Innovative scratch-resistant functional coatings: Advancements in LED curing technology

 
Plastic components are integral to automotive interior and exterior applications, offering benefits such as design flexibility and reduced weight. However, these components require specialised coatings to meet stringent performance standards, including high scratch and abrasion resistance, chemical protection, long-term weatherability, and superior optical appearance. Momentive Performance Materials has over two decades of expertise in the development of advanced coating solutions and continues to drive innovation in this field. This paper highlights the collaborative efforts between Momentive Performance Materials and Excelitas Technologies, focusing on the successful curing of Momentive's UV-curable "Silfort"functional coatings using Excelitas' OmniCure LED curing systems. Specifically, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of UV-A and UV-C LEDs in curing of hardcoats tailored for automotive applications. The paper demonstrates the possibility to achieve the required performance of highly scratch resistant coatings by using latest UV-LED cure technology. This collaboration showcases the potential of combining Momentive's coating solutions with Excelitas' e LED curing technology, setting a new benchmark for the automotive and coating industry's high-performance plastic coatings