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Rad-Cure & UV Coatings

Rad-cure coatings makers are finding that in a slow economy, it's even harder to convince customers to invest in more expensive technology - even if it will save them money in the long run.

Mike Agosta08.10.05

Growth in most industries has been hard to come by the past year. The coatings industry hasn't been immune to the effects of a down economy hindered by fears of war, terrorism and general uncertainty about the world around us. As coatings makers and their customers have struggled to break even in many cases, major capital investment isn't an idea many are willing to entertain. This reluctance has slowed the growth of one of the industry's most promising technologies-radiation-cure coatings.

"UV and electron beam coatings technology have a wide application to many industries, with growth depending on the health as well as innovation and productivity trends in that particular industry," said Gary Cohen, executive director, RadTech North America, the association for the advancement of ultraviolet and electron beam (UV & EB) technology.

DynaSeal, BASF's dual-cure sealer coating, is the first UV coating to be used in the Class A (ext