Ink set and image formation method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inks containing water and water-soluble polymerizable compounds suffer from poor liquid stability, leading to precipitation during storage, and fail to retain the surface irregularities of substrates like leather, resulting in images that lack surface-irregularity texture and rubfastness.
Innovation Solution
An ink set comprising a color ink and an overcoat solution, both containing water and polymerizable compounds, which form an overcoat-layer-equipped color image that retains the substrate's surface irregularities and provides high rubfastness by using polymerizable compounds in particle form to minimize precipitation and maintain image integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If an ink containing water and water-soluble polymerizable compound is used, then VOC emission is reduced, but liquid stability deteriorates causing precipitation during storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the polymerizable compound from dissolved to dispersed particulate form. This parameter change allows the compound to remain stable in aqueous ink without precipitation while still enabling curability, thus resolving the contradiction between VOC reduction and liquid stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses water as the solvent instead of organic solvents, accepting that water-soluble polymerizable compounds have limited stability. By using particulate dispersion instead of dissolution, the system maintains stability throughout the ink's usable lifetime while enabling easy disposal and environmental compatibility.
2Reliability
If an ink mainly containing polymerizable monomer is used, then curability is improved, but surface-irregularity texture retainability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite ink system containing both polymerizable monomers (for curability) and polymerizable compound particles (for texture retention). This composite approach allows the liquid portion to provide excellent curability while the particulate portion maintains surface irregularity texture, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the polymerizable compounds into separate particulate form rather than dissolving them. This segmentation allows the ink to maintain surface texture from the particles while the dissolved monomers provide curability, thus resolving the contradiction between curability and texture retention.
3Reliability
If an ink mainly containing polymerizable monomer is used, then curability is improved, but rubfastness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent formulates a composite ink containing polymerizable monomers dissolved in the liquid phase (providing curability) and polymerizable compound particles dispersed in the ink (providing rubfastness). The particulate polymerizable compounds form a robust network that resists rubbing while the monomers ensure complete curing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses both dissolved monomers and dispersed polymerizable compounds, providing curability through the monomers and excessive polymerizable content in particulate form to ensure adequate rubfastness. This partial use of different forms of polymerizable compounds resolves the contradiction between curability and rubfastness.
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 set achieves high liquid stability, ensuring the image retains the substrate's surface texture and withstands rubbing, making it suitable for leather applications with improved image formation on substrates with surface irregularities.
Implementation Method 1
an ink jet color ink containing particles including a polymerizable compound, a colorant, and water, and an ink jet overcoat solution containing particles including a polymerizable compound and water
Data Source
AI summary
An ink set including a color ink containing particles including a polymerizable compound, a colorant, and water and an overcoat solution containing particles including a polymerizable compound and water, and an image formation method.