These different approaches to curing temperature-sensitive substrates offer opportunities to apply powder on products that have historically been finished with liquid coatings. At the present time, most of these coating materials are expensive, and they each have their own limitations. For example, NIR is better suited to metal than to wood. The NIR energy is readily absorbed by water, which could cause problems with MDF as the water content vaporized. UV materials have some limitation in curing yellow and red colors at thicker films.
Effective cure is dependent on proper position of the UV lamps.
A properly cured UV powder has excellent hardness and chemical-resistance. The substrate itself presents challenges as well. With MDF, the density of the board, the surface characteristics and the presence of machined surfaces all affect the application and cure process. These variables may create a need for controlled handling and storage practices. Application on plastic parts is not as common, and the industry has made less progress in this area.