Photocurable Silicone Ink for High-Definition Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inkjet printers using solvent ink face issues with atmosphere contamination due to organic solvents, fluidity problems leading to blurred images, and skin sensitization, while photocurable inks with (meth)acrylates have limitations in handling properties and optical curing speed.
Innovation Solution
A photocurable liquid ink containing a silicone compound with a specific chemical structure, which includes a photocurable liquid blended with a coloring agent and a silicone compound that undergoes chemical modification with epoxy groups, enhancing image quality and reducing odor and skin sensitivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If solvent ink is used in inkjet printers, then fluidity is improved for ink discharge, but atmosphere contamination occurs due to organic solvent evaporation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing organic solvents with water as the carrier liquid, and using inorganic pigments instead of organic colorants. This substitution maintains the necessary fluidity for inkjet discharge while eliminating harmful volatile organic compound evaporation, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and environmental harm.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the typically harmful organic solvents into beneficial water-based components. By using water as the carrier and inorganic pigments that do not require organic solvents for dispersion, the system transforms a harmful substance into a benign one, achieving both good fluidity and zero atmosphere contamination.
2Ease of operation
If solvent ink is used, then ink discharge fluidity is improved, but image quality deteriorates due to blurring on permeable surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the ink formulation by using water-based carrier liquid with controlled viscosity and inorganic pigments with specific particle size distributions. These parameter changes enable the ink to maintain fluidity for proper discharge while forming sharp, non-blurring images on permeable surfaces through optimized evaporation and fixation characteristics.
3Productivity
If (meth)acrylates are used in photocurable ink, then optical curing speed is improved, but handling properties deteriorate due to odor and skin sensitization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful (meth)acrylate monomers into beneficial inorganic pigment particles that can be optically cured. By using inorganic pigments such as metal oxides that undergo photocuring without the harmful properties of organic (meth)acrylates, the system achieves fast optical curing speed while eliminating odor and skin sensitization issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical composition from organic photopolymerizable monomers to inorganic photocurable pigment particles. This parameter change in the chemical nature of the curable component maintains rapid optical curing capability through photonic excitation while completely eliminating the toxicological hazards associated with (meth)acrylate handling.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If liquid toner with non-volatile liquid is used, then atmosphere contamination is reduced, but image fixing becomes difficult due to bonding inhibition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the problematic non-volatile carrier liquid into a beneficial water-based system where the carrier evaporates cleanly without contamination. The inorganic pigments in this water-based liquid toner system achieve excellent bonding and image fixing through photocuring, transforming the previous bonding inhibition issue into effective image fixation.
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 silicone-based ink achieves high-definition images with improved handling properties, reduced odor and skin sensitivity, and increased image forming speed, while eliminating the need for heat fixation in electrophotography, thus enhancing the performance and energy efficiency of image forming apparatuses.
Implementation Method 1
The photosensitive ink contains polymerizable monomers or oligomers, photopolymerization initiators, and pigments and is capable of producing images quickly by curing the ink by polymerization reaction upon application of light such as ultraviolet.
Implementation Method 2
as the liquid ink for use for inkjet, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-24881 (JP-2008-24881-A) describes curable compositions that contain ethylene-based unsaturated compounds such as (meth)acrylates and polystyrenes as ethylene-based unsaturated compounds having particular structures.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A silicone compound represented by the following Chemical Structure 1: where Y represents a substituted or non-substituted alkyl group having one to ten carbon atoms, X1, X2, and X3 independently represent methyl groups or any of the following Substituents A-1 to A-7, and 1, m, and n are independently zero or an integer of from 1 to 6, where R1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having one to four carbon atoms, or an alkoxy group having one to four carbon atoms, where R2 represents a single bonding or an alkylene group having one to four carbon atoms and R3 represents a single bonding or an alkyleneoxy group having one to four carbon atoms, where R4 and R5 independently represent hydrogen atoms or methyl groups,