Inquiries

Enhanced adhesion of water-based inks Development Department of Company A, a Packaging Film Manufacturer

Using water-based inks for film printing faced technical hurdles

Breakthrough polymer improved ink fixation and scratch resistance

Inks & Coatings
Adhesion, Bonding, and Tack Environmental Friendliness

Solutions

Solution Summary

  • The high hydrophobicity of EPOMIN™ and the molecular interaction derived from the primary amino group ensure excellent adhesion between the ink layer and the substrate film surface.

  • It is FDA compliant and has excellent safety, so it can also be used as a packaging material for food.

The hydrophobicity derived from the ethylene group and the molecular interaction derived from the primary amino group provide a clue to solving the problem!

At a loss, Mr. N consulted with a company he did business with about his current issues. They told him that Nippon Shokubai 's EPOMIN might be able to help, so he immediately contacted Nippon Shokubai. Later, a Nippon Shokubai representative gave him a detailed explanation of EPOMIN and provided him with a sample.

"After hearing the explanation, I felt the potential of EPOMIN. I understood that the hydrophobicity derived from the ethylene group in the main chain of the molecule and the molecular interactions derived mainly from the primary amino groups create excellent adhesion between the ink layer and the substrate film surface." (Mr. N)

Due to the high density of amino groups (mainly primary and secondary) in EPOMIN, the ink cohesion improves through interaction with the pigment, even for water-based inks that have difficulty adhering to low-polarity substrate surfaces. This can be expected to improve the ink's adhesion and scratch resistance while suppressing the spreading (bleeding) of water-based inks.
In addition, product SP-200 and P-1000 are FDA compliant and offer excellent safety, making them suitable for use as food packaging materials.

After receiving recommended products from Nippon Shokubai, Mr. N and his team used the provided sample to create a prototype anchor coating agent and conducted a printing test on film material. They confirmed that it had the best adhesion of any product evaluated to date, and demonstrated high printing quality. They decided to continue improving EPOMIN for use in flexible packaging films, and proposed prototypes to several food manufacturers and printer manufacturers.

Based on this success story, we are now consulting with Nippon Shokubai about other base films.

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