White Ink Composition for Transparent Substrates

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Solution Overview

Problem

White printed matter using white ink on transparent substrates often experiences incomplete curing of the ink layer due to thick ink layers, leading to color bleeding and poor visibility, especially in low-density areas, resulting in unsatisfactory image quality.

Innovation Solution

A white ink composition containing metallic compounds like titanium dioxide and hollow resin particles, combined with a resin fixative such as polyurethane resin, is used to achieve a high degree of white shielding, ensuring proper ink layer curing and improved visibility by controlling the particle size and amount of these components to prevent clogging and sedimentation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If a thick white ink layer is used to improve visibility and white shielding on transparent substrates, then the L-value and visibility are improved, but the curing of the ink layer becomes incomplete leading to color bleeding

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovevisibilityVSAvoidcuring completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The white ink layer is segmented into multiple thin layers applied in sequential passes rather than a single thick layer. This allows active energy beam irradiation to penetrate and cure each layer completely while maintaining cumulative white shielding effect and visibility improvement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The white ink layer is applied and cured in multiple preliminary steps (passes) before final color image recording. Each pass deposits and cures a thin layer, ensuring complete curing is achieved before subsequent layers are added, preventing color bleeding while building up the required white shielding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Illumination intensity

If white coloring materials are used to improve visibility, then the L-value increases, but the thick ink layer retards curing by active energy beam irradiation

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveL-valueVSAvoidactive energy beam penetration

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The white ink containing coloring materials is applied in multiple thin sequential layers rather than one thick layer. This segmentation allows active energy beams to penetrate each thin layer effectively for complete curing while the cumulative effect of multiple layers achieves the desired high L-value and white shielding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Illumination intensity

If the white ink layer transmission density is increased to improve visibility, then the L-value improves, but the ink layer becomes too thick causing incomplete curing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission densityVSAvoidcuring uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The white ink layer is segmented into multiple thin layers applied in sequential passes. Each thin layer cures uniformly under active energy beam irradiation, ensuring manufacturing precision and curing uniformity, while the cumulative effect of multiple layers achieves the target transmission density and L-value.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple preliminary passes are used to build up the white ink layer thickness gradually. Each pass deposits and cures a thin layer with uniform thickness, ensuring curing uniformity is maintained throughout the process while achieving the required overall transmission density.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Illumination intensity

If a thick white ink layer is used to achieve high L-value, then visibility improves, but color bleeding occurs due to incomplete curing

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovevisibilityVSAvoidcolor bleeding

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The white ink layer is segmented into multiple thin cured layers rather than one thick uncured layer. Each thin layer cures completely under active energy beam irradiation, preventing color bleeding between layers, while the cumulative effect achieves the required visibility and L-value.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple preliminary passes are performed to build up the white ink layer with complete curing at each stage. This preliminary action ensures that each layer is fully cured before the next is added, eliminating color bleeding while achieving the target visibility and L-value.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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 white ink composition effectively enhances the visibility and color reproducibility of images on transparent substrates by maintaining a high degree of white shielding, preventing color bleeding, and ensuring stable ink ejection, thereby improving the overall image quality and color reproduction area.

Implementation Method 1

A white ink composition containing a white coloring material and a resin fixative is used to achieve a high degree of white shielding

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight scattering: Scattering

Data Source

PatentUS9782977B2Printed matter, method for recording color images, color printed matter, look-up table for use in color image recording, and white ink

Publication Date: 2017.10.10 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

Printed matter, in which an image is recorded on a clear film with a white ink containing a white coloring material and at least one urethane resin as a resin fixative and having a degree of white shielding of 50 or more.