By Olivia Cahoon
Part 2 of 2
Adhesion promoters significantly improve ink printability on difficult and untraditional substrates like acrylic, ceramic, glass, metal, and styrene. They also provide rub and scratch resistance to deter peeling and chipping of printed objects. Adhesion promoters are painted, sprayed, and jetted onto objects. A number of vendors offer adhesion promoters for digital ink sets.
Afford Inks
In January 2017, Afford Inks released the Priglass 29.841 adhesion primer for glass. Priglass is used for digital inks that can’t provide enough adhesion and for mechanical properties that need to be enhanced. Adhesion primers for glass are transparent and provide protection from chip and scratch resistance. Priglass 29.841 is primarily used for glass but can also be used on other surfaces like metal and plastics.
INX International Ink Co.
INX features several types of ink promoters including the Prodigy and Triangle promoter series. The Prodigy series includes promoters APGT, APPL, and JAMT. Prodigy APGT is intended for glass and metal while Prodigy APPL is designed for plastics. Prodigy JAMT is a jettable promoter.
Triangle BondAid 1 is a solvent-based adhesion promoter for UV-curable prints on glass, metal, and tile. Triangle BondAid 2 is used to improve adhesion on plastics like acrylic, lexan, and styrene. Both promoters act as a general cleanser prior to printing. As an alcohol-based product, it removes dirt and other foreign particles prior to printing after wiping.
BondAid 1 and 2 also reduce ink drop deflection, static electricity on the surface, and the potential for new particles to attract to the substrate during printing. BondAid products should be handled with latex gloves and be applied in a well-ventilated area to ensure the proper evacuation of fumes. BondAid 1 features a 12 month shelf life and BondAid 2 has a six month shelf life. Both promoters estimate a coverage area of 400 square feet per liter.
Marabu North America LP
Marashield UV-PGL is an adhesion promoter to help UV inkjet inks adhere to glass. The two component primer is silicone free, UV-curable, and highly transparent. In addition it offers very high mechanical and chemical resistance. The product is available in five liter bottles.
Nazdar
Nazdar offers NSC19 UV Digital Primer 42SPDR Clear. It is a screenprintable clear used to surface coat substrates that will be overprinted with UV-curable digital ink. The primer is designed for use with treated fluted polypropylene, most rigid and flexible treated polyethylene, and most rigid and flexible treated polypropylene. To enhance adhesion, NSC19 can be mixed with NB80 UV Adhesion Promoter.
Sun Chemical Corporation
Sun Chemical features the DXT-1880 Clear adhesion promoter, released approximately ten years ago. It is a screenprintable UV-curable clear promotor and is designed as UV-curable for fast processing. According to the company the product stands out from the competition because it is non-yellowing and has years of successful data. DXT-1880 clear is $192.74 per gallon.
Sticking Around
Adhesion promoters improve the ink printability on difficult substrates. As the demand for unique objects to be printed remains steady, so does the need for adhesion promoters. Today, a great selection of adhesion promoters are on the market.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Stick to It
Aug2017, Industrial Print Magazine