Why does water-based ink crack?
Date: Aug 13 2024 From: Star Color
The main reason for ink cracking is poor drying, such as drying too quickly, insufficient adhesion, etc., which may cause cracking,
Resin is a key component in water-based ink, which has a significant impact on the adhesion and flexibility of the ink. Insufficient resin content or poor quality can lead to excessive shrinkage of ink during the drying process, resulting in cracking.
Solution suggestion: Printing factories should strictly control the quality of water-based ink when selecting and using it, ensuring the reasonable ratio and stable quality of key components such as resin.
Improper use of additives such as thickeners and defoamers can also affect the drying and adhesion properties of ink, indirectly leading to cracking.
Solution suggestion: Based on the characteristics of the ink and printing requirements, choose and add various additives reasonably to avoid excess or insufficient.
Substrate issue
- surface tension:
- The surface tension of the substrate is crucial for the adhesion effect of ink. If the surface tension of the substrate is too low, the ink is difficult to form a firm adhesion on it, leading to cracking. For example, when the surface tension of PVC labels is too low, the ink cannot form a firm attachment and is prone to cracking after drying.
- Solution suggestion: Perform necessary surface treatment on the substrate before printing, such as corona treatment, coating treatment, etc., to improve its surface tension and adhesion performance.
- Surface pollution:
- Impurities such as oil stains and dust on the surface of the substrate can affect the adhesion effect of the ink, leading to ink cracking.
- Solution suggestion: Thoroughly clean the surface of the substrate before printing to ensure that there are no impurities such as oil stains and dust.
Improper setting of process parameters
- Printing speed:
- Excessive printing speed may result in insufficient drying and adhesion of ink on the substrate, leading to cracking.
- Solution suggestion: Based on the drying performance of the ink and the adsorption performance of the substrate, set the printing speed reasonably to ensure that the ink can be fully dried and adhered.
- Drying temperature:
- Drying temperature is an important factor affecting the drying speed and adhesion performance of ink. Low drying temperature may result in incomplete drying of ink, leading to cracking during subsequent processing or use.
- Solution suggestion: Based on the performance characteristics of the ink and printing requirements, set the drying temperature reasonably to ensure that the ink can be completely dried and form a firm ink film.
- Printing pressure:
- Excessive printing pressure may result in uneven distribution of ink on the substrate or excessive internal stress, leading to the formation of cracks after drying.
- Solution suggestion: Based on the adhesion performance of the ink and the load-bearing capacity of the substrate, set the printing pressure reasonably to avoid excessive internal stress.
Environmental factors
- ambient humidity:
- When printing water-based ink in a dry or low-temperature environment, low humidity may cause the moisture in the ink to evaporate too quickly, resulting in excessive shrinkage force and cracking of the ink during the drying process.
- Solution suggestion: Maintain a stable printing environment humidity, which can be controlled by increasing indoor humidity or adjusting indoor temperature.
- Air flow:
- Strong air flow can accelerate the evaporation rate of moisture in ink, and may also cause excessive shrinkage force and cracking of ink during the drying process.
- Solution suggestion: Avoid strong air flow during the printing process, such as closing doors and windows, using windshields, and other measures.
Summary of preventive measuresStrictly control the quality of ink: ensure the reasonable ratio and stable quality of resin, additives, and other components.
Choose the appropriate substrate and perform necessary treatment: Select the appropriate substrate according to printing requirements and perform necessary surface treatment to improve its adhesion performance.
Reasonably set printing process parameters, including printing speed, drying temperature, printing pressure, etc., to ensure that ink can adhere evenly and stably to the substrate.
Control environmental factors: Maintain stable humidity and temperature in the printing environment to avoid adverse effects on ink drying caused by rapid air flow.
Huizhou StarColor Technology Co., Ltd. was established in early 2016 and is a shining star in the field of water-based ink production and manufacturing. The company is located in Xinhu Industrial Zone, Ma'an Town, Huicheng District, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, focusing on providing stable and high-quality water-based ink and water-based varnish suitable for flexographic printing. Zhongzhixing Color is not only committed to providing customers with one-stop printing solutions, but also particularly skilled in printing and packaging technology services and standard establishment for sanitary materials such as paper cups, paper plates, sanitary napkins, diapers, etc. Looking forward to working with you.
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