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Development of Novel Inkjet Fluidsfor Durable Decoration of

Home Furnishing & Building Materials

Pedro MartínezAfford Inks – Madrid, Spain

general@afford-inks.comTel: +34 916 421789 / Mob: +34 654 340674

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InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015

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AGENDA

• Brief introduction to Afford Inks

• Defining some of the manufacturing and market segments which require enhanced performance inkjet inks and coatings

– Wood Laminate Decoration, Ceramic Tiles, Glass Decoration, Metal Surface Decoration, Building Cladding

• Limitations of conventional inkjet inks and coatings for durable substrates – and some solutions

• Conclusions & Partnering2

InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015

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About Afford Inks• Privately-owned ink manufacturer based in Madrid, Spain

• One of only two Spanish manufacturers of inkjet inks

• Also manufactures screen inks, pad inks, coatings and varnishes

• Inkjet ink range includes:– UV curable inks

– Solvent and eco-solvent inks

– Aqueous inks and “latex” inks

– Textile inkjet inks

• We custom develop inkjet inks with specific properties and performance attributes for our OEM partners

• We have some novel capabilities and access to unique technology3

InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015

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Target Industrial Markets

HOME FURNISHINGS & EXTERIOR DECORATION• Wood laminate decoration• Ceramic tiles– Original decoration– Third fire technique

• Glass decoration• Metal surface decoration• Exterior building cladding

SPECIAL NEEDS Non-standard colours Exceptional durability and

toughness External building products

may require 15-20 year non-fade outdoor life

Outstanding adhesion, abrasion and weather resistance

OFTEN – the ink or coating needs to match the durability and performance of the substrate

Must pass a range of standard industry tests (DIN, ASTM, etc.)

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Ink & Coating Challenges [1]

• CMYK colour gamut is often not good enough– Many colours required for building products and home décor lie

outside the achievable CMYK colour gamut– Also even the best C, M, Y pigments still fade after two years

outdoor, or when installed close to exterior windows– Rate of colour fading tends to be Y > M > C– Black (Pigment Black 7 – carbon black) tends not to fade– These sequential colour changes result in fading - combined with a

colour shift in the decorated product– This might be tolerably acceptable for wood laminates, because

natural wood also changes colour with age– But it is rarely acceptable for glass, ceramics and metal decoration

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Ink & Coating Challenges [2]

• Durable substrates demand Durable Inks & Coatings– Simply getting the ink to print, dry and stick is not enough– Industrial customers and home users expect the ink and coating to last as long as the substrate– Printed inks and coatings must pass extensive tests for adhesion, abrasion resistance, chemical

resistance, impact resistance, weather resistance, water resistance, temperature resistance– These tests are defined and controlled by international standards (DIN, ASTM, BS); specific

industry standards and individual manufacturer standards

• An example – Developing an Ink for Metal Building Cladding– Substrate is usually coil-coated aluminium or stainless steel– Exterior durability without noticeable fade should be 15 – 20 years– This can be achieved by inkjet with certain mineral pigments– But then the UV-curable inkjet chemistry degrades before the pigment…– Hence new polymer binder chemistry is also required– Afford Inks is developing such chemistry for high-speed single-pass inkjet

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Some Ink & Coating Solutions• Overcoming colour gamut limitations

– Take CMYK colours and extend gamut with additional ink colours orange, green, violet, red or blue• This does increase gamut and range of Pantone colours achievable• However it does not overcome fade and colour-shift issues• Nonetheless – a common practice for home textiles printing• In inkjet, this results either in (a) need for more expensive printheads = much higher machine investment cost, or (b) slower print speed,

since partitioned heads must print more than one colour ink

• Colour fading and colour shift1. Use conventional organic pigmented inks (CMYK + extended gamut colours) and reduce the fade problem

• by adding UV absorbers (particulate or dispersed) and free radical scavengers to the ink• by overcoating with a UV / weathering / oxygen barrier varnish or coating• by removing undesirable or reactive agents from the print substrate materials (e.g. anatase pigment which catalyses colour pigment

fading; formaldehyde present in wood composite materials)

2. Use inorganic (mineral) pigments in the ink formulations which do not fade3. Use fireable mineral pigments

• This is the approach taken with ceramic tile manufacture, some decoration of tempered glass, and enamelling of metals• After drying and subsequent high-temperature firing, the mineral pigment dissolves in and becomes part of the glaze• The surface of the decorated product is actually a coloured glass• Although (physically) all glasses are actually liquids – they flow slowly over time – they are very tough and abrasion resistant materials

• Afford Inks is developing certain appropriate technology1. Route 1 – by investigating incorporation of UV absorbers or radical scavengers, and providing overcoatings2. Route 2 – by developing inkjet inks based upon mineral pigments, under a project part-funded by the Spanish government

and with a mineral pigment partner

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Inkjet Decoration of GlassManufacture of Glass Wall Panels, Shower Screens and Pictures

Pictures courtesy King Tau (China), Longier (China), Tecglass (Spain) & Teckwin (China) 8

InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015

AFFORD INKS can offer:• Primers for glass• UV curable inkjet inks

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Inkjet Decoration of Wood & LaminatesManufacture of Flooring, Kitchen Furnishings, Furniture & Blinds…..

Pictures courtesy Barberan (Spain), Longier (China), Picture Line (Germany) & Teckwin (China)

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InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015

AFFORD INKS can offer:• Primer / undercoats• UV curable inkjet inks• Gloss or matt varnishes

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Conclusions

• Decoration of substrates and materials for home decoration, furniture manufacture and external building claddings demands inks and coatings with exceptional properties

• Conventional pigmented inks alone, even UV-curable pigmented inks, will struggle to satisfy the needs of all these applications

• These different applications often require custom-developed solutions comprising primers or undercoats, special inks, overcoats and varnishes, and special durable chemistry

• Afford Inks is developing some unique technologies to satisfy some of these demanding applications. We cannot do everything, but we are responsive and interested to accept new challenges from OEM partners, system integrators and industrial companies

• We pride ourselves on our in depth experience of finding solutions for industrial applications, learnt in the screen, pad and analogue printing industry, and now being creatively applied to inkjet and supporting materials.

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InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015

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Partnering with Afford Inks

• Afford Inks seeks OEM’s and industrial corporate partners that require development of special inkjet inks and coatings / varnishes with special performance characteristics– High opacity– Exceptional durability– Specific functionalities

• We also have opportunities in some countries for Distribution Partners with good technician support, to distribute our aftermarket ink ranges (inkjet, screen printing and pad printing, varnishes)

• We are open to develop and manufacture specific pigment dispersions in UV monomers for competitive ink manufacturers and other clients

InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015

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Thanks for listening!

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Pedro MartínezAfford Inks – Madrid, Spain

general@afford-inks.comTel: +34 916 421789 / Mob: +34 654 340674

InPrint Conference – München Nov 2015