What is the Cure - What does cure mean??

This term refers to the process by which a polymer material is hardened through the cross-linking of polymer chains the curing process usually involves the conversion of a polymer material from a liquid form into a solid form via a chemical reaction which is caused by the introduction of chemical additives radiation heat with or without pressure or moisture The process may also be called UV Cure where the radiation is in the form of UV light or vulcanisation when the material being cured is rubber In labelling some adhesives coatings and printing inks rely on a curing process to harden into a solid form Adhesives that undergo curing may be referred to as reactive adhesives and are divided into multi-part adhesives made of two or more components that chemically react with each other or one-part adhesives cure via a chemical reaction with an external energy source such as radiation heat or moisture

Glossary

UV Ink - What is UV ink?

Definition of UV INK:

A type of ink that is cured by exposure to UV light. The vehicle in these inks contains mostly monomers and initiators. The ink is applied to a substrate and then exposed to UV light; the initiators release highly reactive atoms, which cause the rapid polymerisation of the monomers and the ink sets into a hard film. These inks produce a very high quality of print; they dry so quickly that none of the ink soaks into the substrate and so, as UV curing doesn't involve parts of the ink evaporating or being removed, almost 100% of the ink is available to form the film.

Phone cases being printed with UV ink by a UV printer, which uses UV light to cure UV inks.

Here is the Harvard-style citation to use if you would like to reference this definition of the term UV ink:
Label Planet (2020) What is UV ink? | UV Ink Definition. Available at: https://www.labelplanet.co.uk/glossary/uv-ink/ (Accessed: January 1, 2024).

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