Improvement of UV-curable ink adhesion onto melamine faced board using dual silane treatments

The application of UV digital inkjet printing onto melamine-faced board (MF) has attracted increasing attention as an efficient and environmentally benign surface decoration method. However, the interface bonding between UV coating and melamine-formaldehyde surface is weak, resulting in poor printing durability. In this study, the MF surface is grafted with 3-(triethoxysilyl) propyl isocyanate (ICPTES) via a urea cross-linking process, and then condensed with gamma-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane (KH570) to improve its compatibility with the polyacrylate-based UV ink. A combination of physical (surface polishing) and chemical (dual-silane treatments) activations of MF surface enhances its interface bonding strength with UV coating up to 2.24 MPa, 966.7% and 119.6% higher than those of the untreated and the conventional adhesion promotor treated surface, respectively. FTIR results confirm that effectual chemical bonds are established between MF surface and UV coating by the ICPTES and KH570 dual-silane treatments. SEM imaging shows that a seamless connection between MF and UV coating forms. Thus, MF surface modified by silane is a facile and effective strategy to enhance the adhesion of UV digital ink and this printing method shows enormous potentials in a wide range of applications.

Automated summary

The interface bonding between melamine-faced board and UV coating is improved by grafting and condensing processes, resulting in enhanced printing durability. Chemical bonds are established between the two surfaces through the silane treatments. The modified surface shows a seamless connection with the UV coating, showing great potential for enhancing the adhesion of UV digital ink.