Ceramic Ink Jet Milling for Sedimentation Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ceramic inks used for printing on ceramics and glass suffer from sedimentation of solid components over time, leading to reduced storage stability, which is undesirable for long-term storage.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that utilize a comminution process involving a jet mill with a superheated steam jet to reduce the average grain size of inorganic starting materials, combined with subsequent agitator ball milling, to produce ink with enhanced storage stability and improved color intensity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional comminution methods are used to produce ceramic ink, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the ink exhibits sedimentation and poor storage stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical comminution methods with a plasma-based comminution process. The plasma process uses ionized gas to erode and fragment particles, eliminating the need for mechanical contact and achieving superior particle size reduction without mechanical stress. This substitution resolves the contradiction by providing excellent storage stability through plasma comminution while maintaining process feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of comminution from mechanical force to plasma energy. By using plasma temperature, ion density, and energy flux as control parameters instead of mechanical force, the process achieves dramatically finer particle sizes and more uniform distributions. This parameter change enables the ink to maintain stability for months without sedimentation.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If longer storage periods are required for ceramic ink, then storage stability must be improved, but conventional inks exhibit sedimentation over time
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma comminution process creates particles with extremely fine and uniform size distributions that resist sedimentation. The replacement of mechanical grinding with plasma erosion produces particles that remain suspended in the carrier medium for extended periods, enabling storage for months without loss of stability or performance.
3Reliability
If finer particle size is achieved through conventional mechanical comminution, then more extensive mechanical processing is required, but storage stability is not sufficiently improved
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma comminution process achieves fine particle sizes without the need for extensive mechanical processing stages. The plasma jet directly erodes particles to the desired fineness in a single pass, eliminating multiple grinding stages and improving overall comminution efficiency while ensuring excellent storage stability.
4Manufacturing precision
If pre-firing and painting followed by final firing is used for ceramic tiles, then decoration quality is achieved, but the process requires great effort and time
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma-based ceramic ink contains particles with optimized size and distribution parameters that enable direct printing and single-step firing. The plasma comminution process creates particles that fuse efficiently at lower temperatures and shorter times, eliminating the need for pre-firing and multiple processing stages while maintaining high decoration quality.
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 process significantly reduces the d99 value of the ink, resulting in increased storage stability and improved printability, with the ink maintaining stability for several months and exhibiting higher color intensity.
Implementation Method 1
a comminution process with a jet mill with a superheated steam jet (36)
Implementation Method 2
a comminution process with a jet mill with a superheated steam jet (36)
Implementation Method 3
subsequent agitator ball milling, to produce ink with enhanced storage stability
Implementation Method 4
a dispersing device (7) for the formation of the ink (30) from the raw material and a fluid carrier medium (19)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Disclosed is a device for producing ink for imprinting objects, such as ceramics, glass or similar. The device has a first unit and a second unit arranged downstream of the first unit. The first unit comprises at least one comminution device in order to produce raw material from a preferably inorganic starting material. The second unit comprises a dispersion device in order to produce ink from the raw material and a fluid carrier medium. The at least one comminution device comprises a jet mill in order to produce the raw material by processing the starting material by means of a liquid comminution jet.