WO2011072155A1 - Composition d'encre à séchage rapide - Google Patents

Composition d'encre à séchage rapide Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2011072155A1
WO2011072155A1 PCT/US2010/059750 US2010059750W WO2011072155A1 WO 2011072155 A1 WO2011072155 A1 WO 2011072155A1 US 2010059750 W US2010059750 W US 2010059750W WO 2011072155 A1 WO2011072155 A1 WO 2011072155A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
percent
ink composition
group
weight
water
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PCT/US2010/059750
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English (en)
Inventor
Loc Bui
Ramesh Subbaraman
Snehal Desai
Barry Brucker
Nadeepuram K. Ranganathan
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Independent Ink, Inc.
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Publication of WO2011072155A1 publication Critical patent/WO2011072155A1/fr

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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • C09D—COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR
    • C09D11/00—Inks
    • C09D11/30—Inkjet printing inks
    • C09D11/38—Inkjet printing inks characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
    • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
    • C08L61/00—Compositions of condensation polymers of aldehydes or ketones; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
    • C08L61/04—Condensation polymers of aldehydes or ketones with phenols only
    • C08L61/06—Condensation polymers of aldehydes or ketones with phenols only of aldehydes with phenols

Definitions

  • TECHNICAL FIELD [0003] Aspects of this invention relate generally to inks, and more particularly to fast-drying ink compositions and methods of their use in printing systems.
  • solvent based inks are typically the inks of choice to print on the various substrates required.
  • the ink composition is typically based on solvents, e.g., methyl ethyl ketone ("MEK”) and/or alcohol, and one or more solvent- soluble colorants.
  • MEK methyl ethyl ketone
  • Inks for continuous inkjet systems are generally conductive since an electrostatic charging device is employed to assist in directing the continuous stream of ink droplets.
  • the ink droplets to be imaged are jetted from a nozzle as a continuous stream and directed to a substrate.
  • the un-imaged or unused ink droplets are recycled back into the bulk ink feed system.
  • a make-up solution comprising an effective concentration of the solvent(s) is typically employed to compensate for the loss in solvent(s) during printing.
  • VOCs volatile organic compounds
  • make-up solution is added to compensate for the loss of solvents(s) and the resulting increase in viscosity.
  • make-up solution increases the cost of operation.
  • the variability in the physical properties of the ink due to the loss of solvent(s) and the compensation by the make-up solution creates variability in quality of the printed image.
  • hot melt ink may be employed using a drop-on-demand printing system.
  • the ink composition is typically based on low molecular weight waxes and oil soluble colorant(s).
  • the ink is typically a solid at room temperature.
  • the ink is heated up above the melting point to an effective temperature where the ink is jettable.
  • the molten ink is jetted from the nozzles of the print head and onto the desired substrate via a micro piezo- actuated device.
  • the molten ink droplets freeze on top of the substrate to form the desired image.
  • the ink composition is typically based on water and glycols.
  • the colorants typically are water soluble dyes or water dispersible pigments. Because of the inherent water solubility of water-soluble dyes, the images printed from these inks suffer from a lack of waterfastness. Whereas, water-based inks employed in thermal inkjet systems have found great commercial success in printing on porous or absorbent substrates.
  • water based inks are notorious for requiring appropriate substrates to be selected for optimum print quality and when printed on non-porous substrates often suffer from low edge acuity, poor wetting, inadequate drying, coalescence in the halftone image, mottling, smudging, low optical density, poor adhesion to the substrate, lack of waterfastness, and other such problems.
  • thermal inkjet technology is prone to long-term reliability issues such as nozzles clogging from dried ink at the orifices, kogation due to thermal degradation at the resistors, or corrosion due to oxidative problems. [0011]
  • water-based inks traditionally employed in thermal printheads may be inappropriate for printing on non-porous substrates.
  • the inks may not wet the substrate. Even if the inks are modified to wet the non-porous substrate, water-based inks may take too long to dry on non-porous substrates. To resolve the drying problem on non-porous substrates, inks with fast-drying solvent and/or fast-drying solvent mixture may be employed. However, inks with fast-drying solvent and/or fast-drying solvent mixture may often result in reduced open time at the nozzle during printing and/or during idling.
  • open time is the time the print head is in the idling state, i.e., non-printing, uncapped state, without losing any jet.
  • an open time of one hour means the print head has been in a non-printing, uncapped state for one hour and is able to print with one-hundred percent of all the jets.
  • Irrecoverable nozzle clogging refers to the solvent evaporating from the ink, and the nozzles are irrecoverable despite user intervention.
  • recoverable nozzle clogging there are two different states, where one state requires user intervention and the other state does not require user intervention.
  • recoverable nozzle clogging requiring user intervention means the nozzles may be recovered by removing the printhead to wipe the nozzle plate and/or flushing the printhead.
  • recoverable nozzle clogging without user intervention means the jets may be recovered by programming the printhead to fire the jets and/or purging the printhead.
  • Continuous inkjet systems may be expensive to own and maintain. Additionally, continuous inkjet inks might be highly volatile, might create print quality problems, might generate VOCs into the environment, and might add cost to the operation. Hot melt drop-on-demand inkjet systems may be able to resolve the issues related to volatility found in continuous inkjet systems. However, hot melt inkjet systems generally introduce printed images of low durability without resolving the cost issues. Thermal inkjet systems may be able to resolve the cost and ink volatility issues. However, thermal inkjet systems introduce problems with printing on non-porous substrates.
  • the present invention solves the above-described problems by providing, in the exemplary embodiment, a fast-drying ink composition for use in printing on various substrates, including non-porous substrates.
  • a fast-drying ink composition for use in printing on various substrates, including non-porous substrates.
  • substrates include but are not limited to coated offset paper, low surface energy plastic, glass, or metal.
  • the inventors herein realize that by employing fast-drying solvent and/or a mixture thereof in an ink to be jettable in a thermal inkjet system may result in a fast- drying ink composition on porous or non-porous substrates.
  • the inventors herein realize that incorporating a surface active humectant into a fast- drying ink to be jettable in a thermal inkjet system may result in a fast-drying ink composition with good recovery after corning out of standby.
  • Another objective is to provide such an ink composition that comprises water, a fast- drying solvent mixture, a surface active humectant, and a colorant.
  • a further objective is to provide such an ink composition that comprises a hydrophilic co-solvent with low enthalpy of evaporation.
  • a still further objective is to provide such an ink composition that comprises a humectant.
  • a still further objective is to provide such an ink composition that comprises a surfactant selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon-based surfactants, silicone-based surfactants, or fluorosurfactants.
  • a still further objective is to provide such an ink composition that comprises at least two surfactants mixed in the ink either as a fluoro surfactant with a hydrocarbon-based surfactant or as a silicone-based surfactant with a hydrocarbon-based surfactant.
  • a still further objective is to provide such an ink composition that comprises a resin.
  • a still further objective is to provide such an ink composition that comprises a biocide reagent.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic view of the chemical structure of a surface- active humectant of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic view the surface- active humectants at an air-water interface.
  • a fast-drying ink composition comprising, in the exemplary embodiment, water, one or more fast-drying solvents, a surface- active humectant, and at least one colorant.
  • these ingredients and other additives such as "low enthalpy of evaporation" solvents, surfactants, resins, and biocide reagents may be combined in various proportions depending on the application to arrive at new and useful ink compositions according to the present invention.
  • an "effective amount” or "effective concentration” of any such ingredient or additive of any particular ink composition refers to the minimal percentage of a substance employed in an ink composition of the present invention to achieve the desired effect.
  • an effective amount of dye refers to the minimal percentage of dye required to achieve the desired color and/or optical density.
  • Fast-drying solvents suitable for the ink compositions of the present invention may comprise a single solvent and/or a mixture of solvents, most of which are organic, though this is not required.
  • alcohols may typically be employed as the fast-drying solvent in various ink compositions of the present invention to modify the drying property of the resulting ink.
  • Alcohols suitable for the ink compositions of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, n- propyl alcohol, tert-butanol, n-pentanol, benzyl alcohol, and derivatives thereof.
  • methanol may be added to an ink composition of the present invention to increase the drying rate.
  • benzyl alcohol may be added.
  • An effective concentration of alcohol may be empirically determined relative to the desired end use application to balance between the problem of crusting at the nozzles and achieving the desired drying rate.
  • an alcohol and/or a mixture of alcohols may typically be present in the range of about one percent (1%) to about seventy- five percent (75%) by weight, more preferably in the range of about five percent (5%) to about fifty percent (50%) by weight, and even more preferably in the range of about eight percent (8%) to about forty percent (40%) by weight.
  • the alcohol may be added individually and/or as a mixture of different alcohols in an effective concentration to achieve desired end properties.
  • glycol ethers and or esters may be employed as the fast- drying solvent in various ink compositions of the present invention to modify the drying property of the resulting ink.
  • Suitable glycol ethers employed in various ink compositions of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, propylene glycol methyl ether ("glycol ether PM" or "GEPM”), dipropylene glycol methyl ether, tripropylene glycol methyl ether, propylene glycol ethyl ether, propylene glycol normal propyl ether, dipropylene glycol normal propyl ether, dipropylene glycol normal butyl ether, dipropylene glycol normal butyl ether, tripropylene glycol normal butyl ether, dipropylene glycol tertiary butyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ether, and derivatives thereof.
  • esters suitably employed in the ink compositions of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, amyl acetate, iso-butyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, glycol ether DB acetate, glycol ether EB acetate, glycol ether DE acetate, glycol ether EE acetate, glycol ether EM acetate, glycol ether PM acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl-3-ethoxy propitiate, isopropyl acetate, n-propyl acetate, isobutyl isobutyrate, dibasic ester, and derivatives thereof.
  • glycol ethers and esters might be employed as co-solvents to balance various properties of a particular ink composition of the present invention.
  • a relatively fast-evaporating solvent such as ethyl acetate may be employed to increase the drying rate of an ink composition.
  • a relatively slow-evaporating solvent such as glycol ether PM acetate may be employed to decrease the drying rate of an ink composition.
  • glycol ethers and esters may be added to an ink composition in various combinations and effective percentages by weight to achieve the desired balance in properties.
  • oxygenated solvents suitably employed in the ink compositions of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, glycol ethers such as propylene glycol n-propyl ether (“Glycol Ether PnP”), tripropylene glycol methyl ether (“Glycol Ether TPM”) and/or dipropylene glycol methyl ether (“Glycol Ether DPM”).
  • glycol ethers such as propylene glycol n-propyl ether (“Glycol Ether PnP"), tripropylene glycol methyl ether (“Glycol Ether TPM”) and/or dipropylene glycol methyl ether (“Glycol Ether DPM”).
  • Glycol Ether PnP, Glycol Ether TPM and Glycol Ether DPM may be employed in the ink compositions to offer co-solvency with a wide range of solvents and functional groups.
  • Glycol Ether PnP, Glycol Ether TPM and Glycol Ether DPM are hydrophilic as well as having a low enthalpy of evaporation.
  • the hydrophilic nature of the Glycol Ether PnP, Glycol Ether TPM and Glycol Ether DPM may provide good co-solvency with water and other solvents employed in ink compositions according to aspects of the present invention.
  • the hydrophilic property of Glycol Ether PnP, Glycol Ether TPM and Glycol Ether DPM may help retard water evaporation in the bulk ink composition.
  • the low enthalpy of evaporation property of Glycol Ether PnP, Glycol Ether TPM and Glycol Ether DPM may allow for faster evaporation and enhance faster dying of the ink on the non-porous substrate.
  • low enthalpy of evaporation, hydrophilic (“LEEH”) solvent refers to solvents such as Glycol Ether PnP, Glycol Ether TPM and Glycol Ether DPM.
  • Table I shows the enthalpy of evaporation for various representative solvents used in exemplary embodiments of ink compositions according to aspects of the invention. As shown in Table I, water has the highest value for the enthalpy of evaporation while LEEH solvents, such as Glycol Ether TPM and Glycol Ether DPM, have the lower values for the enthalpy of evaporation.
  • enthalpy of evaporation is the energy required to transform a given quantity of a solvent into a gas.
  • fast-drying solvents may be selected at an effective concentration in terms of percentage by weight for particular ink formulation according to aspects of the present invention, thereby providing balance of the desired properties, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
  • Important properties for selecting appropriate solvents for a fast-drying thermal inkjet ink to print on a wide range of non-porous substrates include one or more of the following: substantial solubility with water; desirable evaporating rate; substantial miscibility with water; relatively low toxicity; relatively low viscosity; substantially complete dissolution of water- insoluble dyes; and substantially complete dissolution of resin.
  • a fast-drying solvent and/or mixtures thereof are typically present in the range of about five percent (5%) to about ninety percent (90%) by weight, more preferably in the range of about ten percent (10%) to about seventy-five percent (75%) by weight, and even more preferably in the range of about ten percent (10%) to about sixty percent (60%) by weight.
  • ink compositions of the present invention have water that may act as a propellant for thermal inkjet printing.
  • ink compositions of the present invention have fast-drying solvent to enable fast drying through evaporative means with and/or without the assistance of an external heat source.
  • images being printed with ink compositions comprising fast-drying solvent(s) may rapidly dry on even non-porous substrates.
  • inks employing fast-drying solvent and/or fast- drying solvent mixture may result in irrecoverable clogging of the nozzles and/or clogging of the nozzles requiring user intervention due to the evaporation of the fast-drying solvent and/or fast- drying solvent mixture.
  • a humectant is a substance that may be employed to promote the retention of moisture.
  • Polyols may generally be added to various ink compositions of the present invention for their humectant property.
  • Humectants may play an important role in any ink formulation in preventing crusting at the nozzles.
  • Fast drying inks of the type described in the various inventive embodiments of the present invention may be more susceptible to nozzle crusting than slower drying inks of the prior art, i.e., conventional aqueous ink compositions for thermal inkjet printing systems.
  • Polyols suitably employed in the ink compositions of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, glycerol, polyethylene glycol 200, polyethylene glycol 400, polyethylene glycol 600, and/or derivatives thereof.
  • ink compositions having at least one of the aforementioned humectants in the bulk ink tend to mmimize loss of solvent during low duty cycle printing or idle state.
  • ink compositions having at least one of the aforementioned humectants do not need make-up solution to balance viscosity due to loss of VOC.
  • ink compositions having at least one of the aforementioned humectants may suffer less from hard-plug or nozzle- crusting due to loss of solvent during low duty cycle printing or idle state.
  • Surfactants suitable for use in the various ink compositions of the present invention may comprise ionic, zwitterionic (amphoteric), and/or non-ionic surfactants.
  • Surfactants are surface active agents that contain both hydrophobic groups and hydrophilic groups.
  • Surfactants may generally be characterized by the presence of a charge on the hydrophilic group of the molecule.
  • non-ionic surfactants might have no charge on the hydrophilic portion of the molecule; whereas, ionic surfactants might have a net charge on the hydrophilic portion of the molecule.
  • Negatively charged surfactants are called anionic surfactants, whereas, positively charged surfactants are called cationic surfactants.
  • surfactants with two oppositely charged groups on the hydrophilic portion of the molecule are called zwitterionic surfactants.
  • surfactants may be hydrocarbon-based surfactants, silicone-based surfactants, or fluorosurfactants.
  • acetylenic surfactants may include, but are not limited to, acetylenic-based surfactants.
  • acetylenic surfactants available from Air ProductsTM and suitable for use in ink compositions according to the present invention include, but are not limited to, DynolTM 604, DynolTM 607, Surfynol® 104, Surfynol® 104 A, Surfynol® 104BC, Surfynol® 104DPM, Surfynol® 104E, Surfynol® 104H, Surfynol® 104NP, Surfynol® 104PA, Surfynol® 104PG50, Surfynol® 104S, Surfynol® 2502, Surfynol® 420, Surfynol® 440, Surfynol® 465, Surfynol® 485, Surfynol® 485W, Surfynol® 502, Surfyno
  • suitable silicone-based surfactants may include, but are not limited to, CoatOSil® 1211, CoatOSil® 2400, CoatOSil® 2810, CoatOSil® 2812, CoatOSil® 2815, CoatOSil® 3500, CoatOSil® 3501, CoatOSil® 3503, CoatOSil® 3505, CoatOSil® 3509, CoatOSil® 3573, Silwet® L-77, Silwet® L-7001, Silwet® L-7200, Silwet® L-7210, Silwet® L- 7220, Silwet® L-7230, Silwet® L-7280, Silwet® L-7500, Silwet® L-7510, Silwet® L-7550, Silwet® L-7600, Silwet® L-7602, Silwet® L-7604, Silwet® L-7605, Silwet® L-7607, Silwet® L-7608, Silwet® L-7650, and Silwet® L-8610.
  • fluoro surfactants may include, but are not limited to, Zonyl® FSP, Zonyl® FSO, Zonyl® FSA, Zonyl® FSN-100, Zonyl® FSO-100, and Zonyl® FSG.
  • Zonyl® surfactants are available from DuPontTM.
  • improved stability of drop formation during ink jetting is attributable, in addition to lowering the surface tension of the ink for wetting on low energy, non-porous surfaces, at least in part, to mixing a fluoro surfactant with a hydrocarbon-based surfactant or mixing a silicone-based surfactant with a hydrocarbon-based surfactant. It is contemplated that such mixtures of surfactants may reduce both the static and dynamic surface tension. It is known that high frequency jetting of ink droplets creates a dynamic situation wherein new surfaces are being created at the nozzles as the ink droplets are being ejected at a relatively small time scale, on the order of milliseconds or less.
  • an ink with dynamic surface tension similar to its static surface tension will be able to stabilize the meniscus at the nozzles faster before the next ink droplet is ejected.
  • generally low surface tension ink may wet low energy surfaces better, thereby producing images free of the aforementioned print quality defects often produced by prior art TIJ aqueous inks.
  • the surfactant(s) or a mixture thereof may be present in an ink composition in the range of five hundredths percent (0.05%) to about three percent (3%) by weight, more preferably in the range of about seventy-five thousandths percent (0.075%) to about two percent (2%) by weight, and even more preferably in the range of about one tenth percent (0.1%) to about one-and-a-half percent (1.5%) by weight.
  • the effective concentration of the surfactant(s) may depend on the percentage by weight of the surfactant required in the ink composition to produce the desired surface tension and wetting properties.
  • SAH surface- active humectants
  • Fig. 1 shows a simplified, idealized chemical structure of a surface- active humectant.
  • a generalized surface- active humectant chemical structure 100 may comprise of a hydrophobic end 102 and a hygroscopic end 104.
  • the hydrophobic end 102 may comprise a repeating unit "n" 106, where "n” may have a value from 1 to 36.
  • the hydrophobic end may be linear and/or branch in physiochemical structure.
  • the repeating unit 106 may be alkane-based (CH 2 )n, fluoro-based (CF 2 )n, and/or silicone-based (SiO)n.
  • fluoro- and/or silicone-based hydrophobic ends tend to be more hydrophobic than alkane-base hydrophobic ends.
  • the hydrophobic end 102 may be tailored to have specific mobility, miscibility, and/or hydrophobicity by engineering the appropriate hydrophobic end 102 with predetermined physiochemical structure.
  • the hygroscopic end 104 may be comprised of a plurality "i- repeating units" of functional groups "X" 108, where "i” may have a value from 2 to 8.
  • the functional groups "X" 108 may be, but are not limited to, a hydroxyl group, an amine group, a carboxyl group and/or an ester group.
  • the property of the hygroscopic group is the affinity of the functional group to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules.
  • the hygroscopic end 104 may be tailored to give the SAH molecule the ability to attract and retain water molecules from the surrounding environment.
  • the hygroscopic end 104 may be comprised of a plurality "i" of functional groups "X".
  • the functional groups "X" may be vicinally attached, i.e., vicinal refers to functional groups bonded to two adjacent atoms.
  • the functional groups may be geminally attached, i.e., geminal refers to functional groups bonded to the same atom.
  • SAH molecules comprising of a plurality of functional groups, where the functional groups are attached in a vicinal and/or geminal manner.
  • suitable surface- active humectants may include, but are not limited to, 1,2- propane diol, 1,2-butanediol, 1,2-pentanediol, isopropyl glycerol ether, 1,2-hexane diol, 1,2- heptane diol, 1,2-octane diol, 1,2-decane diol, 1,2-undecane diol, 1,2-dodecane diol, 2,3- dihydroxy propyl octadecanoate, and/or derivatives thereof.
  • surface- active humectant molecules may be employed in an ink composition as smart molecules to spontaneously provide at least a hygroscopic layer through self-assembly at a predetermined location, i.e., below the air- water interface, to attract and/or retain water molecules while retarding the evaporation of water molecules to prevent and/or minimize irrecoverable clogging at the nozzles.
  • the self-assembly of the SAH molecules is a result of spontaneous and reversible organization of the SAH molecules into ordered structures by non-covalent interactions of the hydrophobic end groups.
  • Fig. 2 shows a simplified schematic of the surface- active humectants at an air-water interface.
  • An ink composition comprising at least surface- active humectant molecules 202, fast-drying solvent molecules 204, water molecules 206, and/or other additives (not shown to simplify drawing) to form a jettable ink formulation.
  • the SAH molecules 202 after forming a critical micelle concentration ("CMC") in the bulk ink (not shown), may migrate to a surface, e.g., a meniscus at a nozzle.
  • CMC critical micelle concentration
  • the SAH molecules 202 may form a hygroscopic layer 208 at the surface, i.e., air-water interface 210.
  • SAH molecule 202 may be comprised of a hydrophobic end 102 and a hygroscopic end 104 (Fig. 1).
  • the hydrophobic end of the SAH molecules 202 may provide the SAH molecules 202 with the thermodynamic driving force to spontaneously migrate toward the surface once the CMC is reached in the bulk ink.
  • the thermodynamic driving force for the spontaneous, self-assembly of the SAH molecules at the air-water interface is a result of the system lowering the Gibbs free energy to achieve thermodynamic stability.
  • the SAH molecules 202 may be oriented with the hydrophobic ends toward the air and the hygroscopic ends toward the water to form a hygroscopic layer 208 at the air-water interface 210.
  • the hygroscopic layer 208 may serve to provide a barrier to attract and retain water molecules in the bulk ink.
  • hygroscopic groups from SAH molecules 202 form a hygroscopic layer 208, wherein the hygroscopic groups form hydrogen bonding with water molecules 206 to keep a hydrated layer 212 below the air- water interface 210 preventing the nozzles from irrecoverable clogging.
  • SAH molecules may be employed as smart molecules in an ink composition to spontaneously form a hygroscopic layer below the air- water interface, such as at the meniscus of a nozzle, to prevent and/or minimize clogging of the nozzle due to evaporation.
  • An effective concentration of SAH may be empirically determined relative to the desired end use application to balance between the problem of crusting at the nozzles and achieving other properties of the ink, e.g., viscosity and/or dry time.
  • SAH and/or a mixture of SAH may typically be present in the range of about a hundredth of a percent (0.01 ) to about ten percent (10%) by weight, more preferably in the range of about a tenth of a percent (0.1%) to about five percent (5.0%) by weight, and even more preferably in the range of about half a percent (0.5%) to about four percent (4.0%) by weight.
  • the ink compositions of the present invention generally comprise a colorant which might be a dye, a pigment or combination thereof. Any colorant that may be dissolved and/or dispersed in the ink composition to achieve the targeted color and optical density may be used in the present invention.
  • the selected colorants suitable for the various ink compositions of the present invention may be cationic dyes, anionic dyes, solvent dyes, and/or pigments.
  • cationic dyes basic Dyes
  • anionic dyes acid dyes and direct dyes
  • solvent dyes may be soluble in alcohol and/or glycol ethers.
  • pigments may also be dispersed in water, alcohols and/or glycol ethers.
  • Suitable colorants may include, but are not limited to, Basonyl Blue 640 (Basic Blue 26), Basic Blue 636 (Basic Blue 7), Basonyl Violet 610 (Basic Violet 3), Basonyl Red 540 (Basic Violet 10), Basonyl Red 483 (Basic Red 1), Basonyl Red 481 (Basic Red 1: 1), Basonyl Yellow 110 (Basic Yellow 2), Basonyl Yellow 105 (Basic Yellow 37), Basic Blue 47, Basic Blue 66, Basic Red 9 (Fuchsin), Basic Violet 14, Astrazone Orange G (Basic Orange 21), Auramine O (Basic Yellow 2), Basic Green 1, Basic Green 4, Chrysoidin (Basic Orange 2), Acid Black 2, Acid Black 24, Acid Black 52, Acid Black 210, Direct Black 22, Acid Blue 7, Acid Blue 9, Acid Blue 45, Acid Blue 93, Acid Blue 110, Direct Blue 86, Direct Blue 199, Reactive Blue 2, Reactive Blue 4, Acid Green 1, Acid Orange 10, Direct Orange 31, Acid Orange 7, Acid Red 1, Acid Red 14, Acid Red
  • Basic dyes may be available from BASFTM under the trade name of Basonyl® Dyes.
  • Other colorants may be available from LanxessTM, ClariantTM, KeystoneTM Aniline Co., Sensient TM, DegussaTM, CabotTM, and/or OrientTM Corp.
  • the colorant might be present in an ink composition according to the present invention in the range of about a half percent (0.5%) to about twelve percent (12%) by weight, more preferably in the range of about one percent (1%) to about seven percent (7%) by weight, and even more preferably in the range of about two percent (2%) to about five percent (5%) by weight.
  • the effective concentration of the colorant may depend on the percentage by weight of the colorant required in the ink composition to produce the desired color and optical density.
  • resins may be employed to improve adhesion of the ink to the substrate.
  • suitable water-soluble and water-dispersible resins that may be included in various ink compositions of the present invention include, but are not limited to, acrylic, polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinyl pyrollidone, polyester emulsion, styrene maleic anhydride, cellulose acetate resins, and derivatives thereof.
  • suitable solvent- soluble resins with tolerance for water may include, but are not limited to, acrylic, cellulose acetate, polyketone, polyvinyl alcohol, phenolic, novolac resins, and derivatives thereof.
  • Examples of the aforementioned resins or polymers may be available as Joncryl® manufactured by S.C. Johnson, PVP manufactured by Air ProductsTM, MOWIOL® manufactured by KuraryTM, and Synthetic Resin DS manufactured by DegussaTM.
  • Biocide reagents for use in various ink compositions may include, but are not limited to, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-l,3-diol, 4,4- dimethyloxazolidine, 7-ethyl bicyclooxazolidine, 2,6-dimethyl-m-dioxan-4 ol acetate, 1,2- benzisothiazolin-3-one, sodium o-phenylphenate, l-(3-chloroallyl)-3,5,7-triaza-l- azoniaadamantane chloride, glutaraldehyde, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2[(hydroxymethyl)amino]ethanol, 5-hydroxymethyl-l-aza-3, 7-dioxabicyclo(3.3.0)octane, n- methyl-2-hydroxymethyleneoxypropyl-2'-hydroxypropylamine, alkyl amine hydrochlorides, te
  • biocide reagents may be available as Nuosept® manufactured by Huls America (International Specialty ProductsTM), Proxel® GXL manufactured by Arch UK Biocides (AveciaTM), Bioban® and Canguard® manufactured by Angus Chemical Co., Dowicide® and Dowicil® manufactured by Dow Chemical Co., and Ucarcide® manufactured by Union Carbide Corp.
  • Amines may generally be employed to increase the pH of an ink composition to help with dissolving various dyes such as "direct dyes” or various resins such as acrylics.
  • Amines suitable for the ink compositions of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetriamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, AMP-95 and derivatives thereof.
  • Keto-pyrroles may be five-membered lactams such as n-methylpyrrolidone 2- pyrrolidone and derivatives thereof. Keto-pyrroles may be employed to help increase the solubility of an ink composition due to their inherent relatively good solvency.
  • Various mixtures of the aforementioned fast-drying solvents, co-solvents and/or additives may be selected at an effective concentration in terms of percentage by weight for particular ink formulation according to aspects of the present invention, thereby providing balance of the desired properties, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
  • Important properties for selecting appropriate solvents for a fast-drying thermal inkjet ink to print on a wide range of non-porous substrates include one or more of the following: substantial solubility with water; desirable evaporating rate; substantial miscibility with water; relatively low toxicity; relatively low viscosity; substantially complete dissolution of water-insoluble dyes; and substantially complete dissolution of resin.
  • organic solvents or mixtures thereof are typically present in the range of about five percent (5%) to about ninety percent (90%) by weight, more preferably in the range of about ten percent (10%) to about seventy-five percent (75%) by weight, and even more preferably in the range of about ten percent (10%) to about sixty percent (60%) by weight.
  • the viscosities of the inks were measured on a Brookfield viscometer Model DV-E with spindle UL Cup at 60 rpm and 25 C.
  • the viscometer may be available from Brookfield Engineering Co.
  • the measured unit of viscosity is centipoises (cPs).
  • the surface tension (ST) of each of the exemplary inks was measured on a surface tensiometer Model 703 with a DuNoy Ring at 25 C.
  • the tensiometer may be available from KSV Instruments in Finland.
  • the measured unit of surface tension is milli-Newtons per meter (mN/m).
  • the pH of each of the exemplary inks was measured on a pH meter model HI 1295 at 25 C.
  • the pH meter may be available from Hanna Instruments.
  • the Zonyl FSO-lOO employed in the formula 02-0064.20 and formula 02-0070.02 is a solution of 20% Zonyl in Ethanol.
  • the Sensijet Black SDP 100 is a 15% concentrated pigment dispersion provided in a proprietary dispersion from the supplier, such that the actual concentration of Sensijet Black SDP 100 in the two exemplary formulations is 2.25%.
  • a method of ink-jet printing is also disclosed herein based on aspects of the various ink compositions of the present invention.
  • Such inks may be jetted in continuous ink-jet, conventional ink-jet, bubble-jet, or piezoelectric printers, whether for industrial or office use.
  • the ink may be jetted through a thermal ink- jet system such as the JETPACK 1000TM available from Prism, Inc.
  • the aforementioned method serves not as a limitation on the present invention, but is merely illustrative of how an ink composition according to aspects of the present invention may be employed to print on a variety of substrates.
  • non-porous substrates to which inks according to aspects of the present invention may be applied include, but are not limited to, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”), polyethylene, coated glossy paper, and the like. Any such ink jetted from the JETPACK 1000TM available from Prism, Inc. produces images with good image quality and contrast.
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • Any such ink jetted from the JETPACK 1000TM available from Prism, Inc. produces images with good image quality and contrast.
  • Table II above shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, two representative fast-drying ink formulations, formula 02-0064.20 and formula 02-0070.02.
  • Formula 02-0064.20 is the fast-drying ink composition without the SAH molecules
  • formula 02-0070.02 is the fast-drying ink composition with the SAH molecules, i.e., 1,2-hexanediol.
  • Formula 02-0064.20 when left uncapped on the JETPACK 1000TM has poor recovery.
  • the ink cartridge with formula 02-0064.20 may require user intervention such as wiping and/or vacuuming ink through the orifices to clear the clogging at the nozzles.
  • Formula 02-0070.02 when left uncapped on the JETPACK 1000TM has very good recovery.
  • the printed image of the ink cartridge with formula 02-0070.02 is almost the same, with the exception of a few missing jets at the leading edge, as the baseline print before the uncapping.
  • the subsequent print results in a full recovery of all jets without requiring user intervention to wipe the nozzle face plate or vacuum the orifices.
  • a software algorithm may be employed to sacrificially fire the jets to unclog the nozzles prior to printing to ensure full recovery of all jets after standing idle uncapped.
  • the various ink compositions according to aspects of the present invention are known to have at least one of the following advantages: good recovery from uncapped standby; stability for jetting from a thermal print head; fast drying without the need for a make-up solution; high optical density; good wetting for printing on non-porous substrates; and economical operation within a relatively inexpensive printing system with low initial cost and low cost of ownership.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)
  • Ink Jet Recording Methods And Recording Media Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une composition d'encre à séchage rapide contenant de l'eau, un mélange de solvant séchant rapidement qui contient un cosolvant hydrophile dont l'enthalpie d'évaporation est basse, un humidifiant tensioactif et un colorant. Le cosolvant hydrophile peut être choisi dans le groupe constitué par l'éther de n-propyle du propylène glycol, l'éther de méthyle du tripropylène glycol et l'éther de méthyle du dipropylène glycol. L'humidifiant tensioactif peut contenir une extrémité hydrophobe constituée de 1 à 36 motifs répétitifs « n » choisis parmi le motif de type alcane (CH2)n, le motif fluoré (CF2)n et le motif de type silicone (SiO)n, et une extrémité hygroscopique constituée de 2 à 8 motifs répétitifs « i » choisis parmi un groupe hydroxyle, un groupe amine, un groupe carboxyle et un groupe ester.
PCT/US2010/059750 2009-12-10 2010-12-09 Composition d'encre à séchage rapide WO2011072155A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US12/634,998 2009-12-10
US12/634,998 US20110071249A1 (en) 2008-12-10 2009-12-10 Fast-Drying Ink Composition

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WO2018143957A1 (fr) 2017-01-31 2018-08-09 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Composition d'encre pour l'impression par jet d'encre et cartouche associée
CN109844042B (zh) 2017-01-31 2022-04-19 惠普发展公司，有限责任合伙企业 喷墨打印***
WO2018190848A1 (fr) 2017-04-13 2018-10-18 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Encres blanches
CN110177845A (zh) 2017-01-31 2019-08-27 惠普发展公司，有限责任合伙企业 喷墨墨水组
CN110023089A (zh) 2017-01-31 2019-07-16 惠普发展公司，有限责任合伙企业 喷墨打印的方法和定影组合物
WO2019022746A1 (fr) 2017-07-27 2019-01-31 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Particules de polymère

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US5804633A (en) * 1992-07-21 1998-09-08 The Gillette Company Permanent aqueous marker inks
US20020059884A1 (en) * 2000-09-20 2002-05-23 Ryu Seung-Min Ink composition for ink-jet printers
US20040115361A1 (en) * 2002-09-03 2004-06-17 Aegerter Michel A. Method for depositing a film on a substrate
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US20050172855A1 (en) * 2004-02-09 2005-08-11 Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. Ink-jet ink and ink-jet recording method
US20050176847A1 (en) * 2004-02-05 2005-08-11 Cagle Phillip C. Polymer colloid-containing ink-jet inks for printing on non-porous substrates
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JP4385210B2 (ja) * 2003-07-31 2009-12-16 Ｄｉｃ株式会社 インクジェット記録用水性インキ組成物、該インク組成物を製造するためのインクジェットインク用水性顔料分散液、及びインクジェットインク用着色混練物及びこれらの製造方法。
US20050215663A1 (en) * 2004-01-21 2005-09-29 Berge Charles T Inkjet inks containing crosslinked polyurethanes

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US5156675A (en) * 1991-05-16 1992-10-20 Xerox Corporation Ink for ink jet printing
US5804633A (en) * 1992-07-21 1998-09-08 The Gillette Company Permanent aqueous marker inks
US20020059884A1 (en) * 2000-09-20 2002-05-23 Ryu Seung-Min Ink composition for ink-jet printers
US20050072021A1 (en) * 2001-10-30 2005-04-07 Jurgen Steiger Method for drying layers of organic semiconductors, conductors or color filters using ir and nir radiation
US20070117884A1 (en) * 2001-11-07 2007-05-24 Tucker Robert C Ink formulations and uses thereof
US20040115361A1 (en) * 2002-09-03 2004-06-17 Aegerter Michel A. Method for depositing a film on a substrate
US20050176847A1 (en) * 2004-02-05 2005-08-11 Cagle Phillip C. Polymer colloid-containing ink-jet inks for printing on non-porous substrates
US20050172855A1 (en) * 2004-02-09 2005-08-11 Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. Ink-jet ink and ink-jet recording method
US20070060670A1 (en) * 2005-09-15 2007-03-15 Ellis Scott W Aqueous inkjet ink
US20080024575A1 (en) * 2006-07-31 2008-01-31 Shunqiong Yue Inkjet ink set

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