Method for the quality-controlled finishing of a surface with a radiation-cured surface finish
AssigneesDruckfarbenfabrik Gebr.Schmidt GmbH, Brucker-Saxonia Analytik GmbH
InventorsHans-Peter Seng, Reiner Mehnert, Hans-Rudiger Doring
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Abstract
Method for the quality-controlled treatment of surfaces with a radiation-cured surface treatment, in which a finishing formulation is applied to the surface and is polymerically crosslinked under the effect of radiation. To enable the quality control to be conducted non-destructively and at reduced cost, it is proposed that the finishing formulation contains a proton-affinitive indicator substance analyzable by ion mobility spectroscopy and that the indicator substance escaping from the printed or coated surface after the radiation curing is analyzed by means of ion mobility spectroscopy.
Claims27
In a coating process wherein a radiation curable coating composition is applied to a surface and the composition is radiation cured to polymerize and cross-link the composition to form a coating, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- providing a proton affinitive indicator substance in the composition capable of reacting with other substances in the composition during polymerization and cross-linking of the composition;
- providing an ion mobility spectrometer having a suction head and a gas inlet, disposing the suction head over the coating;
- drawing in a sample of gas phase above the coating into the gas inlet;
- and analyzing the drawn in sample by ion mobility spectroscopy to detect the indicator substance escaping from the coating to thereby indicate a measure of a content of non-cross-linked migrating polymerizable components of the composition in said coating and thereby the degree of curing of the coating process.
A coating process, comprising the steps of:
- applying a radiation curable coating composition to a surface, and radiation curing the composition to polymerize and cross-link the composition to form a coating, wherein the composition includes a proton affinitive indicator substance capable of reacting with other substances in the composition during polymerization and cross-linking of the composition and wherein the indicator substance escaping from the coating is detectable by drawing in a sample of gas phase above the coating and analyzing the drawn in sample by ion mobility spectroscopy to indicate a measure of a content of non-cross-linked migrating polymerizable components of the composition in said coating and thereby the degree of curing of the coating process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.