UV Curing of Ink Jet Printing

摘要

The physical properties of UV-cured materials are substantially affected by the lamp systems used to cure them. The development of the intended physical properties, whether an ink-jet printed process colors or solid colors can depend on how well these lamp systems are designed and managed. Four key variables of a UV curing exposure system, which can be designed or selected to produce the most efficient result, are discussed. Variables include UV irradiance (or intensity), spectral distribution (wavelengths) of UV, total UV energy, and infra-red radiation. The interaction with the optical and physical characteristics of materials such as spectral absorptivity, optical thickness, and diffusivity, result in limitations of the cure 'window' Typically, this cure 'window' is limited by loss of key physical properties, including adhesion, solvent resistance and scratch resistance. The ability to match all of these lamp characteristics to the optical and physical properties of a UV curable material yields more efficient and stable UV curing processes in production.