Advanced polymerization techniques can give printing inks exceptional color strength and opacity.

The most important function of printing inks is to provide color for different kinds of products, including magazines, folding cartons, and all kinds of packaging stocks that are packaged, and consumers commonly make their buying decisions based on the appeal of the cover of the package.

Therefore, the requirement for a sharp, vivid, and colorful exterior of a package is vital. Some of the important characteristics affecting the color of the printing ink are the color strength and the opacity. The ingredients with the highest cost for printing inks are the pigments.

Therefore, there is an industry trend to achieve the ultimate color strength from the least possible amount of pigment through effective pigment grinding processes where dispersants (or, dispersing agents) play an important role. Good dispersing agents should provide excellent dispersing power and the stabilization of different pigment classes.

This results in low mill-base viscosities and high color strength in the final printing inks. In addition, well-selected pigment dispersants can contribute to increased production economics by allowing higher pigment loading and faster grinding. Stable pigment dispersion is necessary to achieve the highest level of coloristic properties in the printing ink.

Polymeric pigment dispersants are an indispensable class of dispersant to realize high-quality pigment dispersions for use in modern paints and printing inks. Polymer architecture and the type of pigment affinic anchoring groups are key parameters to tailor dispersant performance.

As a pioneer, BASF has developed the advanced polymerization techniques of “controlled free radical polymerization” (CFRP), which allows producing polymeric dispersants with defined polymer architecture and a low polydispersity index, and commercialized in the field of pigment dispersants, which are polymers with well-controlled architecture.

EFKA PX 4701 and EFKA PX 4703 are acrylic block copolymers made by the Controlled Free Radical Polymerization (CFRP) technology. EFKA PX 4701 and 4703 are solvent-free and liquid-like products suited for use in preparing organic pigments and carbon black pigment dispersions in energy curable or solvent-borne inkjet ink systems.

Important factors for inkjet inks are pigment dispersion stability; high color strength, low viscosity and Newtonian-like flow behavior at higher shear conditions. EFKA PX 4701 and 4703 are high-performance dispersants that are essential and enable new generations of energy curable inkjet inks.

Click here to learn more about EFKA PX 4701

Click here to learn more about EFKA PX 4703

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