Water based ink is widely used in the printing field due to its environmental and safety characteristics, and non-woven fabrics have become an ideal choice for many products due to their softness, breathability, and environmental friendliness. However, as a non absorbent material, non-woven fabric may also experience color fading when printed with water-based ink. Let's take a look at the reasons for this.
Analysis of color fading reasons
Insufficient ink adhesion: The surface structure of non-woven fabric may affect the penetration and adhesion of water-based ink. If the ink fails to fully penetrate into the non-woven fibers or has insufficient surface adhesion, it is easy to cause color fading.
Insufficient ink drying: The drying speed of water-based ink is affected by various factors, such as temperature, humidity, ink formula, etc. If the drying is not sufficient and the ink layer is not completely cured, it is easy to peel off during subsequent processing or use.
Non woven fabric material issue: Non woven fabrics of different materials have differences in ink adsorption and compatibility. Some non-woven fabrics may not be suitable for printing with water-based ink or require special pretreatment to improve ink adhesion.
Improper printing process: Improper settings of process parameters such as printing pressure, speed, and ink volume may also result in ink not adhering evenly and firmly to non-woven fabrics.
solution
Choosing the appropriate ink and non-woven fabric combination: Firstly, the appropriate water-based ink should be selected based on the material characteristics and printing requirements of the non-woven fabric. At the same time, test the compatibility between different inks and non-woven fabrics, and choose a combination with strong adhesion and less likely to fade.
Optimize ink formula and drying conditions: Adjust the ink formula, such as adding curing agents, crosslinking agents, etc., to improve the adhesion and drying speed of the ink. At the same time, control the temperature, humidity, and other conditions of the printing environment to ensure that the ink can be fully dried and cured.
Pre tre
atment of non-woven fabric surface: Pre treatment of non-woven fabric, such as corona treatment, coating with primer, etc., to improve its surface roughness and ink absorption, thereby enhancing the adhesion of ink.
Adjust printing process parameters: Based on the characteristics of non-woven fabric and ink, adjust printing pressure, speed, ink volume and other process parameters to ensure that ink can be evenly and appropriately attached to non-woven fabric and achieve good drying effect.
Strengthening post-processing: After printing is completed, necessary post-processing such as drying, calendering, etc. is carried out to further improve the adhesion and durability of ink on non-woven fabric.
Quality control and testing: Establish a strict quality control system to monitor and test every aspect of the printing process, ensuring that product quality meets standard requirements. At the same time, regular color fading tests are conducted to evaluate the adhesion and durability of the ink.
By selecting appropriate water-based ink and non-woven fabric combinations, optimizing ink formulations and drying conditions, pre treating non-woven fabric surfaces, adjusting printing process parameters, and strengthening post-treatment measures, the problem of color fading can be effectively solved, and product quality and market competitiveness can be improved.
If you also encounter color fading when printing non-woven fabrics with water-based ink, you can try our water-based ink from HuiZhou StarColor.