Electronic Beam curing (EBC) is a surface curing process in the manufacture of high pressure laminate (HPL) boards. The process applies color to a single sheet of Kraft paper which is adhered to a HPL board in such a way that it will keep its color durably while remaining scratch-resistant. Unlike other HPL creation methods, EBC does not use heat.Electronic Beam Curing of Composites on Oak Ridge National Laboratory website
The EBC machine used in the curing process gives the finished HPL boards a surface that is both color-fade resistant and has a high resistance to damage. The process works by first mixing color pastes to the desired color and then applying it to a single sheet of kraft paper. This substrate is then put in the EBC machine together with a protective foil. In the machine this sheet is then shot with electrons at such high velocity that the color impregnated paper hardens almost instantly. After being stored in a temperature-controlled room for a short duration the sheets are ready to be adhered to unfinished HPL boards in a process called dry forming.
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