The crosslinking reaction illustrated earlier in this section takes place at temperatures from just above 0°C upwards, producing levels of performance similar or, in some cases, superior to high quality stoving systems.
The possibility of achieving very high performance coatings using a room temperature curing system has resulted in their use in a wide range of applications. As will be seen, low bake (60-80°C) applications have also been extensively developed. The curing can take place in thermal ovens, infra red ovens, or hot air tunnels. In certain applications, the temperature of the coating may be less than the oven temperature due to the gauge and thermal conductivity of the substrate used. This should be taken into consideration in the coating formulation.