The performance characteristics of UV-curable powder coatings on MDF
Promises, possibilities, but what about proof? Finishers have heard much about ultraviolet-curable [UV-curable] powder coatings for medium-density fiberboard [MDF]. But many people in the finishing industry still have questions. Are UV-curable powder coatings meeting expectations? And how do they stack up with more traditional thermoset powders? This article is a side-byside study of UV-curable and thermoset powder coatings. It explains both processes, compares film thicknesses, identifies cosmetic properties achievable with UV-curable powder coatings, and goes into detail about the performance of the powder-coated MDF. The article then summarizes UV-curable and thermoset powder processes for MDF.
Much has been written about the promise of ultraviolet-curable [UV-curable] powder coatings as a finishing technology for medium-density fiberboard [MDF], but little has been reported about the empirical performance of these coatings. Some data has been published regarding thermoset powder coatings for MDF, but the scarce bit of data about UV-curable coatings is outdated and misleading. The work discussed in this article was commissioned by a research grant from the Research Board of Canada and was intended to quantify the results of testing of UV-curable and thermoset powder coatings on MDF. Care was taken to present test results that are accepted industry standards by those who use powder-coated products in manufacturing or results that are likely to be of practical use to end users.