Sartomer, a subsidiary of the Arkema Group, is a global supplier of acrylate and methacrylate

monomers, oligomers and unique specialty chemicals designed for high-performance UV (ultra violet) and EB (electron beam)-curable systems. The company innovates with new high-functional resins that help maximize the performance of UV-LED-cured inks and coatings in terms of speed and quality of curing.

For several decades, UV-curing systems have typically used at least one medium-pressure mercury bulb, giving broad spectral emissions. These systems were generally designed to obtain the fastest cure speed possible, with productivity gains as the ultimate goal. Today, UV curing is a major industrial technology, offering powerful solutions for printing inks and coatings.

As this technology progresses, curing systems based on LEDs are becoming increasingly interesting for end users. They can offer several cost benefits over traditional UV mercury lamps. As a consequence, LED curing builds on the groundwork established by the conventional UV-curing systems, and opens new possibilities for high-performance radiation-curing applications.

Any new technology will always entail new technical requirements to maximize performance. A particular interest with LEDs is improvement in surface cure speed. To meet this challenge, Sartomer has developed a new generation of high-functional resinsto boost reactivity, reduce oxygen inhibition on surface, maximize acrylate conversion, and enhance the performance of UV-LED cured inks and coatings.

 Sartomer is unveiling these new technologies at the ARKEMA Stand 4A-328.