Water-Based Printing Ink Formulation for Impermeable Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed printing on impermeable substrates like plastic and metal webs faces challenges with water-based inks, including ink spreading due to lack of absorption, coalescing of ink droplets, and 'ink retransfer' issues, which affect image quality and lead to unusable products due to substrate shrinkage and deformation.
Innovation Solution
A printing composition comprising specific weight percentages of polymers, defoamers, surfactants, opacifiers, viscosity modifiers, and antimicrobial agents, applied in conjunction with temperature control to maintain substrate integrity, is used to address these issues, ensuring accurate registration and image quality on flexible and shrinkable substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If water-based inks are used for printing on impermeable substrates, then environmental and health concerns are addressed by eliminating VOC emissions, but ink droplets spread and coalesce on the substrate surface, adversely affecting image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a surfactant as an intermediary substance in the ink formulation. The surfactant modifies the surface tension properties of the water-based ink, enabling controlled interaction with the impermeable substrate surface. This mediator allows the ink to achieve proper wetting and adhesion without uncontrolled spreading, thus maintaining image quality while using environmentally friendly water-based inks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical-chemical parameters of the water-based ink by adding specific additives including surfactants and polymers. These parameter changes adjust the ink's surface tension, viscosity, and drying characteristics to be compatible with impermeable substrates, preventing droplet coalescence while maintaining the environmental benefits of VOC-free formulation
2Productivity
If high-speed printing is performed on impermeable substrates, then productivity is increased, but ink retransfer occurs from printed areas to rollers, leading to unusable products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates quick-drying agents and specific polymer components in the ink formulation that enable rapid evaporation and fixation of the ink on the substrate surface. This preliminary drying action occurs before the substrate contacts rollers, preventing ink retransfer and ensuring product usability even at high printing speeds
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts the volatility and drying kinetics parameters of the ink by selecting specific solvents and additives. This parameter optimization allows the ink to dry at a controlled rate that matches the high-speed printing process, preventing both premature drying that would cause registration issues and delayed drying that would cause retransfer
3Device complexity
If temperature control is not maintained during printing, then printing process simplicity is preserved, but substrate shrinkage and deformation occur, producing unusable products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent formulates the ink with specific polymers and additives that modify the substrate's thermal response characteristics. This parameter modification allows the substrate to maintain dimensional stability during the printing process without requiring complex temperature control systems, as the ink formulation itself mitigates thermal shrinkage and deformation
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 effectively prevents ink spreading and retransfer, maintains image quality, and ensures dimensional stability of the substrate during high-speed printing, enabling the production of high-quality images on impermeable substrates without compromising the substrate's integrity.
Implementation Method 1
from about 0.25% to about 2.00% by weight of a surfactant
Implementation Method 2
from about 10.00% to about 30.00% by weight of a polymer
Implementation Method 3
from about 0.05% to about 0.25% by weight of a defoamer agent
Implementation Method 4
the temperature of the substrate does not exceed a threshold for dimensional integrity of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
According to one aspect, a printing composition of the present application comprises from about 10.00% to about 30.00% by weight of a polymer, from about 0.05% to about 0.25% by weight of a defoamer agent, from about 0.25% to about 2.00% by weight of a surfactant, up to about 5.00% by weight of a surface treatment agent, up to about 35.00% by weight of an opacifier, and water.