Post on 27-Jan-2017
ELECTRON BEAM TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Anthony Carignano
Sales & Marketing Specialist
PCT Engineered Systems
EBEAM Division of Comet Group
SAE World Congress 2016
April 14, 2016
Detroit, MI
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
COMET GROUP AT A GLANCE
Paper # (if applicable) 2
Worldwide leader in x-ray, RF, and EBEAM Technologies
IndustrialX-Ray
X-Ray Systems EBEAM
TechnologiesPlasma Control Technologies
OEM End-userOEM OEM
End-user
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Paper # (if applicable) 3
Sterilization
Environmental
Technology
Surface Curing
Crosslinking
Development Areas & Application Examples
FoodPharmaMedicine
Food SafetyBio-Refinery
FlexographyLithography
Gravure Digital Inkjet
Polymeric FilmsRubber Compounds
Hydrogels
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
EBEAM TECHNOLOGY
Paper # (if applicable) 4
Brief History of Commercial Low Energy Electron Beam
Pioneered in 1950’s-60’s by W.R. Grace-Cryovac
BroadBeam systems developed in 1970’s
PCT’s Low Energy (LE) systems, 2008
Comet Sealed Lamps, 2010
Installed Base
> 1,000 low voltage EBEAM systems installed
SAE INTERNATIONAL
HOW EBEAM WORKS
• X-Ray Tube, EBEAM Lamp and CRT
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Paper # (if applicable) 5
SAE INTERNATIONAL
HOW EBEAM WORKS
• The anatomy of a low energy electron beam
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Paper # (if applicable) 6
Housing
Vacuum Chamber
Filament
Grid
Foil Window
Nitrogen Atmosphere
Substrate
Accelerated Electrons
SAE INTERNATIONAL
HOW EBEAM WORKS
• Electron Scattering
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Paper # (if applicable) 7
The distribution of energy absorbed by a material depends upon:
− Energy of electron
− Atomic number and density of materials
80 kV
80 mm
240 mm
160 mm
125 kV 150 kV0 mm
in air
Ti
Air
Monte Carlo simulation of point source EB scatter
Depth
Depth
Depth
DoseDose
Dose
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Paper # (if applicable) 8
PROPAGATION
• in Water (Air Gap 10mm)
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
ULTRAVIOLET VS. EBEAM TECHNOLOGY SELECTION
Paper # (if applicable) 9
ULTRAVIOLET and ELECTRON BEAM:
- Are complementary, not competing technologies
- They have some similarities and fundamental differences
- Selection should be based on the best fit for the process and application. Best fit considerations may include:
• Enabling of end-use• Capital cost• Operating costs• End-use properties• Fitness for food packaging• Substrate considerations
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
ULTRAVIOLET VS. EBEAM TECHNOLOGY SELECTION
Paper # (if applicable) 10
Ultraviolet Electron Beam
Photons Accelerated Electrons
Wavelength determines energy;
typically 250 to 450 nanometers
Accelerating voltage determines
energy; typically 80 to 180 kV
Energy unit conversion; 350nm
photon = 3.5eV
Typical electron energy at substrate;
70,000 eV
Total applied energy typically 0.1 to
0.5 J/cm@
Total applied energy typically
20 to 40 kilogray (kGy)
1 kGy = 1 J/gram
For 50 g/m2 layer = 0.1 to 0.2 J/cm2
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
ULTRAVIOLET VS. EBEAM TECHNOLOGY SELECTION
Paper # (if applicable) 11
Increasing Wavelength
Non-Ionizing Radiation Ionizing
Radiation
Increasing Frequency/Energy
Ultraviolet energy insufficient to directly initiate polymerization
(non-ionizing)Photoinitiators Must be Used
Electron Beam: Will Ionize any
organic material.
No Photoinitiator Required
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
ULTRAVIOLET VS. EBEAM TECHNOLOGY SELECTION
Paper # (if applicable) 12
Ultraviolet Electron Beam
- Depends on optical density of material - Depends on mass density of material
- Depends on peak irradiance (power and
focus) of UV source
- Controlled by acceleration potential
(voltage) of beam
- Good for clear materials, limited in
pigmented, filled, and opaque materials
- Easily penetrates into clear materials,
highly pigmented, filled, opaque materials
- Effective curing for thick coatings with
low pigment loadings
- Effective curing thick and/or heavily
pigmented or filled inks and coatings
- Lamination of clear materials - Enables lamination of opaque materials
Penetration
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
CROSSLINKING
Paper # (if applicable) 13
300kV down-fire low energy electron
beam system for crosslinking wear
liner of automotive tires.
Rubber
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
CROSSLINKING
Paper # (if applicable) 14
- Operationalized by Firestone in the 1980s.
- Now common practice among major tire makers.
- Provides green strength to tire for further processing
(Forms C-C chemical bonds and free radicals in vulcanized rubber macromolecules which
facilitate the formation of the grid with sulfur bridges)
Rubber
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
CROSSLINKING
Paper # (if applicable) 15
Key Performance Benefits:
- Provides pre-vulcanization tack and green strength in tire
manufacturing process
- Improves overall finish and shape of the tire.
- Improving the performance of the tread:
wear, temperature, solvent resistance
grip/traction of the tire
lower hysteresis loss on rolling
reduced fatigue of rubber components (carcass, breaker),
5-10% higher tire life
Rubber
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
CROSSLINKING
Paper # (if applicable) 16
Key Process Benefits:
- Reduces use of expensive synthetic/natural rubber compounding
materials/additives and lowers tire mass
- At 5Mrad (50KGry), produces premium quality tires in +10% less time
vs. non-irradiation tire making process.
- Reduce energy costs compared to 100% thermal methods
Rubber
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
CROSSLINKING
Paper # (if applicable) 17
PE/PP Foams
– Sekisui Softlon
– Toray TORAYPEF®
“ideal for automotive
lightweighting”
“replaces traditional foams
such as EPDM rubber,
polyurethane and PVC.”
“widely used for interior trim
applications because they
provide sealing against air,
moisture, noise and
temperature. “
Typical examples include:
door & side panels,
dashboard, headliners & ABC
pillars.
SAE INTERNATIONAL
History
EBEAM explored for automotive surface curing
applications since the 1960s.
“To capitalize on the opportunity for electron
beam coatings at Ford, PPG set-up the Radiation
Polymer Company (RPC), which subsequently
became an independent low-energy electron
beam company, RPC Industries.”
In the 1980s, Bill Burlant, PhD at the Ford Motor
Company, showed that electron beam cured
coatings on profiled and three dimensional metal
and plastic components could produce outputs
well over 750 times the speed of conventional
drying techniques.
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 18
Photo: Ford Coatings Research circa 1985. Electron beam development
program for interior / exterior automotive parts.
SAE INTERNATIONAL
Coil Coating
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 19
A flat inline metal coating process: the metal is unwound, cleaned, treated, primed,
cured, treated with a top coat, cured and rewound.
Converted substrate require chemical pretreatment and must be preheated to a target
activation temperature before solvent based coating chemistries can be applied.
Cooling zones are required to reduce metal temperature before additional coating
layers can be applied and prior to rewinding.
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM Coil Coating Advantages (Commercialized)
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 20
+75% Lower energy consumption cost
More compact solution: floor space
Easy integration on existing lines
No solvents / 100% solids
- Higher coating coverage
- Greatly reduced carbon footprint (No emissions)
- No solvent incineration
- Non thermal: no CO2, no cooling , no water treatment
ELECTRON
BEAMCLEANING
BACKER
APPLICATIONREWIND
UNWIND
PRIMER
APPLICATION
TOP COAT
UV GLOSS
CONTROL
TOP COAT
APPLICATIONPRIMER
UV CURE
BACKER
UV CURE
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM Coil Coating Advantages
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 21
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM Coil Coating Advantages
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 22
- Energy savings (very low electrical consumption)
- Productivity (no PMT process window)
- Surface treatment (incorporated in primer function)
- Cooling water (no thermal process) and no water treatment
- No incineration of solvents
- Plant insurance (no risk of fire and explosion)
- Storage & handling (less coating consumption, one coating for
different gloss levels)
- Predictable taxes on emissions.
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM Coil Coated Li-Ion Batteries for Automotive:
Solvent-free compositions are possible
Solvent-free electrode compositions are rated as nonflammable,
which translates into lower insurance costs, less stringent
storage requirements and a reduction in handling hazards
Low emissions (VOC, etc.)
Conventional solvent or water-based processing requires high
drying energy and results in significant CO2 emissions
Compatible with heat-sensitive substrates
Conventional thermal drying of Li-Ion battery electrodes is
typically conducted using multiple temperature stages. EBEAM
curing can be conducted in a single step.
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 23
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 24
EBEAM Coil Coated Lithium Ion Batteries for Automotive:
Key Attributes
• Ultra-high line speeds
– Estimated ≥ 600 m2/min throughput can be achieved based on ≥300 m/min (~980 fpm) line speed for roll widths up to 2 m (with machine footprint ~10 m2)
• Thicker electrodes – <200 μm can be achieved at throughputs mentioned above in a single pass with 300 kV system.
• Excellent energy efficiency – electrical efficiencies ≥ 60% are possible, including voltage transformer losses (i.e. ≥ 60% of electrical line energy is converted to productive EB energy)
• Environmentally friendly – EB processing requires no solvent and no initiator and has low emissions
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM curing of highly pigmented profiled automotive plastic parts
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 25
Photo: Interior automotive ABS/PC
plastic trim plate support structure
coated with high gloss black mono
coat. Cured with COMET EBLab Unit.
Photo: ABS/PC button stock in EBLab
chamber immediately following surface
cure at room temperature using COMET
EBLAB Unit.
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
SURFACE CURING
Paper # (if applicable) 26
Measure
Current Thermal
Drying Line
200 kV EB Curing
Line
Parts/kWh 28 415
Plant Floor Space (ft2) 2400 1200
Yield (First Time Quality) 60% 90%
Productivity (parts/hour) 1080 3240
VOC Emissions (tons/year) 0.98 <0.047
Advantages:
- Excellent high gloss/matte appearance of dark
pigmented / highly loaded coating systems.
- When compared with UV cured systems similar
and or improved thermal shock, chemical, scratch
resistance
EBEAM curing of highly pigmented profiled automotive plastic parts
SAE INTERNATIONAL
EBEAM FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS:
EQUIPMENT CONFIGURATIONS
Paper # (if applicable) 27
ELECTRON BEAM TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Anthony Carignano
Sales & Marketing Specialist
E-Mail: awcarignano@teampct.com
Tel.: +1-563-949-9493
THANK YOU!