A new era in super wetters (for water borne and UV cured coatings and inks)

摘要

The growth in waterborne and radiation-cured coatings and inks far exceeds that of their solventborne equivalents. The need for lower VOCs, "greener" materials, improved food safety and reduced economics, (inventory reduction and faster production speeds), all contribute to this growth, and this in turn increases the need for superwetters. Why? As formulators transition from solventborne coatings and inks to create healthier, safer and more eco-friendly systems, performance requirements bring to light issues and disadvantages associated with waterborne and radiation-curable systems. In particular, many of the surfactant packages utilized have the negative effect of stabilizing foam from air incorporation during coatings production and application. In addition, in waterborne coatings specifically, the inherent high surface tension of water creates the potential to cause surface defects such as craters and poor wetting on substrates.