Inkjet compositions and processes for stretchable substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inkjet printing technologies face challenges in producing high-quality, durable, and flexible color images on stretchable and absorptive substrates like textiles, as they often suffer from issues such as absorption, bleeding, and smearing, which affect the longevity and appearance of printed designs.
Innovation Solution
A novel inkjet composition comprising multiple parts, where one part acts as a property-adjusting agent and another as a proto-elastomeric film-forming agent, which congeals upon contact to form an elastic film that is less mobile and less absorbed by the substrate, ensuring durability and flexibility of the printed image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional inkjet printing is used on stretchable substrates, then the printing process is simple, but the printed image suffers from absorption, bleeding, and smearing resulting in poor durability
Solution Approach 1:
The inkjet composition is divided into multiple separate parts (e.g., a first part containing a film-forming agent and a second part containing a colorant) that are applied sequentially to the substrate. The film-forming part creates a base layer that prevents the colorant from being absorbed or smeared, while the multiple parts remain manageable and do not excessively complicate the printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The film-forming agent is applied to the substrate before the colorant is applied. This preliminary action creates a protective film on the substrate surface that prevents subsequent absorption and smearing of the colorant, thereby improving the durability of the printed image without requiring complex equipment modifications.
2Strength
If the inkjet composition forms a rigid film, then the printed image is durable, but the substrate loses its elasticity and flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The film-forming agent is specifically selected or modified to have elastomeric properties, allowing the formed film to stretch and flex with the substrate. By changing the physical and chemical parameters of the film-forming material (such as using polymers with appropriate glass transition temperatures and molecular structures), the film maintains durability while preserving the substrate's elasticity and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The inkjet composition uses composite materials that combine the film-forming agent with elastomeric components. This composite structure provides both the protective/durable characteristics of a film and the flexibility/elasticity needed for stretchable substrates, resolving the contradiction between strength and adaptability.
3Strength
If the inkjet composition is highly absorbent, then it bonds well to the substrate, but it causes bleeding and smearing of the printed image
Solution Approach 1:
The composition is segmented into a film-forming part and a colorant part. The film-forming part provides the necessary adhesion to the substrate, while the colorant part remains on top of the formed film, preventing bleeding and smearing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function without interfering with the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The film-forming agent is applied first to create an adherent base layer on the substrate. Once this layer is formed, the colorant is applied on top, ensuring that the colorant does not penetrate or smear into the substrate. The preliminary formation of the film layer maintains both adhesion and image sharpness.
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 the creation of high-quality, durable, and flexible color images on various substrates, including textiles, with improved wash-fastness and resistance to wear and tear, while maintaining the substrate's elasticity and breathability.
Implementation Method 1
wherein the second part congeals upon contact with the property-adjusting agent
Data Source
AI summary
Novel inkjet ink compositions for forming an image in a form of an elastic film attached to a surface of a stretchable and/or flexible substrate and processes utilizing same for inkjet printing color images on various substrates such as colored and absorptive or impregnable stretchable materials, which are characterized by heightened efficiency in process time, ink and energy consumption, as well as products having durable, wash-fast and abrasion-fast images printed thereon by the process, are disclosed. The novel ink compositions comprise a first part, which contains a property-adjusting agent and a carrier, and a second part which contains an emulsified property-sensitive proto-elastomeric film-forming agent, a colorant and a carrier, such that the second part congeals upon contact with the property-adjusting agent. The second part is digitally applied to the substrate less than 1 second following the application of the first part to the substrate.