Ink and Cleaning Liquid Set for Nozzle Surface Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleaning liquids are insufficient in removing pigment ink that adheres to and dries on inkjet printing device components, leading to stability issues and maintenance challenges, especially when high productivity is required in commercial and industrial printing.
Innovation Solution
An ink and cleaning liquid set is developed, where the ink contains a coloring material and a resin with a high glass transition temperature, and the cleaning liquid includes water and an organic solvent, allowing the ink to swell and be easily removed from the device components, with a swelling ratio of 10% or greater, ensuring effective cleaning and maintaining productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cleaning liquid is used to remove pigment ink from recording head, then cleaning process is simple, but cleaning effectiveness is insufficient when pigment ink firmly adheres
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning liquid composition is optimized by controlling the water content at 70-95 mass% and organic solvent content at 5-30 mass%, with specific organic solvent selection (alcohols, ketones, esters, or their mixtures) to achieve optimal swelling ratio of 10% or more for the ink film, thereby effectively removing firmly adhered pigment ink while maintaining manageable composition complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning liquid is formulated as a composite system combining water with specific organic solvents (alcohols like ethanol/isopropyl alcohol, ketones like acetone/MIBK, esters like ethyl acetate, or their mixtures) to create synergistic cleaning action that swells the ink film effectively while remaining practical for device maintenance
2Productivity
If ink is designed for high productivity with high glass transition temperature resin, then drying speed increases, but ink adheres more firmly to recording head requiring stronger cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The glass transition temperature of the resin in the ink is controlled within 40-90°C to optimize the balance between drying performance and cleanability. This parameter control allows the ink to dry quickly on the recording medium (improving productivity) while maintaining sufficient swelling response to the cleaning liquid (maintaining ease of cleaning)
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning liquid acts as an intermediary substance that mediates between the dried ink film on the recording head and the removal process. By containing water (70-95 mass%) and specific organic solvents (5-30 mass%), it penetrates and swells the ink film with swelling ratio ≥10%, enabling easy removal without requiring excessive mechanical force or complex cleaning procedures
3Reliability
If pigment ink is used to improve water and light resistance, then ink durability increases, but ink adheres and dries on recording head during continuous recording
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning liquid serves as an intermediary agent that specifically targets and removes pigment ink from the recording head surface. Its composition (water 70-95 mass%, organic solvent 5-30 mass%) enables it to penetrate the pigment ink structure, swell it by 10% or more, and facilitate removal without affecting the dried pigment ink images on the recording medium, thereby preserving water and light resistance while eliminating adhesion problems
4Reliability
If cleaning liquid contains high organic solvent content to improve cleaning power, then ink removal effectiveness increases, but cost and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The organic solvent content in the cleaning liquid is optimized within 5-30 mass% to achieve the minimum effective concentration for swelling and removing pigment ink. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient cleaning power (swelling ratio ≥10%) while minimizing organic solvent quantity, reducing cost and environmental impact compared to conventional high-organic-solvent formulations
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 ink and cleaning liquid set effectively removes ink from device components, enhancing discharging stability and productivity by ensuring the ink's adhesion resistance and ease of cleaning, while maintaining image quality and durability.
Implementation Method 1
the swelling ratio calculated from the mass of a film of the ink in a dried form before and after immersion in the cleaning liquid is 10 percent or greater
Data Source
AI summary
An ink and cleaning liquid set includes an ink comprising a coloring material and a resin and a cleaning liquid comprising water and at least one type of organic solvent, wherein the ink in a dried form has a glass transition temperature of from 40 to 90 degrees C. and the swelling ratio calculated from a mass of a film of the ink in a dried form before and after immersion in the cleaning liquid is 10 percent or greater according to the following relationship 1: swelling ratio (percent)=100×[(B−A)/A] Relationship 1, where A represents the mass of the film before the immersion and B represents the mass of the film after the immersion.