Non-Aqueous Ink Jet Ink Composition for High-Gloss Fast Printing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink jet recording methods struggle to achieve high glossiness and reduce unevenness simultaneously, especially in high-speed printing with metallic inks, due to issues with pigment size, fluidity, drying speed, and solvent swelling of the recording medium.
Innovation Solution
A non-aqueous ink jet ink composition containing specific glycol monoethers with different flash points and a bright pigment, where glycol monoether A has a flash point of 85°C or lower and glycol monoether B has a flash point of 95°C or higher, with a total content of 20-60% by mass, enhancing drying properties and adhesiveness while reducing unevenness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If printing speed is increased to achieve high productivity, then output increases, but unevenness occurs and glossiness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the ink composition by specifying glycol monoether components with particular flash points (70°C or lower) and molecular structures. This parameter change optimizes the drying characteristics and flow properties of the ink, allowing high-speed printing while maintaining glossiness by controlling the evaporation rate and adhesion to the recording medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ink formulation by combining bright pigment with specific glycol monoether components (where the sum of glycol monoether content is 20-60 mass%). This composite material approach integrates multiple functional components that work synergistically to provide both high-speed printability and superior glossiness, resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If pigment size is reduced to achieve finer droplets for high definition, then image resolution improves, but fluidity and dispersion deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by incorporating specific glycol monoether components with defined flash points and molecular structures. These parameter changes improve the fluidity and dispersion characteristics of the ink, allowing fine pigment particles to be jetted smoothly while maintaining composition stability, thus enabling high-definition printing without sacrificing fluidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The glycol monoether components act as intermediary substances that mediate between the pigment particles and the ink vehicle. These intermediaries improve wetting and dispersion of fine pigment particles, ensuring stable fluidity and homogeneous distribution of ultra-fine pigments necessary for high-definition imaging while preventing aggregation.
3Productivity
If drying speed is increased to maintain printing stability, then productivity improves, but glossiness and unevenness worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the drying parameters by selecting glycol monoether components with specific flash points (70°C or lower). This parameter change creates a controlled drying profile where the ink dries at an optimal rate that prevents premature setting and unevenness, while still maintaining productivity. The specific molecular structure parameters of the glycol monoether control evaporation kinetics to preserve glossiness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic control of the drying process through the selective use of glycol monoether components. The dynamic evaporation rate, controlled by the flash point and molecular structure of the glycol monoether, allows the ink to maintain fluidity long enough for proper positioning and leveling, then dries at a rate that preserves glossiness, achieving both productivity and manufacturing precision.
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 composition achieves high glossiness and reduces unevenness by controlling drying speed and adhesiveness, maintaining printing stability and accuracy, even at high speeds.
Implementation Method 1
glycol monoether A and glycol monoether B that are represented by Formula (1) and have flash points different from each other, in which the glycol ether A has a flash point of 85° C. or lower, the glycol monoether B has a flash point of 95° C. or higher
Data Source
AI summary
A non-aqueous ink jet ink composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an ink composition including a bright pigment, and glycol monoether A and glycol monoether B that are represented by Formula (1) and have flash points different from each other, in which the glycol ether A has a flash point of 85° C. or lower, the glycol monoether B has a flash point of 95° C. or higher, a total content of the glycol monoether A and the glycol monoether B is in a range of 20% to 60% by mass with respect to a total amount of the ink composition, and the content of the glycol monoether A is greater than the content of the glycol monoether B.R1—(O—R2)n—OH Formula (1)(In Formula (1), R1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms or a phenyl group, R2 represents an alkylene group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and n represents an integer of 1 to 4.)