain resistance, scratch resistance, and durability are improved, endowing it with functionality and high added value.

01 EB Curing Coating Technology

EB curing coating technology refers to uniformly coating EB resin on the base film, followed by crosslinking after EB irradiation, resulting in polymerization reaction and final curing. EB curing coating can make the surface of the product have characteristics such as water resistance, chemical resistance, and scratch resistance. Compared with other coating technologies, EB coating technology is more energy-efficient, solvent free, and environmentally friendly, with the advantages of fast processing speed and high yield.

(1) Characteristics of EB curing coating

Through the coordination design of EB cured resin, the formation of a network of high-density polymer chain skeleton cross-linking is controlled, while the printing layer quickly solidifies the film. This endows the surface of the decorative film with scratch resistance, pollution resistance, and other properties, while also retaining the flexibility and formability of tightly fitting processing with the substrate.

During the EB electron beam irradiation process, EB curing generates many active monomers that participate in the reaction, so various functional additives can be added to improve the durability and sustainability of the product.

EB electron beam curing does not require photopolymerization initiators. On the contrary, materials such as absorbers that can absorb ultraviolet rays with high degrees of freedom can be added to the coating, thereby achieving super weather resistant product design.

(2) EB curing coating manufacturing method

When EB irradiation is carried out in the presence of oxygen, the free radicals caused by reactive species are often hindered by oxygen and inactivated. Therefore, it is necessary to isolate oxygen and conduct EB irradiation in an inert gas environment (high-purity 99.99% nitrogen).

Before curing of EB resin coating, intaglio printing method or roller coating method shall be selected according to the resin properties (fluidity, etc.) and applied coating amount. After proper drying, EB electron beam irradiation can achieve curing effect.

(3) Advantages of EB curing coating technology

Compared to traditional curing coating technology, the advantages of EB curing coating technology are as follows:

① It is an environmentally friendly treatment technology that efficiently utilizes energy and saves energy.

② Equipped with an environmentally friendly drying system for solvent free coating.

③ Immediate solidification, excellent performance in high-speed batch production and high quality stability.

④ The material molecules are directly excited by EB irradiation, and a large number of substances undergo active reactions, with a reaction rate higher than that of UV curing.

⑥ It has high penetration and is not limited by the color and thickness of the coating. It can illuminate the bottom layer and has a deeper curing depth.

⑦ It belongs to the cold processing method and is not prone to thermal damage or deformation of the substrate during irradiation. Therefore, it has high degrees of freedom in selecting the substrate to be coated.

02 Products developed based on EB curing technology

(1) Development of decorative panels using EB curing technology

Zhihua EB decorative board is the first in China to apply aerospace black technology EB electron beam curing technology to the surface coating of the board. Faced with dents, scratches, stains, or fading caused by sunlight on the board. EB coating can protect the surface of the board and easily solve these problems. The resistance to heavy object impact is an important test of the performance of the board, for which we conducted relevant tests.

(2) Development of decorative film using EB curing technology

Zhihua EB decorative film is a decorative film made of imported polymer materials as the base material through the first high-end extrusion production equipment and production technology in Asia jointly developed by our company and SML in Europe, which is purely imported by our company. Then, EB electron beam curing equipment is used to coat the surface layer of the film material and then EB electron beam irradiation is carried out, thus forming a high-density coating EB decorative film.

The test proves that compared with other decorative films, EB decorative facial mask overcomes the problems of color change and fading after being exposed to climate and ultraviolet light. It has better weather resistance, pollution resistance, easy cleaning and care, and micro scratch can be hot repaired.

With the increasing emphasis on the environment and energy, as well as the demand for healthy, comfortable, and environmentally friendly building materials products, the research direction of combining environmentally safe materials with low-carbon is common in the industry.

Compared with traditional curing coating technology, EB curing coating technology plays a positive role in controlling carbon emissions and reducing CO2 emissions in the product manufacturing process; In addition, due to the formation of a coating film with high-density chain skeleton cross-linking after irradiation of the resin coating, the decorative film is endowed with excellent scratch resistance, pollution resistance, weather resistance, and durability.

Zhihua EB technology is a unique and advanced technology that not only solves the problems of durability and reliability, but also adds unique colors to the living space with diverse designs. EB decorative facial mask board fully considers space construction. As the "decorative panel" of the life stage, its performance, unique gravel feeling and high-quality design are popular. Integrate space to record the trajectory of life, and bring more beautiful moments into daily life attitudes!