A Study Of UV-curable Offset Ink Emulsified With An Alternative Isopropyl Alcohol-free Fountain Solution

Anh Tuan Phung; Duy Linh  Nguyen P.; Khac Vu Tran

doi:10.6180/jase.202401_27(1).0003

A Study Of UV-curable Offset Ink Emulsified With An Alternative Isopropyl Alcohol-free Fountain Solution

Anh Tuan Phung^{1This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.}, Nguyen P. Duy Linh², Tran Khac Vu³, and Nguyen Thanh Liem¹

¹Department of Printing Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
²Center for Polymer Composite Materials and Paper, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
³Department of Pharmaceutical chemistry and Pesticides Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam

Received: March 2, 2022
Accepted: January 3, 2023
Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Copyright The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are cited.

Download Citation: ||https://doi.org/10.6180/jase.202401_27(1).0003

In the present research, fountain solution without isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for Ultraviolet offset curing ink (UV ink) was prepared by using Ethylene Glycol Mono-butyl Ether (EGME) as a substitute for IPA. The effect of EGME concentration on the water pick-up characteristics, tack value, rheological behaviors, and curing time of UV offset inks was investigated. Water pick-up characteristics, tack value and rheological behaviors were measured by Duke Ink water emulsification tester, Tack-o-scope and cone-plate rheometer, respectively. The curing time of the UV ink was evaluated by the rub test of printed sheet samples proofed on the polymer film at the standard solid ink density and the same ink thickness. The results revealed that an increase in EGME concentration increased the water pick-up characteristics of the UV ink. There was no significant influence of EGME on the tack value of UV inks. However, the tack value of UV ink was significantly affected by fountain concentration in UV inks and UV ink color. The addition of EGME reduced the dynamic viscosity and thixotropic property of UV inks but did not change the flow behavior of UV ink as shear thinning. This study indicates that UV ink emulsified with a higher EGME concentration fountain solution needs a longer curing time. The cyan UV ink has the longest curing time. Finally, the fountain solution of 10 % EGME exhibited good performance in water pick-up characteristics, tack value, rheological behaviors, and curing time of UV inks.

Keywords: UV offset ink, EGME, Water pick-up, Rheological behavior, Curing time

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