iGM Resins, a Netherlands-based supplier of UV-curing materials, has launched Photomer SC91, a photoactive acrylate resin designed to reduce or eliminate separately added photoinitiators in UV mercury-lamp and UV LED curing systems. The company is positioning the new material for migration-sensitive UV formulations, including indirect food-contact packaging.
Photomer SC91 integrates photoinitiating groups directly into its polymer backbone, combining acrylate and photoinitiator functions in a single material. iGM Resins states that this keeps the photoinitiating component chemically bound within the resin structure.
The material is described as a Type II photoactive system. It therefore requires a synergistic amine or another hydrogen donor to achieve optimal curing performance.
Reducing external photoinitiator use
UV-curable formulations commonly rely on external photoinitiators to initiate curing when exposed to light. iGM Resins says Photomer SC91 can cure under both UV mercury and UV LED systems with no, or only minimal, external photoinitiator addition.
The liquid resin is intended for use at concentrations between 10% and 20% in a formulation. iGM Resins says the material can simplify formulation design while remaining compatible with a range of UV-curable systems.
Targeting migration-sensitive applications
A key part of the launch is SC91’s potential use in applications with strict migration requirements. iGM Resins claims that no extractable photoinitiator was detectable under its test conditions. The company also states that the material has a molecular weight above 1,000 Da and is classified as a polymer.
These properties could be relevant to indirect food-contact packaging, where the migration of formulation components must be controlled. However, the release does not identify the test method, detection limit, regulatory framework, or conditions used to assess extractable photoinitiator.
iGM Resins has also identified printing inks, overprint varnishes, industrial coatings, adhesives, electronics, and advanced materials as target applications.
First material in the Photomer SC range
Photomer SC91 is the first product in iGM Resins’ planned Photomer SC series, based on self-curable resin technology. The company said it is developing additional materials in the range to address performance, sustainability, and regulatory requirements.
Customer feedback will help guide future combinations of acrylate and photoinitiator technologies for UV-curing applications.
How Photomer SC91 could be used in DLP and SLA resins
iGM Resins said the chemistry is particularly relevant to UV-based 3D printing processes such as DLP and SLA, where photoinitiators are essential to resin curing.
A typical formulation could use 10–20 wt% Photomer SC91 as the photoactive component, combined with 30–40 wt% acrylate oligomers, such as Photomer 6643, and 30–50 wt% reactive monomers, such as Photomer 4012. Additives for stability and performance tuning would account for less than 1 wt%.
In these systems, the external photoinitiator loading can be reduced or removed. However, final performance would still depend on application-specific testing and the wider formulation, including the selected oligomers, monomers, and additives.
Low-migration requirements in photopolymer 3D printing
Low-migration resins are also being developed for regulated photopolymer 3D printing applications. At RAPID + TCT 2026, Stratasys introduced Loctite 3D IND3785 Low Migration resin for its Origin platform, targeting small-batch food and pharmaceutical applications.
Photomer SC91 approaches a related constraint at the formulation level. Rather than a finished 3D printing resin, it is a photoactive component that can reduce external photoinitiator use in DLP and SLA materials. Its use in additive manufacturing would still depend on cure behavior, mechanical performance, and end-use compliance.
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Featured image shows conceptual schematic of the Photomer SC91 chemistry. Image via iGM Resins.
