Back to results
US 2003/0164571 A1Published application
Inert gas curing process for in-mold coating
OwnerL. Scott Crump, Shoujie Liinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process is disclosed to eliminate or diminish oxygen inhibition of the curing of coating resins in the composite industry. A free radical curable coating is applied to a mold surface and an inert gas is used to protect the coatings from oxygen in the air during the cure. The inert gases can be, but are not limited to, nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas. The inert gas or mold or both can be heated to a temperature above room temperature.
Claims12
An in-mold coating process comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a mold having at least one surface adapted to form a molded part;
- (b) applying a curable coating to the surface of the mold, wherein the coating comprises a resin curable by a free-radical reaction and the free-radical curing reaction is inhibited by the presence of oxygen;
- (c) contacting the applied curable coating with a gas inert to the coating thereby displacing or diluting atmospheric air in contact with the coating such that the oxygen content in the gas in contact with the applied coating is less than the oxygen content in air;
- (d) curing the coating while the coating remains in contact with the inert gas.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.