Solvent based printing inks

Flexo and gravure

applications
D. MANTIS
DFH Druckfarben
 Liquid inks - definition

• Printing inks are coatings

which contain colorants
(inorganic and organic
pigments, soluble toners,
dyes)
• Printing inks act also like
adhesives, they must set
on the printed substrates
for the full service life of
the packaged structure
 Inks ≠ ~ adhesives

• Inks must be stable during storage, dilution and flowing

into the closed circuit of the printing machine (not
thickening – gelling, not flocculating – settling)
• BUT must adhere instantly and permanently after
application
• On absorbent substrates the binder should not leave
pigment unprotected on the surface (easy rub of, powder-
off).
• On non-absorbing substrates the resin system must film
form and cross-link with the functional groups of the
substrate (often using catalysts / adhesion promoters).
• In some cases solvents used to thin / dilute inks
penetrate / swell polymeric films to activate / enhance
physical + chemical bonding
Ink absorption
 Inks and ingredients

• INKS: Dispersions of colorants in a carrier.

• CARRIER: resin
solution/emulsion/dispersion
• SOLVENTS: dilute resins, regulate
viscosity and drying time
• ADDITIVES: solve printing problems,
maximize service life of the printing ink film
 Liquid inks - scope

• Printing inks
- transfer a message from
the printed area
- protect the printed surface
- emerge a packaging style
- protect the consumer
from a defective product
(active packaging)
- control the packaging
(intelligent packaging)
 Liquid inks - substrates

• Printing inks applied on a

wide range of substrates:
- Paper (coated, uncoated,
calendered …)
- Films mono or bi-oriented,
laminated, co-extruded:
PP, PE, PA, PET ….
- Alum foil (washed,
primed, coated)
- Metallized paper / films
- Laminated structures:
- Coated films: Al-Ox, SiOx
coated OPA, PET, OPP
- Woven films (PP sacks)
 Check ink – substrate
compatibility
STUDY + EXPERIMENT + LEARN
• Test in small scale before using in large scale
• Learn before printing
• First experiment in the lab and then in production
(adhesion. blocking, solvent retention, heat
resistance etc………….)
• Study the special characteristics for the substrate
(treatment, coating, absorption ..)
• focus on the final requirements of the packaging
structure (sealing, lamination, steam sterilization,
microwavable, outdoor exposure …)
 Inks: visual effect
• Color:
- Hue defines the nature of the colour
(shade like red, blue, green etc)
- Strength = intensity = saturation =
chroma
- Purity = value: brightness, darkness
• Transparency vs. opacity: percentage
of light scattered from or transmitted
through the printed image (colorant
type, good dispersion, substrate)
• Gloss: percentage of reflected light
(evenness - smoothness of ink film,
high resin content, higher ink thickness,
better pigment dispersion increase
gloss)
 Inks and drying models

• Radiation:IR, UV, EB inks

• Chemical drying: (e.g. 2K or
PUR inks) followed by
thermal polymerization (heat
activates and catalyzes inks)
• Oxidation:offset oil based
inks + metal catalysts)
• Absorption:into porous
substrates like carton-boxes)
• Evaporation:controlled
removal of solvent(s)
followed by film-forming of
resins + colorants on the
substrate
 Resistances of printed
area
• Heat resistance (heat sealing,
pasteurization, sterilization etc)
• Light-fastness (resistance to
fading under UV exposure)
• Weathering (exposing to
weathering and chemical
elements e.g. rainfall)
• Abrasion (rub, scuff, crinkle):
proper formulation in terms of
resins, pigment/resin ratio,
additives, dispersion
• Chemical resistance (acid,
alkali, oil, butter, lactic acid,
 Must focus TO:

• Conditioning of the ink: control rheology and

viscosity
• Keep the ink clean from any kind of
contamination
• Keep the ink in motion through proper pumping /
circulation
• Keep the ink under control (viscosity, pH for the
w/b systems, temperature, solvent level, foam
level etc…..)
 Gravure s/b inks
Special characteristics:
• Low viscosity (15-25 Zahn cup 2, watch out for screening,
halo), near Newtonian flow
• Easily re-solubilized (re-wetted) in the engraved cells
• Fast evaporation of solvents (fast drying) and instant setting
on the substrate
• Rapid flow out of the engraved cells and transfer onto the
substrate forming a smooth film
• Heavy wet ink film: 8-12 μm maximum thickness
• Low odor, minimum solvent retention
• One nip point – compression of the ink
• The ink acts as a lubricating fluid during doctor blade wipping
• Low residual tack of the dried ink (to avoid pick-off, set-off).
• Low abrasiveness (choose the right pigments, fine tune
formulation)
 Gravure s/b inks
• The metering blade provide a
clean wipe. The pressure and the
application angle of the blade must
be stable to ensure consistent
colour reproduction and
minimization of hazing and
streaking. The contact area must
be low enough to minimize blade
and cylinder wear
• The ink must not dry to fast, to
avoid solvent evaporation from the
ink left over in the engraved cell –
drying in.
• The ink must not dry too slow, to
avoid blocking, dirty printing
• Control air streams to minimize ink
skinning causing hazing, streaks
• Control agitation in ink trough to
minimize foam, ink skipping
 Flexo s/b inks - I
Special characteristics
• Medium to low fluidity of diluted inks: 22 – 30 sec Zahn cup 2 (higher
viscosity for process printing)
• High delivery viscosity: 50 – 90 Zahn cup 2, to prevent severe pigment
settling and to allow using different solvent mixtures for diluting the ink
(according to the printing conditions: speed, drying temperature etc…)
• High viscosity: dirty printing – more thick ink layer on plates → fill-ins
• 2 or 3 nip points, compression of ink
• Shear thinning of liquid inks (excess shearing of ink during transport in
the closed circuit)
• Wet ink film: 2 – 10 μm, depending on the tools used and the printing
conditions (speed, metering unit, working practice). Higher pigment
loading than gravure inks.
• Solvent used for thinning must not swell / destroy photopolymer plates –
stereo
• Instant solvent evaporation after application using BCD (between color
driers), final setting in the long drying tunnel.
 Flexo s/b inks - II
• Severe loss of solvents in open systems, check periodically
viscosity lever and correct if needed.
• Low viscosity: low printing density, low resistance of the printed
area, distortion of high-lights + tonal shift, quality drift in shadow
and midtones (dot structure, coverage, print density)
 Flexo s/b inks
• Rubber plates: high surface
energy, more accepting of ink from
the anilox but transfer less ink on
the substrate
• Photopolymer plates: have lower
but more consistent surface
energies than rubber plates (less
affinity with the ink) but transfer
more easily to the substrate
• The solvent(s) in the ink must not
solubilize the resin of the plate,
otherwise we observe dimensional
changes in the image area of the
plates (swelling) and will create
some tackiness (which will
decrease the transferability of the
ink)
 Ink transferability
• Pigments dispersion characteristics and resin selection define runnability of
the ink through the cylinders (engraved cylinder, anilox to plate and plate to
substrate)
• Ink must have a flexible but in the same time tough body to avoid misting
(spraying out) and excessive shear thinning (especially in high speeds).
• Inks must be kept soluble when circulating (in the closed dosing system of
the press) but must release easily the solvents immediately after application
onto the substrate. The higher the solubilization of the resins (extend,
expand linearly, fluid and flexible) in the solvent mixture the better
transferability but the poorer solvent release exhibit.
• Inks must not be oxidized or thicken during printing (respect guidelines
when using the inks, check out the self life of each product, look after the
phanal based and metallic inks). Some coatings of the substrates re-
solubilized during printing – combine efficiently inks vs. substrates.
Anilox the metering
station
Compatibility solvents
vs. flexographic plates
 s/b inks – handling
• Store inks in a conditioned warehouse (avoid freezing and / or
overheating).
• Condition inks, varnishes, solvents, substrates in the production
before using.
• Dilute the inks before entering the printing deck.
• Re-circulate the inks using the appropriate pumps for at least 10
minutes.
• Prepare a solvent mixture to regulate drying conditions
• Use ex-proof equipment, train the personnel
• Minimize solvent escape during use, don’t lave containers open, filter
remaining quantity before re-using.
• Use the proper thinning varnish to reduce ink density
• Avoid over-dilution to prevent kick-out (large aggregates and
agglomerates will form).
 Filtering the inks

• Abrasive pigments (usually

TiO2, metallic), contamination
(metal fines, debris), not
adequately dispersed inks
(large clusters of
agglomerates, aggregates)
wear tools of printing presses
→ quality issues, increase of
rejected printed material Install
a magnet trap in the filtering
unit (max 50 μm)
• Common printing defects:
(streaking, comets, scoring.
drag-out)
 Viscosity and solvents

• Apply balanced solvent mixture

• Use the right solvents
• Do not over-dilute s/b inks (if the viscosity
approaches that of solvent mixture then there is
not enough binder in our system resulting to
poor layout, decreased properties of printing
area, settling of pigment, wear of machine
elements etc.. Lack of printing quality…)
• Study the dilution curves.
• Do not dilute cold inks with warm solvents or
vice versa (preferable conditions 21 – 25 °C), to
avoid shocking phenomenon. Add the varnish
(low solid system) into the base (high solid
system) under adequate stirring. Then add
solvent into inks under stirring.
• A cold ink is not performing as well as a hot ink
(especially in chambered doctor blades)
Solvents for thinning and
regulating drying speed
 Establish solvent
balance
• Solvent added into the ink to regulate
printing viscosity
• Solvent loss from the ink sump, printing
station
• Composition of escaping solvents (solvent
blends) determined by: solvent molecule,
resin interaction, ambient conditions, press
settings etc..
• A solvent blend must be added to replace
loss and prevent imbalance (resin kick-out,
ink souring, gloss reduction, viscosity
increase, loss of adhesion)
• Major issues of solvent imbalance in jobs
where ink consumption is limited (spot
colours, process printing)
• Prepare a blend of balanced solvents and
add it into the diluted ink establishing a more
balanced drying behavior.
 Viscosity cups

• Periodically check of flow

cups. Replace if worn.
• Use a standard cup as a
reference tool.
• Handle cups with care (do not
drop, squeeze). Inspect the
exit aperture.
• Keep viscosity caps wetted
with solvents (do not let ink
dry), store in vertical position.
• Use metallic and not plastic
cups for s/b inks.
 Viscosity cups
• Use standard calibrated viscosity
cups
• Compare viscosity readings
between different cups
• Test the accuracy between
reading and operators
• Define the temperature of inks and
related varnishes
 Automatic viscometers

• Viscosity drift during long runs

create problems in: color matching,
coverage, transferability
• 1 second increase in viscosity can
increase consumption up to 25 %
• Automatic instruments measure and
if needed control viscosity
minimizing wasted and rejected (off-
specs) materials, press setup time,
returned ink after the production.
• Automatic reliable measurements,
adjustments can be carried out in
real time
• Less time needed to check the ink
(manual reading must take place
every 15-20 minutes)
 Automatic viscometers

Falling ball viscometers operate in a bypass line from the ink pumped to
the printing press. Stopping the ink flow allows the ball to fall providing a
timed measurement proportional to the terminal velocity and inversely
proportional to the viscosity. The measurement is taken periodically
and is not a continuous measurement. The separate fluid bypass is
quasi- independent of the main loop to the printing press. It requires
additional space to accommodate the separate flow path and
associated instrumentation.

The falling piston viscometer is composed of a cylinder and piston

assembly. The piston is raised drawing the ink to be measured into
the cylinder through an inlet path. The piston is allowed to fall by
gravity, expelling the ink sample out through the same inlet path. The
time of fall in seconds is a measure of viscosity that can be
correlated to other units of viscosity, such as cup seconds or
centipoise.
 Automatic viscometers

The third approach consists of a straight metal rod maintained

in resonant vibration by a continuously applied power source.
Installed in-line to the fluid flow (vibrating rod viscometers), the
sensor is between the ink pump and printing deck. The
operating frequency is in the audible range (typically 300-500
Hz). High-pitched sounds and vibration in the press that is
close to the resonant or harmonic frequency of the rod can
affect the reading. Based on the Mechanical operation of
printing presses, it may not be Uncommon to encounter these
frequencies, but they can be suppressed with mechanical
isolation to allow acceptable operation.
While falling piston, falling ball and vibrating rod viscometers
have been successfully utilized in the industry, a new solid-
Tate solution further simplifies the integration of the viscometer
due to its small size, ease of use, and output interface options.
Equally important, the sensor allows users to configure the
viscosity control solution that is optimal for their application.
 Automatic viscometers

The solid-state sensor is a fraction of the size of

Previous viscometers, has no moving parts, is
insensitive to vibration, and provides an alternate
design approach for users. Offered strictly as a
sensor, Vectron’s ViSmart sensor solution allows
system integrators and OEMs to implement viscosity
control system designs without having to
compromise
their requirements.
The sensing solution readily measures aqueous or
solvent based printing inks. The ViSmart
viscosity sensor system consists of two to three
components depending on the application
requirements. For solvent-based printing inks and
other hazardous applications, the viscosity
measurement solution consists of a hazardous
Location certified viscosity sensor, a hazardous
location certified shunt-diode barrier and a DIN rail
mount converter
 Automatic viscometers

viscosity solid state sensor system components can be incorporated within a flexographic printing press. The
sensor easily integrates in-line with the fluid to be measured, while the shunt diode barrier ensures excessive
energy does not get supplied to the sensor in the hazardous classified area. The DIN rail mount converter allows
continuous and easy access to the sensor temperature and viscosity data on a CAN or RS-485 physical layer
utilizing a variety of protocols.
 Solvent based inks

THE END

Thank you very much

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