Bicomponent Reactive Ink for Non-Porous Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inkjet printing technologies face challenges in fixing ink on non-porous surfaces like plastic, glass, and metal, as existing methods require high temperatures or UV exposure, and reactive inks with mixed monomers and catalysts are unstable and prone to clogging, limiting substrate options and printer reliability.
Innovation Solution
A two-component reactive ink system comprising a polymerizable monomer and a polymerization catalyst, where the monomer forms a polymeric film at low temperatures within thirty minutes, allowing simultaneous or successive jetting of components using a multichamber printing head, ensuring stable polymerization and adhesion without undesired polymerization in the printing head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reactive inks with mixed monomers and catalysts are used, then polymerization can occur, but the ink becomes unstable and prone to clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The ink system is divided into two separate components: Component A containing the monomer and Component B containing the catalyst. These components are stored separately and only mix after ejection from the printhead, preventing premature polymerization and clogging while enabling controlled polymerization on the substrate surface.
2Reliability
If high temperatures are used for thermal polymerization, then polymerization occurs, but substrate selection is limited to thermally stable materials
Solution Approach 1:
The polymerization process is shifted from high-temperature thermal initiation to low-temperature catalytic initiation. The catalyst enables polymerization to proceed at temperatures suitable for a wide range of substrates including plastics, glass, and metal, expanding substrate compatibility while maintaining polymerization efficiency.
3Reliability
If UV polymerization is used, then polymerization occurs, but three-dimensional objects and non-planar surfaces cannot be effectively printed
Solution Approach 1:
The UV light-based polymerization mechanism is replaced with a chemical catalysis mechanism. The catalyst-containing component enables polymerization through chemical reaction rather than photochemical initiation, allowing the ink to polymerize on complex three-dimensional surfaces and non-planar objects without requiring UV light access from all angles.
4Productivity
If thermal ink-jet systems are used with polymerizable inks, then ink ejection occurs, but the high temperature promotes premature polymerization
Solution Approach 1:
The ink is segmented into two separate components that are stored and transported independently. Component A (monomer) and Component B (catalyst) are ejected separately through the thermal ink-jet system, preventing premature polymerization in the heated ejection chamber while maintaining the ability to polymerize after deposition on the substrate.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient and stable ink fixation on non-porous surfaces at low temperatures, preventing clogging and maintaining printer reliability, while allowing for the printing of diverse substrates, including those with high thermal stability and complex geometries.
Implementation Method 1
the ink may comprise reactive components able to polymerise by thermal or photochemical treatments and to form a film which fixes and keeps the colorant on the surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
The thermal resistance causes the evaporation of the ink solvent (usually water) and the formation of a bubble, which in turn causes the ink ejection through the head nozzle
Implementation Method 3
A first kind of device consists in a piezoelectric system which comprises a head fed with an ink which is ejected from a nozzle by a piezoelectric transducer which produces a pressure pulse
Implementation Method 4
A second kind consists in an acoustic system employing the ability of a sound pulse of provoking the release of droplets from a liquid surface
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to (i) a reactive ink for ink jet printing comprising a two-component system, the first component comprising a polymerizable monomer, and the second component comprising a polymerization catalyst, wherein the monomer is able to form a polymeric film at low temperature within thirty minutes, preferably within ten minutes, from contacting the catalyst, (ii) a process of making an image on a non-porous substrate using such a reactive ink, and an ink jet print head including a two component ink-system.