Screenprinting is commonly used in the glass decoration industry, with many differing ink types used. With UV curing inks, a reactive resin (oligomer) and reactive diluents (monomer) combine with the organic pigment and some photo initiators on exposure to UV radiation (light) to form an instantly hard & resistant film. The costs are much lower as power requirements are lower, and the inks have high coverage, thus reducing costs. There are developments in glass pre-treatment to aid adhesion and resistance of these UV cured coatings, two common ones being the UVitro and Pyrosil processes. Sun Chemical Screen has introduced the UVG range of inks, which combine the advantages of two pack solvent based inks with a very hard & resistant ink, whilst not requiring heat post processing. Commercial testing has yielded good results. For more information see: www.coates.com
