Archive for October, 2011

Entire Project can be complete in Hours, not Days!

Frequently asked questions:

Q.  I have seen  Waterborne / UV Curable Sealer & Topcoats and 100% Solid UV Curable Topcoats.  What is the difference? 

A:  Waterborne / UV Curable Coatings contain the durability, scratch and chemical resistant properties from the UV cured part of the coating.  Each coating has their specific place for Industrial Finishing needs.  Is great if the manufacturing facility has IR to flash off the water within a few seconds or can wait approximately 15 min to flash naturally.  Then the coating is illuminated with a UV Light sourceto instantly finish the curing process.  Most of these coatings are Self-Sealing Topcoats which also increases production.  One more bonus is that cleaning of equipment is with water!  This Green Technology allows facilities to inexpensively dispose of and provides low VOCs / zero HAPs.  Some facilities do not have IR capabilities and therefore, prefer a 100% solid.

100% Solid UV Self-Sealing Topcoats allows for application then an instant cure with a UV light source.  Any coating that is not used can be reclaimed and reused to provide minimal waste.  Can be disposed of as solid waste when cured.  These coatings are 2 times more scratch and chemical resistant than conventional wood coatings.  There is no flashing of solvents with 100% Solids, so there is no shrinkage or orange peel appearance and reduced labor.  Many more millwork facilities are utilizing this finish for high end production projects like Marine, Private Aircrafts, furniture & hardwood floor finishing availble for in-house or on-site production.

For those that just want to stick to the basics, then look for Waterborne Finishing Coatings (stains, primers, sealers & self-sealing topcoats).  They dry just as fast as a lacquer because they are resin rich with 40% solids.  They are much more scratch resistant and  water / chemical resistant than flammable solvent based coatings.  Clean up is simple with water and allows for decreased disposal costs.  

Have more questions or looking for a specific coating?  Call us (561)243-8442 to speak with a Coating Specialist in your area.

UV Systems & UV Coatings for Prefinishing or Refinishing

Q:  Can hardwood floor re-finishers get the same quality UV finish as the pre-finishing manufacturing facilities?

A:  Absolutely!  The pre-finishing production facilities use a 100% solids UV finish that offers low shrinkage, more coverage per gallon, less applications, less labor with increased production and up time.  The 100% UV coating process actually costs about the same as conventional coatings per square foot because a little goes a long way.  Some manufacturer’s only have a hybrid waterborne / UV cure formula, but with the water flashing , there would still be shrinkage.

This form of green technology is the perfect balance of Performance & Environmental Sustainability.  These products conform to the requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Green Seal and LEED.  It has no VOC’s after instant UV light curing and zero HAPs.  So, weather prefinished or refinished, there will be no chemicals flashing off in your customer’s home or office. 

Despite what most have heard, UV curable coatings can be used for On-Site projects and can be completed in Hours, not Days!  Depending on your finishing preference the best place to get the UV curing systems is SPDI, Inc.  They can manufacture handheld UV systems, large industrial UV systems and everything in between.  They are the only company that work with coating manufacturers that allow for a 100% solids coating to be used outside of a manufacturing facility.

For more information on the types of UV Curable Coatings that could work for you contact a UV Technology & Coatings Specialist (561) 243-8442

Portable handheld UV System

After having great success with our Power-Shots, the 500 and 1100, we took the old design and made it more powerful then stuck wheels on it! Seriously!   We had been looking for a way to come up with a versatile and maneuverable system for quite some time, and now its here! The Power-Shot 2400.

We’ve beefed up the size of the lamp now offering an 8″ cure width and variable power up to 24oo watts. It comes furnished with a safety kit in a rugged case and is completely self contained.

Capable of curing in the UVA and UVB bandwidth with a simple lamp change there is very little the Power-Shot 2400 can’t do, and, do better than anything currently available in it’s class.

We’ve been supplying the flooring industry, kitchen fitters and also the guitar manufacturing markets already and it’s only been available for a couple of months!

Check out these Cure UV videos for a demonstration.

We recently shipped a unit to Bailey Guitars back in my home land, Scotland. They run a small guitar shop on the west coast and also have classes teaching the art of guitar making.  So far, and judging by their pictures, they seem to be really happy with their purchase and getting to grips with all it’s features very quickly.

Start Drinking Pure Clean Tap Water

Is the water you drink at home clean, or are you one of the people that have contributed to the 4 billion dollars spent this year in bottled water?  Sales have tripled in the past ten years with more then half of all Americans drinking bottled water.  People spend from 240 to over 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water then they typically do for tap water.  Did you know that the federal government does not mandate that bottled water be any safer then tap water?  In fact, bottled water is less regulated then tap water and by some accounts, as much as 40% is actually derived from tap water. 

Looking for a healthier, safer, cleaner solution?  Invest in a UV water treatment purifier.  These filters provide premium quality drinking water with less hassle and cost of bottled water- only pennies a day.  Help eliminate the fastest growing from of municipal solid waste in the United States.  Stop drinking from plastic water bottles and invest in a home UV water purifier and filter.

What’s on the inside of plastic and cosmetic containers, buckets, and garden pots is a part of everyone’s daily life.  That said, it is no surprise that the messages or advertisements on the outside (whether it is plastic, glass, wood or metal) are just as important.  So much of the UV decorating  is done on printers with UV Iterno Systems. These Drying Systems are in several markets such as cup printing, tube printing, roll-to-roll, narrow web printing and digital large-format printing.      

 Buying the replacement Ultraviolet bulbs, reflectors and ignitors from an overseas source is not necessary for the Presses that run these systems such as OMSO, Polytype and Vandam.  It is important to have stock on your shelf, made easier by having the bulbs and shields packaged together in a kit so that the reflector liners get changed out along with the UV lamps.  70% of the drying power is in the reflector shield.  These UV Systems can be a bit different to run than the average Cup/Lid/Bottle printer but the print quality from what has been noted in the industry can be well worth the effort.

Coating Specialists can help increase your ROI

Why is it so important that your wood finishing vendor be a business to business company?  Rarely are 2 projects the same and there are thousands of finishing products available! 

Building a friendship with your coating vendor is crucial for success.  If your Coating Specialist knows your preferences of viscosity, sheen, high build, low build, MDF vs exotic species and your spray system, then you increase ROI with fewer hurdles.

Look for a company that offers a full line of Industrial / Professional grade wood finishing coatings that are either solvent based OR green technology; not both.  If a coating manufacturer makes solvent based & green chemistry coatings, then just realize they are totally different chemistries and one of them will be at risk for being low quality.

Green chemistry coatings are either UV Curable 100% solids or Waterborne.  There are many companies that are manufacturing Waterbased coatings now, but few have mastered the art!  Poor chemistry leads to milky appearance, ambering, low solid content (-32% solids) and slow dry times.  Superior Green Technology will have no milky appearance, no yellowing, high solid content (+38% solids) which will lead to very fast dry times; even in high humidity!

Locate your local Finishing Rep to help find you the best stain, sealer, primer & self-sealing topcoats on the market.

So you’ve got a wide format digital printer with UV cassettes , such as an Inca, HP, Mimaki or OCE. The thing is awesome, quick, quiet, the print quality is amazing, it’s saving you so much time and money it’s the best thing you ever got until………………. you have had to change lamps and reflectors!

This is where they fall down,  the price for new OEM cassettes can be any where in the realm of $600 to $1000 dollars each, and how many does each printer have, and how many printers do you 0wn?  It soon adds up!  Due to this common complaint  CureUV has come up with a winning solution.

You can purchase  lamps, reflectors and quartz plates online for all the leading makes and models of Digital Inkjet, Wide Format UV Printers. Not sure if you have the time or knowledge to strip down and refit your own cassettes, never fear.  We can service your existing cartridges and install brand new ‘made in the U.S.A’ equivalent lamps and reflectors at a nominal cost, (determined by the make and model of printer). 

Just call Cure UV at 1-800-977-7292 and we can issue you a UPS call tag.  Your cassettes will be picked up from your place of business and delivered right back to you ready to go.

Keep spare UV lamps and reflectors on shelf at all times !

Whether you have a digital UV flatbed press, a screenprinting press, a wood finishing line or UV coating equipment, do not wait until the UV lamp stops curing accurately. Order your lamps before you notice the ink or coating is tacky or the lamp turning black and/or stops working.  This will keep your production running efficiently.  Some UV lamps can last upwards of 1000 hours but the simple fact is that after 700-800 hours or so the mercury vapor can start to degrade and cause the lamp to stop performing as well as a brand new lamp, therefore preventing the substrate from getting the optimal finishing quality.  Another factor that can have an effect on the lamp longevity curing power is the condition of the UV shield, or reflector.  If the liner is dirty, has any kind of matieral on it or just does not have that shiny mirror finish, it will not do it’s job, which is to reflect the UV light back onto the substrate.  Reflectors including the dichroic/purple coated type should be replaced at least every other lamp change for optimal UV system performance.  So remember, the time to order lamps and reflectors is before you need them, so when you do, they are available and your production line can keep on keepin on.

UV Headlight Restoration

By now you’ve probably seen those late night commercials that claim to be able to restore your headlights with no more than a quick wipe on and an even quicker wipe off.  ‘So you guys are selling this wonder product, and it works!’ I hear you cry.  Well in a word, nope!  But Cureuv is proud to bring you a product that with a little preparation and minimal amount of effort does work.

The LightRite family of products not only restores faded, yellowed or cloudy headlight lenses which can decrease your nighttime vision by up to 50%, but protects them from further fading and comes with a lifetime warranty, (labor cost is not included).

LightRite is a UV curable coating that requires direct natural sunlight or a UV-A System to ‘dry’ it.  So our Low Intensity UV-A Dual Lamp Tripod Value Pak is a great investment for car detailers, small and large garages or automotive body-shops.  Our LightRite Headlight Restoration & Repair UV Coating Value Pak is perfect for the customer who just needs a single use application to fix their own car.  Just make sure you apply it on a clear sunny day.  Single and multiple cans paks are also available in 2 different volumes 1.25oz, good for 1 car and 3.75oz, good for up to 4 cars.  Of course this is dependent on size of lens and application technique.

So what exactly do you need to do?  Not much!  Wipe off any dirt and degrease if necessary, lightly wet-sand your lenses with sandpaper provided.  Wash of dust and wipe with alcohol wipes provided, shake can and spray!  Take a look at these videos for a more in depth explanation of the process.

CureUV has all instructional sheets, FAQ’s and MSDS posted on our site.

Still not convinced or have more questions, feel free to call CureUV at 561-243-8442 and ask for our LightRite applications guy, Jon Owen.

He’s the one who’s blog you’ve just been reading!