Ink Formulation for High-Speed Inkjet Offset Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet recording apparatuses face challenges in forming high-quality images at high speeds due to ink offset issues, where ink adheres to discharge rollers and affects image quality, and existing solutions that improve ink permeability often result in irregular dot shapes and densities.
Innovation Solution
An ink formulation containing water, a pigment dispersion, a penetrating agent with an alkane diol having 8 or 9 carbon atoms, and a surfactant represented by a specific general formula, which enhances ink permeability and dot formation, allowing for desired dot diameter and shape, thereby improving image density and reducing offset.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If image formation is performed at high speed, then productivity is improved, but ink penetrates insufficiently into the recording medium causing offset to discharge rollers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the ink by incorporating a specific penetrating agent (alkane diol with 8 or 9 carbon atoms) and a surfactant with controlled hydrophilic-lipophilic balance. This chemical parameter modification enables the ink to maintain adequate penetration into the recording medium even at high forming speeds, preventing offset without sacrificing productivity.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the ejected amount of ink is reduced to suppress offset, then offset is suppressed, but image density becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the ink's physical-chemical parameters by adding a penetrating agent and surfactant, which changes the ink's penetration capability and wettability. This allows the ink to penetrate more efficiently into the recording medium, enabling adequate image density to be achieved even when the ejected ink amount is reduced, thereby suppressing offset while maintaining image quality.
3Reliability
If compounds are added to improve ink permeability, then offset is suppressed, but dot shape becomes irregular and image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully selects and controls the chemical parameters of the penetrating agent (alkane diol with 8 or 9 carbon atoms) and surfactant (with specific HLB value range). This precise parameter control ensures that the ink achieves adequate permeability into the recording medium while maintaining proper dot formation characteristics, avoiding the irregular dot shapes that result from using inappropriate penetrating compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ink formulation by combining multiple components (water, pigment dispersion, penetrating agent, and surfactant) with specifically controlled ratios. This composite approach allows the ink to achieve both good permeability and regular dot shape, as the components work synergistically to balance penetration and surface tension characteristics.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If ink permeability is improved to prevent offset, then offset is suppressed, but dot diameter and shape control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the chemical parameters of the ink formulation by incorporating a penetrating agent with 8 or 9 carbon atoms and a surfactant with controlled HLB value. These parameter changes enhance ink permeability to prevent offset while simultaneously maintaining the ink's ability to form dots with controlled diameter and shape, as the surfactant regulates surface tension and the penetrating agent controls penetration rate.
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 formulation effectively forms dots with desired diameter and shape, maintaining high image density and preventing offset, even at high speeds, by optimizing ink permeability and wettability, thus enhancing overall image quality.
Implementation Method 1
a surfactant consisting of a compound represented by the following general formula (I)... containing a specific amount of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide added to a linear alkanol
Implementation Method 2
improve the permeability of the ink to the recording medium... excelling in the permeability to a recording medium (drying characteristic)
Implementation Method 3
a penetrating agent contains an alkane diol having 8 or 9 carbon atoms... improve the permeability of the ink to the recording medium
Data Source
AI summary
An ink for ink-jet recording apparatuses containing water and a pigment dispersion is provided in which a penetrating agent containing an alkane diol having 8 or 9 carbon atoms and a surfactant consisting of a compound represented by the following general formula (I) are blended in predetermined amounts.