Process for treating polymeric surfaces to provide increased adherence to subsequently applied coatings

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PROVIDING A DISTINCT RESINOUS COATING STRONGLY ADHERENT TO THE SURFACE OF A BODY OF A POLYMER RESIN HAVING AT LEAST HYDROGEN ON A CARBON CHAIN IN A REPATING UNIT IN THE POLYMERIC CHAIN AND HAVING A CRITICAL SURFACE TENSION OF WETTING OF NOT MOE THAN 35 DYNES PER CENTIMETER, SAID SURFACES BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SURFACES OF BODIES OF RESINOUS POLYVINYL FLOURIDE, POLYVINYLIDENE FLOURIDE, POLOEFINS, COPOLYMERS OF ETHYLENE OR PROPYLENE WITH VINYL ACETUATE OR ETYL ACRYLATE, COPOYLMERS OF ETHYLENE AND POLYLENE CONTAINING A SMALL PORTION OF A NON-CONJUGATED DIENE AN MOLDED SURFACES OF BODIES OF RESINS FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYACETAL RESINS, POLYMIDE RESINS, POLYCAPROLACTAM RESINS, POLYURETAN RESINS, AND INOMER RESINS,, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A PHOTOSENSITIZER HAVING A TRIPLET STATE ENERGY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 625 CAL/MOLE AT THESURFACE TO BE COATED OF SAID POLYMERIC MATERIAL, IRRADIATING SAID SURFACE WITH ULTRAVIOLT LIGHT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 2,000 A TO ABOUT 3,500 A TO THE EXTENT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 1,000 WATT SECONDS TO FORM A CROSS-LINKED SURFACE INTEGRAL WITH THEBOFY OF RESIN AND CONCURRENTLY TO GENERATE FREE RADICALS IN SURFACE MOLECULES OF SAID POLYMERIC MATERIAL, THEREAFTER APPLYING TO SAID SURFACE A FILM FORMING SYNETHETIC POLYMER RESIN BASE COATING COMPOSITION, SAID COMPOSITION COMTAINING FROM ABOUT 0.05 TO ABOUT 5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF POLYMERIZABL UNSATURATED MONOMER BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF SAID FILM FORMING POLYMER RESIN WHICH WILL COMBINE WITH THE SURFACE THROUGH THE ACTION OF SAID FREE RADICALS AND SUBJECTING SAID COATING TO HEAT AFTER APPLICATION TO IMPROVE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SAID FREE RADICALS, THE POLYMERIC RESIN OF THE COATING AND SAID POLYMERIZABLE UNSATURATED MONOMER MATERIAL IN THE APPLIED COATING TO UNITE THE ENTIRE COATING TO SAID SURFACE.