ABSTRACT
The use of waterborne lacquers to produce high-performing coatings is gradually increasing in importance. Many applications for wood and plastic coatings have been described and realized. In many industries, the development of technologies having a lower chemical impact on occupational health and environment is welcomed. In spite of serious efforts of the chemical industry to meet these challenges, the switch to these new technologies is difficult and slow. In many cases a higher raw material cost and more critical application conditions are cited as the most important drawbacks.
This paper will focus on UV-curable polyurethane dispersions for the manufacturing of caul paper industry. It will be shown that in this particular case, the characteristic behaviour of UV-PUD can offer distinct application advantages, resulting in a less expensive, more versatile manufacturing process, in addition to ecological and occupational health issues.
