Edging out the Competition

Cunningham suggests using a “pen test” with a permanent marker to check for accurate curing. “Properly cured coatings will make the ink from the pen reticulate or bead up on the coating,” he says. “Improperly cured coating will allow the marker ink to lay flat with little or no reticulation.”

The terms “over-cured” or “under-cured” refer to UV exposure that is outside of an acceptable process window, according Dick Stowe, director of technical communications, Fusion UV Systems, resulting in damaged, heat-sensitive substrates and a deficiency of cross linking.