Cure-on-command technology: A review of the current state of the art

Cure-on-command technology has been under extensive investigation during the past years. It has many advantages such as rapid cure and high productivity, low capital investment, high solids and elimination of solvents, low cost and energy consumption, possible multiple operations, high degrees of cross-linking, and improved chemical, abrasion, and stain resistance. This review mainly focuses on the major classes of the cure-on-command technology. It begins with an overview on ultraviolet (UV) curing equipment. The coating application processes, exposure process, UV line equipment, exposure factor measurement, and some examples of UV coating lines are provided. In addition, fundamentals of the UV curing mechanisms including free radical initiated UV cure and cationic UV cure are highlighted. Furthermore, recent process-related UV curing developments are discussed. Electron beam (EB) curing, as one of the most useful industrial curing technologies commercially available today, is then provided. Finally, we focus on magnetically induced curing systems. The induction curing and curing through magnetic macro-initiators are discussed in detail.