UV-CURABLE ACRYLIC COATING AND CURING OF FIBERGLASS SLEEEVING

摘要

A method and apparatus for coating and curing fiberglass sleeving (B) from a reel (8) with an ultraviolet light curable acrylic includes the steps of singeing the fiberglass sleeve at a singeing station (20) and thereafter cooling the sleeve at a cooling station (25). The fiberglass sleeve is then coated with an ultraviolet light curable acrylic resin by dipping in resin (40). Thereafter, the coated fiberglass sleeve is cured by passing it through a curing station (50), wherein the sleeve is subjected to ultraviolet light radiation about its entire circumference. The process is speed adjustable, and further, the intensity of the light emitted from the ultraviolet light source may be varied so that the system is tuned to cure fiberglass sleeves of any diameter up to approximately 1.00 inch. A coloring layer may be applied at pigment dip station (30), and after curing, the sleeve passes over a level cylindrical roller (60) and onto uptake reel (70).