Ink composition for use on non-absorbent surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11008478-B2
Application number	US-201815861092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2018
Priority date	Oct 1, 2015
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

According to one aspect, an ink composition includes a colorant, one or more polymers such as a polyurethane siloxane, a surfactant, water, and a solvent. The ink composition has a total solids content of less than about 20% by weight. Further the ink has an initial surface tension of less than about 50 dynes per centimeter on application and the surface tension on drying should not increase by more than 20 percent.

First claim

We claim:

1. An aqueous ink comprising:
a first urethane silanol polymer and a second urethane silanol polymer;
from about 0.5 to about 12% by weight of one or more colorants;
from about 5 to about 35% by weight of a solvent;
from about 0.03 to about 1.0% by weight of a pH modifier; and
water, wherein the aqueous ink has a viscosity such that the aqueous ink can be applied to a non-absorbent surface layer, wherein the first urethane silanol polymer is polycarbonate based and is about 5.5% by weight and the second urethane silanol polymer is polyester based and is about 0.3% by weight.

2. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity is from about 1 to about 20 mPa-s.

3. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , further comprising from about 0.1 to about 5% by weight of a surfactant.

4. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , further comprising from about 1 to about 20% by weight of a crosslinker.

5. The aqueous ink of claim 4 , wherein the crosslinker is an iso-cyanate crosslinker.

6. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , wherein the first urethane silanol and the second urethane silanol polymer are a self-crosslinking urethane silanol polymers.

7. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , wherein the solvent is chosen from the group consisting of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone, alcohols, polyols, glycerols, and glycols.

8. The aqueous ink of claim 4 , wherein the surfactant is an ethoxylated molecule.

9. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , wherein the pH modifier is dimethylethanolamine.

10. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , wherein the ink has a dynamic surface tension at 25 degrees Celsius from about 20 to about 45 dynes/cm.

11. A method for high speed variable printing comprising the steps of:
providing an aqueous ink, the aqueous ink comprising:
a first urethane silanol polymer and a second urethane silanol polymer, wherein the first urethane silanol polymer is polycarbonate based and is about 5.5% by weight and the second urethane silanol polymer is polyester based and is about 0.3% by weight;
from about 0.5 to about 12% by weight of a pigment;
from about 5 to 35% by weight of a solvent;
from about 0.03 to about 1.0% by weight of a pH modifier; and
water, wherein the aqueous ink has a viscosity from about 1 to about 20 mPa-s; and
applying the aqueous ink onto a non-absorbent substrate in a first layer.

12. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising the step of applying the aqueous ink in a plurality of further layers.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the aqueous ink further comprises from about 0.1 to about 5.0% by weight of a surfactant.

14. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising the step of applying heat to crosslink the first urethane silanol polymer and the second urethane silanol polymer of the aqueous ink.

15. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous ink has a ratio of colorant to polymer between about 2:1 and about 1:2 by weight.

16. The aqueous ink of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous ink has a total solids content of less than about 20% by weight.

17. The aqueous ink of claim 2 , wherein the aqueous ink has a viscosity from about 4 to 14 mPa-s.

Assignees

• Donnelley & Sons Co

Inventors

• Litman Stanley
• Geddes Pamela
• Edwards Morgan
• Carson Jr Michael
• Hook Kevin J

Classifications

• C09D11/033

  characterised by the solvent · CPC title

• C09D11/38

  characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes · CPC title

• C09D11/102 Primary

  containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds · CPC title

• C09D11/037

  characterised by the pigment · CPC title