UV Ink Adhesion

Oc Arizona 250 GT
Application Bulletin
Number: 6 Issued by: ODGS S & S, Vancouver June 7, 2007
How to Improve UV Ink Adhesion

The Oc Arizona 250GT printer jets ink onto media where it is cured by high intensity UV lamps located on the printer carriage. UV-curable ink has advantages over heat-cured varieties, such as quick drying and a lower VOC. However, the nature of UV ink makeup in tandem with that of some common media may result in poor adhesion of ink to the substrate. While the level of bond required on printed output depends upon potential handling and usage, the bond can in some cases be improved to meet requirements. Below are some suggestions to improve bonding.
Adhesion Promoters
In most cases, cleaning media with alcohol or alcohol and water solution will improve adhesion somewhat. If chosen substrate provides particularly poor adhesion or a strong bond is essential, the application of an adhesion promoter such as Sericol UviJet Adhesion Master ZE720 should be used. Uvijet Adhesion Master ZE720
ZE720 is an optically clear, slower drying solvent-based primer specifically developed to improve adhesion of Uvijet onto the more difficult rigid materials such as Coroplast (Fluted Polyolefins). Because of the inert nature of polyolefin materials the drying time for ZE720 is longer than that of ZE680, with drying times in a well-ventilated area of 5-15 minutes required in order to achieve full adhesion. Uvijet Adhesion Master ZE720 is available in 1 kg containers.
To apply ZE720
Remove any protective film from the substrate. Remove any excess dirt with a dry cloth. Soak a paper wipe such as WDS01 available from Fujifilm Sericol with ZE720 and wipe the entire substrate surface.
Ensure that advice detailed within the material safety data sheet on protective equipment and ventilation is followed.
Allow to dry normally 5-15 minutes depending on the substrate size. Print onto surface. The viscosity of ZE720 makes it suitable for application by roller in the following manner. Pour ZE720 into a shallow tray. Immerse or soak the roller in ZE720, remove any excess primer. Depending on the substrate and ink film deposit the chemical bond might take up to of 24 hours to complete. Materials primed with ZE720 in this manner prior to printing will have greater water resistance for prolonged outdoor use.
Further information on this product can be found at http://www.sericol.com.au/digitalprint/pdf/Uvijet_Adhesion.pdf It is important that whatever primer you intend to use has been application and print-tested before using on media. Some media and primer solutions do not react well with each other and media may be damaged irreparably.
Page 1 of 3
Corona Treatment
Unlike most paper and board substrates, typical plastic materials do not have pores in the surface that allow ink to penetrate into it. The surface tension of the ink therefore must be lower than the substrate to allow for proper adhesion. Corona treating is a very effective way to increase the surface tension of virtually any material. Corona treaters create an electrode spark, which passes through the substrate, increasing its surface energy. Oxygen molecules within the discharge area break apart and are free to bond to the ends of the molecules in the material being treated, resulting in a chemically activated surface. This method can be used on numerous types of substrates without damaging heat-sensitive plastics. The result is a surface unchanged to the naked eye, but much more receptive to ink and other coatings. In-line treatment is the best way to ensure that the surface tension is in the acceptable range at the time of printing. The value associated with corona treatment is called a dyne and a general aim point is a dyne level of at least 40 dyne/cm2. The corona treatment will degrade over time if the material is not printed shortly after treatment. The rate of degradation depends upon the particular material and its storage conditions. Working with your supplier to ensure freshly treated stock is important. Common corona treated media include polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, vinyl, PVC, PET, metallized surfaces, paper, paperboard stock, and other materials.
UV Lamp Power and Print Modes

Generally, poor adhesion performance is seen with non-porous media on which ink has not adequately cured. This generality suggests that with most materials, increasing UV curing power will increase inks bond with substrate. This is especially true when printing more than one coat, as it is imperative that the first printed layer be fully cured before the second is placed. Once the uppermost layer has been applied, the bottom layer has no further opportunity to cure. However, there is a point on some materials where over-curing may cause ink to become more brittle and flaky when cut. Working in combination with increased UV lamp power, reducing print speed will also improve adhesion. An ideal situation for greatest improvement of ink and media bond would be high lamp power at the slowest print speed, Fine Art Mode. Also, if required the print speed can be further reduce by printing uni-directional instead of bi-directional. However, this combination of heat and speed may adversely affect media that is prone to warping. Note that dry ink continues to cure for some time after printing, which allows adhesion to improve somewhat. This is particularly true in the first 24 hours after printing. If possible, trimming of adhesion challenged materials should be delayed during this post-print cure period. In addition, if adhesion on known acceptable materials begins to deteriorate, verify that UV lamp and assemblies are still in good working order.
Other Possibilities
Profiling: Because adhesion is impacted by the level of curing the ink obtains on media during printing, limiting the amount of ink placed may be beneficial. Media Models and ICC profiles supplied by Oc have been created for general use on media, which may not be identical to
Page 2 of 3
your own. We suggest the creation of a media model for your chosen substrate and desired output result, with an emphasis on reducing ink load. Heat: In the screen-press industry it is recommended to heat up the substrate before UV curing on those media where good adhesion is hard to obtain. Adhesion is improved when substrate is heated with near-infrared light or far-infrared light for 15-90 seconds. Ink Jet Receptive Coated Media: Some media manufacturers and suppliers provide media which has been pre-treated with a coating that makes surface more receptive to ink. As well, coatings themselves are sometimes available for application by user onto their own stock. Top Coating: If good adhesion not possible and printed output expected to be handled, top coating final printed piece with protective sealer is an option. As with all fluids you intend to use, application and handling testing should be performed before using on media supply. Trimming: If adhesion is only problematic when trimming in printed areas then pre-cut stock to desired size and print full bleed or trim slightly outside printed edge. Always use a very sharp blade. A rotary cutter may provide a cleaner cut than a straight blade.
Page 3 of 3

UV Ink Adhesion

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

UV Ink Adhesion

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

UV Ink Adhesion

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Oc Arizona 250 GT

How to Improve UV Ink Adhesion

UV Lamp Power and Print Modes

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.