Precoating System for Inkjet Printing on Nonabsorbent Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for controlling interfacial tension and flowability of low-viscosity water-based inks in inkjet printing are not universally applicable, leading to inconsistent print quality and blurring or mixing of ink on nonabsorbent substrates like plastics, metals, and glass.
Innovation Solution
A temporary or permanent precoating is applied to the substrates, comprising an initiator and surface-active substances, which reduces ink flowability and induces curing, allowing for precise control of ink leveling and distribution through pH-dependent acrylates and amino resins, ensuring high coverage and uniform ink distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional chemical or physical pretreatment methods are used to control interfacial tension, then print quality improves, but the methods are not universally applicable and require substrate-specific optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a universal precoating composition containing initiators and surface-active substances that works across multiple substrate types (plastics, metals, glass) without requiring substrate-specific optimization. This precoating system provides consistent control of interfacial tension and ink flowability regardless of the underlying substrate material.
Solution Approach 2:
The precoating acts as an intermediary layer between the substrate and the ink, mediating the interaction between these two components. The precoating contains initiators and surface-active substances that control ink flowability and interfacial tension, effectively decoupling the substrate properties from the ink behavior.
2Manufacturing precision
If physical or photophysical drying methods are used to accelerate ink film formation, then ink distribution control improves, but considerable technical effort is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the ink system by incorporating initiators and surface-active substances in the precoating that trigger chemical reactions (polymerization, crosslinking) to control ink flowability. This chemical approach replaces complex physical drying systems while achieving precise ink distribution control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical drying systems (heat, convection, UV) with a chemical system based on initiators and surface-active substances that control ink flowability through chemical reactions. This substitution simplifies the technical effort required while maintaining precise control over ink distribution.
3Productivity
If low-viscosity inks are used for inkjet printing, then printing speed improves, but ink flowability control becomes difficult leading to blurring and mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating initiators and surface-active substances in the precoating that are activated upon ink application. These substances immediately begin controlling ink flowability and triggering polymerization/crosslinking reactions, preventing ink blurring and mixing while maintaining the benefits of low-viscosity inks for high-speed printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The precoating provides preliminary anti-action by pre-positioning initiators and surface-active substances that counteract the unwanted flow and mixing of low-viscosity inks. The surface-active substances immediately control interfacial tension and the initiators trigger rapid polymerization, preventing ink drops from merging or blurring.
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 precoating system enables exact control of ink flow and curing, resulting in stable, adherent, and lightfast prints with defined ink distribution on various substrates without significant technical effort.
Implementation Method 1
which, if required, ensure wetting interfacial tensions in the sense of high coverage and a homogeneous ink distribution, and to provide inks which, when applied to such pretreatments or precoatings, prevent the applied volume units from running into one another or mixing and hence give a defined ink distribution
Implementation Method 2
which, if required, ensure wetting interfacial tensions in the sense of high coverage and a homogeneous ink distribution, and to provide inks which, when applied to such pretreatments or precoatings, prevent the applied volume units from running into one another or mixing
Implementation Method 3
and/or to induce curing or polymerization of the applied ink
Implementation Method 4
and/or to induce curing or polymerization of the applied ink
Implementation Method 5
The leveling of the ink or printing ink in turn determines the coverage and the ink distribution, so that the ink wets the substrate or the support material as completely as possible
Implementation Method 6
which, if required, ensure wetting interfacial tensions in the sense of high coverage and a homogeneous ink distribution
Implementation Method 7
whose solubility is pH-dependent, are added to the ink
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed of pretreatment and/or precoating of nonabsorbent substrates and/or nonabsorbent support materials, in particular of plastics, metals or glass, for ink printing or inkjet printing with water-based ink with a pretreatment solution and/or coating. The method includes applying at least one initiator which physically or chemically induces a sufficiently rapid reduction of the flowability of the ink to the substrate and/or support material, giving a defined ink distribution.