| Like ultraviolet curing, electron beam curing is a growing technology which is now commercially available. The electron beam curing technology has been proved to offer numerous benefits and advantages in every aspect of its application. Various industries have been switching to the technology in order to improve performance, increase profitability and gain environmental acceptance. However, in the flexible packaging materials industry, converters and end users currently appear to be fragmented in their approach to this technology. Because concerns have been expressed about the effect of e-beam curing on the functionality of flexible packaging materials, this study will provide converters and end users with information that will facilitate their decision about whether e-beam cured coatings are appropriate for their applications. Performance of two co-extruded and two metallized films coated with electron beam curable coatings were studied to determine whether any changes occurred as a result of the electron beam-cured coatings. Tests of selected mechanical properties and migrational behavior of the substrates were done on both the base films (uncoated and uncured) and the treated films (coated and cured) for comparison. |
