TABLE OF CONTENTS The traditional applications of UV-curable systems are in the market sectors where temperature sensitive substrates are coated, like wood, paper and plastics as well as in imaging applications, like electronics and printing plates (Figure 8.1).1
The worldwide consumption of UV curable acrylate formulations in the year 2000 was approximately 140,000 tons. The dominating market sector worldwide is the graphic arts, with a share of about 50% in NAFTA, 42% in Europe and 35% in Japan, the wood sector being the second largest with 50% in Europe and about 14% each in NAFTA and Japan (Figure 8.2).
The wood finishing industry today deals with solid wood constructions, composition boards, like particle-boards or hard-boards, as well as with moulded polymers or foams, decorated with wood imitating finishes. The main segments of wood processing are the direct processing of solid wooden products, like solid wood furniture, window/door frames or construction components, articles made of wooden pieces, like (veneer) coated fibre boards or chipboards, and wooden floorings, like parquet. The main markets for furniture production are in Europe, America and China. The market for wood coatings in Europe in the year 2000 was about 460,000 tons, polyurethane coatings accounting for about 34%, followed by nitrocellulose based (16%) and acid catalyzed coatings (15%) (Figure 8.3). Wood processing in Europe is mainly...
