The Effect of Openair® Atmospheric Plasma on the Adhesion of UV Curable Coatings to Plastics

Ultraviolet (UV) cured liquid and powder coatings provide plastic part manufacturers with a number of desirable benefits including enhanced appearance, improved performance and various process advantages. At the same time, the rapid film formation and densely cross-linked chemistry that characterize UV curable materials also increases the likelihood of adhesion failures. That these coatings are formulated with little or no solvents makes attaining adhesion even more challenging. This paper examines adhesion problems inherent in UV curable liquid and powder coatings, and explores the tradeoffs associated with popular methods to mitigate adhesion problems. We find that atmospheric plasma treatment provides an especially effective means of improving adhesion of UV cure coatings to a wide range of plastic substrates.