Clean, Coat, Cure: how UV LED coating works in three steps
Behind every UV LED coating process are three essential steps: Clean, Coat and Cure. And who better to take us through them than our UV-LED experts Nick Vet and Koen van Klooster. From preparing the surface to applying the coating and curing it in a matter of seconds, they explain what happens at each stage.
Step 1: Clean
A good coating starts with a clean surface. In fact, Nick considers surface preparation one of the most important parts of the entire process. “If the surface isn’t clean, the coating will adhere to the dirt instead of the substrate,” he explains.
How much cleaning is needed depends on the condition of the material and required coating result. A surface that is already clean may not need an additional cleaning step at all. Light dust can be blown off with an air knife, using a controlled stream of air to clean the surface. For more thorough cleaning, high-pressure washing with hot water or a degreasing step can be used.
For most applications, Selmers recommends high-pressure washing with hot water. Testing has shown this to be a fast and cost-effective way to prepare the surface to the required level. “The water can also be filtered and reused in a closed-loop system, reducing water and energy consumption,” Koen adds.
Once the surface is properly prepared, it is ready for the second C: Coat. We’ll take a closer look at that in the next part of our Clean, Coat, Cure series.
Did you know?
Water may be environmentally friendly, but evaporating it requires considerable energy?
At Selmers, we specialize in advanced industrial machinery and automation for coating and handling pipes and tubes. With over 50 years of experience, we have grown into a trustworthy supplier of numerous automated solutions. Collaboration is key to creating real magic. Interested in optimizing performance and reducing risks?
