Aronix^®

Aronix^® is the brand name for specialty acrylic monomers and oligomers developed by Toagosei Co., Ltd. These unique acrylate raw materials have applications in electron beam (EB) and ultraviolet (UV) curing processes for various coatings, inks, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers. The monomers and oligomers’ chemical structure is the deciding factor in the physical properties a formulation exhibits pre- and post-cure. 

By varying your monomer and oligomer selections, you can achieve coatings with your preferred physical and performance characteristics, such as flexibility, viscosity, adhesion, weatherability, chemical resistance, and reactivity, not to mention price. As a leader in Aronix^® and cyanoacrylate adhesive technology, Toagosei America, Inc. can help solve your formulation problems by tailoring solutions to your unique requirements.

Aronix^® Acrylate Features

UV formulations are considered to be 100% solids. Aronix^® acrylates are eco-friendly, mostly solvent-free products.

This reaction only occurs in those areas receiving light exposure, allowing you to dictate curing to the applicable locations using masking, for example. The acrylates’ ability to harden quickly boosts operational efficiency as well as energy efficiency. Short-time hardening is even capable of saving space in your application, an advantage of UV curing.

Aronix^®  product line includes special acrylates, urethane acrylates, and polyester acrylates. The resin structure and the number of acryloyl groups further classify Aronix^®. The ideal type depends on your application.

• Special acrylates. Generally, this type has low irritation, low viscosity, and exceptional light curing. Therefore, these acrylates are effective in lowering acrylic oligomer viscosity and are useful as reactive diluents for improving the hardness, adhesiveness, toughness, Tg, heat-resistance, and curing of the acrylic UV formulations.
• Urethane acrylates. Urethane acrylate oligomers have urethane bonding as their major chain, so their coating film is very tough. Also known as acrylic urethanes, they offer good adhesion with various materials.
• Polyester acrylates. This type has ester bonding as its major chain and two or more acrylic unsaturated bonds in its molecule. It’s easily liquidized at lower viscosities than other acrylic oligomers and has good compatibility with other polymers or oligomers.

Aronix^® Acrylate Usage

Aronix^® acrylates are a good option for diverse manufacturing sectors, providing solutions for UV-curable materials, epoxy resin modification, and plastic cross-linker modification agents.

UV-Curable Materials

Fast-drying and versatile, UV-curable materials are a popular choice for printing, coating, and bonding projects. Aronix^® acrylates are useful for a range of UV-curable resins and products, including:

• Light-curable inks and coatings. Since approximately 1970, sheet-fed and web offset printing processes have utilized acrylates. However, as technology has advanced, they’re now useful for gravure and inkjet inks. Common UV-curable coating applications for Aronix^® acrylates include fiber optic, wood, and packaging coatings.
• Electron beam curable paints. Beneficial for not needing a photoinitiator within the paint formulation, the electron beam method is effective for hardening coating surfaces. This process helps improve adhesion and is ideal for metallic films, pigments, and other light-blocking materials.
• Light-curable adhesives. Light irradiation activates polymerization with light-curable adhesives. This reaction generates a polymer and causes surfaces to harden, giving a substrate an adhesive quality. As a single-component UV formulation, Aronix^® doesn’t require the blending of materials. 
• Other photosensitive materials. Applications like 3D modeling that require high image forming characteristics rely on Aronix^® acrylates. They’re common for dry printed circuit board (PCB) films and resin press plates. 

Epoxy Resin Modification

For amine-curable epoxy resin modification, the acrylic group is reactive when exposed to the curing agent, polyamine. Typically, it only takes an added ~5% Aronix^® to address the low-temperature curing properties of amine-curable epoxy resins. Aronix^® also positively impacts adhesion and filler compatibility.

Plastic Cross-Linker, Modification Agent

The addition of a plastic cross-linker modification agent to polyvinyl chloride, synthetic rubber, and other plastics, emulsions, or pastes results in high reactivity. The modification agent improves physical characteristics like strength, hardness, adhesiveness, and resistance to weather, high heat, and chemicals.