Method and compositions for decorating glass

Abstract

A method for decorating a vitreous article, in particular, a glass substrate, comprising applying to the glass in a predetermined design a radiation curable ink composition which is (i) operable when cured to bond to glass, and (ii) strippable from the glass upon exposure to alkali, and curing the ink on the glass by exposing it to the radiation by which it is curable, thereby bonding the ink to the glass; and related compositions; as well as a method for stripping the decorative indicia from glass upon exposure to alkali, and the related compositions.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. Patent Application Case Docket No. Rev 97-2, filed May 23, 1997, entitled “Method and Compositions For Decorating Glass”, by inventors Melvin Edwin Kamen, and Ming Hu, for which a U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ is not yet available.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The invention is in the field of decorating vitreous articles with radiation curable inks. In particular, the invention relates to decoration of vitreous articles such as glass, with radiation curable inks which, to facilitate recycling, are capable of being chemically removed from the glass upon exposure to alkali for a ed period of time. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Commercial ceramic and glassware is often decorated by applying a pattern in colored ink on the surface of the substrate with screen printing, offset printing, or any other direct application technique. The glass is then baked at high temperature to bond the design or indicia to the glas...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is about a method for decorating vitreous articles using a special ink that can be applied and then removed using a process called stripping. The invention also includes a specific ink composition that contains a certain amount of acid and can be used for decorating vitreous articles. The technical effect of this invention is that it provides a way to create intricate designs on vitreous articles that can be easily removed without causing any damage."

Problems solved by technology

Second, ACL requires high temperature ovens for the baking step, which results in considerable energy usage and an increased potential for worker injury due to the high temperatures at which the process operates.

Moreover, the high temperature ovens are expensive, cumbersome pieces of equipment which re considerable floor space in factories.

For example, both paper labels and decals are expensive.

In addition, they are messy, and can easily come off upon exposure to water or other materials.

In addition, many of the adhesives used in decals become sticky when subjected to the bottle cleaning process, and cause machines, drains, etc. to be gummed up.

In addition, the method must be cost competitive when compared to paper labels and decals.

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