Difference between traditional Ink and Water-based Ink in SPC flooring industry

Traditional Ink

Nowadays, environment protection is increasingly given an important mission for different industries. In SPC flooring industry, use of ink is a aspect worthy of attention. This article is mainly to explain the difference between the traditional ink and new water-based ink that be used in SPC flooring industry.

Main Composition:

All traditional inks are made up of colorants, film forming substances, solvents and auxiliaries. The colorant is the main component of the printing color, and its dosage is about 12%~20% of the total ink component. The film-forming material determines the fixation of the ink on the substrate, which is generally composed of several resins with different properties. The proportion of ink is about 20~25.

Traditional Ink

Main pollutants:

The first source of pollution of printing ink is color agent. The colorant is divided into pigment and dye. The former forms emulsion together with other substances in ink, while the latter is dissolved in solvent to form solution. Pigments are generally inorganic heavy metal compounds, due to different color requirements, may contain lead, mercury, copper, chromium, cadmium and other heavy metal elements, these pigment particles are very small, strong adsorption capacity; the main component of dyes is organic compounds, is through organic synthesis, the vast majority of dyes currently exist, containing certain toxicity. Both pigments and dyes are indispensable in printing ink as colorants, but at the same time, these ingredients have become the source of pollution and can not be avoided.

Traditional Ink Pollution

However, the total amount of color agent in printing ink is limited after all, according to relevant research found that the real pollution is more serious, in fact, the printing ink solvent, auxiliaries. The organic solvents often used in printing ink include ethanol, isopropanol, butanol, propanol, butanone, ethyl acetate, toluene, xylene and so on. These organic solvents need to be removed from the substrate surface after printing is completed to complete the drying of printing ink. During this process, most solvents are discharged into the atmosphere, and these solvents become the main components of printing ink VOC. On the other hand, if the solvent in the printing ink does not volatilize completely after printing, but is brought to the hands of the consumer with the printed matter, the consequences are even more serious, although most of these organic solvents will be eliminated after drying. But the residual part will still cause harm to the human body. In particular, the printed matter with large ink area and thick ink layer has more residual solvents. The toxic substances released in the process of use will seriously harm people’s health. Long-term inhalation will affect the central nervous system of the brain and cause great harm to human health.

Water-based Ink

Definition:

Water-based ink is a homogeneous paste material composed of binder, pigment, auxiliaries and so on. The binder provides the necessary transfer performance of the ink, and the pigment gives the ink color. Water-based ink binder is mainly divided into two types: water dilution type and water dispersion type. There are many types of resins that the former can use, such as maleic acid resin, lac, maleic acid resin modified shellac, uratan, water-soluble acrylic resin and waterborne amino resin. The water-dispersive binder is obtained by emulsified monomer polymerization in water. It is a two-phase system in which the oil phase is dispersed in the water phase in granular form and can not be dissolved by water, but can be diluted by water. So it can also be considered as water-in-oil emulsion type.

Water-based Ink

Advantages of water-basedInks:

Because water is used as the dissolving carrier, waterborne ink has remarkable environmental protection and safety characteristics: safe, non-toxic and harmless, non-combustible, almost no volatile organic gas production, mainly in the following three aspects.

 Environmentally friendly

VOC( volatile organic gas) is recognized as one of the main pollution sources of global air pollution. Solvent ink will emit a large amount of low concentration VOC, because water-based ink is used as dissolved carrier. As a result, volatile organic gases (VOC) are hardly emitted into the atmosphere, either during production or when used for printing,. This is solvent-based ink can not be compared. A large amount of low-concentration VOC. is emitted from solvent-based inks According to the estimation, if the general solvent ink manufacturing plant adopts incomplete closed production equipment, the volatilization loss of organic solvent accounts for about 0.3%~1% of the ink output. For the treatment of low concentration VOC, except for a few ink factories, such as activated carbon adsorption and other high-cost treatment methods. Most are discharged directly into the atmosphere. Not only that, in the printing process, the organic solvent in the solvent ink is almost completely dried and volatilized quickly. With the exception of high concentrations of VOC above the printing press, such as catalytic combustion or microbial treatment, low concentrations VOC diffuse in the air of the printing workshop are often discharged directly into the atmosphere. If the proportion of organic solvents in solvent ink is 25%~35%, the amount of VOC directly into the atmospheric environment is quite amazing. And water-based ink just overcomes this shortcoming. This unique air pollution-free feature is being favored by more and more printing enterprises.

Reducing residual toxins

Ensure food hygiene and safety. Water-based ink completely solves the toxicity of solvent-based ink. Due to the absence of organic solvents, the surface of printed matter residue of toxic substances greatly reduced. This characteristic. In tobacco, wine, food, beverage, medicine, children’s toys and other hygiene conditions strict packaging printing products more reflect good health and safety. This characteristic. In tobacco, wine, food, beverage, medicine, children’s toys and other hygiene conditions strict packaging printing products more reflect good health and safety. Nowadays, human beings pay more and more attention to food safety. Attention has been paid to the hygiene and safety of food packaging. The residue of packaging materials and harmful substances in packaging printing is also strict. The use of solvent-based printing ink to meet the requirements of food hygiene and safety is quite difficult. This is for printed matter using water-based inks. But it’s easy.

Comparison between plastisol ink and water-based ink

Cost reduction

Because of the inherent characteristics of waterborne ink —— the content of homomorphism is high. can be deposited in thinner ink films. So relative to solvent ink. Its coating amount (the amount of ink consumed per unit printing area) is less. After testing. Compared with solvent ink. reduced about 10% coating amount. that is, printing the same quantity and specification of printed matter. The consumption of water-based ink is about 10% less than that of solvent-based ink. Not only that, because printing needs to be cleaned frequently. So use solvent ink printing. Need to use a large amount of organic solvent cleaning solution, while using water-based ink printing. The cleaning medium is mainly water. from the perspective of resource consumption. Water-based ink is more economical. In line with the theme of the conservation society advocated by the world today.

For more details about raw materials of Printed film, pls refer to： http://www.starsplas.com/vinyl-decorative-film-for-spc-pvc-wpc-flooring-tiles/