Manufacturing Process of Printing Inks


Printing is widely used in our society to pass on information and to decorate objects. This has resulted in printing being used on many different surfaces ranging from aluminium cans and plastic bottles through to paper. Special inks have been developed for use in these different situations.
These are formulated into ink in a two step process.
 
Step1 - Varnish manufacture


Varnish is the clear liquid that is the base of any ink. Different varnishes are made for different inks, but they are all made by mixing the resins, solvents and additives (often at high temperatures) to form a homogeneous mixture. The resins react together to some extent to make larger molecules, making the varnish more viscous the longer these reactions are allowed to occur.

Step 2 - Pigment dispersal


The pigment is mixed into the varnish and then ground to break up clumps of pigment and to spread the pigment evenly through the ink.


Source: X-Polymers-E-Printing inks

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