Titanium Oxide Print Media for UV Laser Marking Without Dust
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing methods on packages using thermal printers and ink-jet printers are costly due to consumables, and direct printing can lead to contamination and viewability issues, while laser printing methods using CO2 lasers have limited material options and produce powdery dust.
Innovation Solution
A print product with a specified titanium oxide content and Raman intensity ratio in a printable region, produced using ultraviolet laser irradiation, to achieve high viewability and solvent resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If CO2 laser light irradiation is used to remove the upper layer and form characters, then printing speed is improved, but the material selection is limited and the viewability is inferior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the laser wavelength parameter from CO2 laser (infrared) to ultraviolet laser, enabling titanium oxide to absorb the laser energy and undergo discoloration. This parameter change allows use of titanium oxide-containing materials while achieving high-speed printing with excellent viewability, resolving both the speed and material adaptability requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the color change property of titanium oxide when irradiated with ultraviolet laser. The titanium oxide transitions from white to black through laser-induced discoloration, providing high contrast and excellent viewability. This color change mechanism enables versatile material selection while maintaining high printing speed and visual quality.
2Productivity
If CO2 laser light irradiation is used to remove the upper layer, then printing speed is improved, but powdery dust is generated causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the laser wavelength from CO2 (infrared) to ultraviolet, the interaction mechanism with titanium oxide changes from ablation to discoloration. This parameter change eliminates the generation of powdery dust while maintaining high-speed printing capability, resolving the contradiction between productivity and contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the previously harmful effect of laser irradiation (material removal causing dust) into a beneficial effect (titanium oxide discoloration). The ultraviolet laser energy is absorbed by titanium oxide to induce color change rather than ablation, transforming a harmful process into a useful one that achieves both high speed and cleanliness.
3Quantity of substance
If direct printing with thermal or ink-jet printers is used, then printing cost is reduced, but printing leakage and viewability issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical printing systems (thermal printer head, ink-jet printer head) with a laser irradiation system. This substitution eliminates the need for consumable ribbons and ink, reducing ongoing costs while providing reliable, high-quality printing through laser-induced titanium oxide discoloration that is resistant to leakage and fading.
Solution Approach 2:
The titanium oxide-containing material serves its own printing function when irradiated with ultraviolet laser. The material itself undergoes discoloration to form the print image, eliminating the need for separate ink or ribbon consumables. This self-service mechanism reduces printing costs while ensuring reliable, high-quality output without leakage issues.
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 method provides a print product with clear and durable printed regions using discolored titanium oxide, enhancing viewability and reducing contamination risks.
Implementation Method 1
a printed region comprising discolored titanium oxide in at least one portion of a sheet medium selected from the group consisting of paper or a film having a printable region comprising titanium oxide
Implementation Method 2
produced using ultraviolet laser irradiation, to achieve high viewability and solvent resistance
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a print product which has a printed region where printing with ultraviolet laser is applied and which is excellent in viewability, a method for producing a print product by irradiation with ultraviolet laser, and a printing medium for laser printing, for use in the print product and the method for producing a print product. The print product of the present invention has a printed region comprising discolored titanium oxide in at least one portion of a sheet medium selected from the group consisting of paper or a film having a printable region comprising titanium oxide; titanium oxide is filled in the sheet medium; a titanium oxide content in the printable region in the sheet medium is 1.0% by mass or more, pulp constituting the paper has a length-weighted average fiber length and an average fiber width in specified ranges, and the paper has a basis weight of 20 g/m2 or more, when the sheet medium is the paper; a titanium oxide content in the printable region in the sheet medium is 0.3% by mass or more, the film has a thickness of 15 μm or more, and a resin constituting the film comprises a specified resin, when the sheet medium is the film; and a ratio between a Raman intensity assigned to titanium oxide in the printed region and a Raman intensity assigned to titanium oxide in a non-printed region is 0.70 or less.