Back in 1985, after many years of development and testing, former Th. Goldschmidt AG introduced to the silicone release liner market the first commercially available Radiation Curing TEGO RC Silicones. The new technology has proven to be superior in several ways. It provides instant cure, no heat stress on the substrate, curing equipment is very compact and is very user-friendly. As with all new product launches, there were some early performance issues which were addressed and corrected with newer TEGO RC Silicone products.
The current 4th generation products show a strongly optimized performance with very stable release and excellent anchorage properties. TEGO RC Silicones provide the most comprehensive portfolio of radiation curable silicones offering a full range of release values from premium to tight release.
Due to the lack of substrate heating, TEGO RC Silicones are ideal for use with papers liner that need absolute lay-flat, and temperature sensitive substrates like thermal printing tapes, and films, i.e. PE and PP. When coated on 30 micron BOPP, TEGO RC Silicones are THE sustainable solution for label release liners, because BOPP is fully recyclable and has a dramatically reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional paper liners.
In the last 10 years, Th. Goldschmidt AG has gone through a number of name changes and ownership. There was Goldschmidt SKW followed by Degussa, and in 2007, the company name changed to Evonik Goldschmidt GmbH and is now a proud part of Evonik Industries AG. Through all these changes, one thing has remained the same, the global RC Team commitment that: “The customer’s success is our success.”
This commitment to customer success, has led the RC Team to become conversant in all aspects of the converting process; coating, curing, and equipment. They have long established relationships with manufacturers, suppliers and industry experts along the entire converting value chain. This experience allows the RC Team to provide timely, comprehensive solutions, something that is highly valued by customers.
As further support for customers, prospects and partners, Evonik Goldschmidt GmbH established RC Technical Centers in Hopewell/Virginia, Essen/Germany, and in 2009, Shanghai/China. Here, one can test their substrates, search for the right formulation, produce samples for their customers and experiment with new constructions, without interrupting their production schedule.
As Evonik celebrates its 25th anniversary, the TEGO RC Team is looking forward to a bright future. With new technologies like UV LED systems increasing energy efficiency and affordability, as well as the inherent ability to reduce waste, Radiation Curing technology will gain further importance for release coatings.
Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany
