KRONOS, Covestro Show Pigmented Ink Solutions For Textiles
The textile trade goals to scale back its environmental footprint. Switching from analog printing to digital printing utilizing pigment inks can allow an 85% discount in waste supplies, a 55% decreasing of power consumption, a 60% discount of water consumption, and a 95% lower of CO2 emissions, and represents a possibility to make textiles extra sustainable.
Digital textile printing additionally allows effectivity advantages reminiscent of shorter instances to market and single-digit lot sizes produced shut to finish shoppers. These benefits imply the adoption of inkjet printing is rising, however the expertise will solely attain its potential whether it is supported by superior formulations and punctiliously chosen uncooked supplies, specifically designed for digital textile printing. Not all polyurethane binders are appropriate.
KRONOS and Covestro are collaborating to show how modern new materials options can help the uptake of digital inkjet printing on materials, advancing the textile trade’s sustainability transition.
Following testing by the 2 uncooked materials suppliers and validation by trade companions, the collaboration efficiently demonstrates that Covestro’s waterborne INSQIN portfolio of Impranil polyurethane binders and Imprafix cross-linkers is suitable with the white pigment dispersion KRONOS 9900 Digital White. No vital sedimentation was noticed, and all formulations confirmed good stability even after 4 weeks of testing at 50°C.
As such, the confirmed compatibility of the 4 Covestro binders Impranil DL 1602, Impranil DL 1618, Impranil DL 1620, and Impranil DL 1623 with KRONOS 9900 Digital White opens the door to elevated uptake of inkjet cloth printing. Collectively, these substances create an acceptable formulation for a dependable printing course of.
Covestro additionally developed a brand new polyurethane dispersion, Impranil DL 1606, particularly to handle the actual downside of sagging – a well known high quality problem ensuing from the comparatively excessive ink hundreds wanted for direct-to-foil (DTF) printing, which was recognized within the context of the collaboration.
This binder provides wonderful anti-sagging properties and allows excessive white ink hundreds, making it a alternative for white pigment inks utilized in inkjet printing.
“By becoming a member of forces with one other uncooked supplies provider, we will handle two key pigment ink challenges dealing with the rising digital inkjet printing market: formulation and sagging,” stated Dr. Torsten Pohl, head of world textile coatings, Covestro. “Working along with KRONOS brings us one other step nearer to a extra sustainable textile trade.”