Hieu Duy Phan

Pigment Grinding Using Waterborne Acrylic Resin/Polyester Polymer Blends: Part-B

Several waterborne acrylic resin/polyester polymer blends were used for grinding pigments (e.g. millbases) for different applications such as waterborne inks, coatings and paints. Commercially available pigments contained mostly acrylic resins as a grinding vehicle. These pigments usually exhibited a limited applications with polyesters, when used as a binder in waterborne coating and ink formulations. In order to form compatible millbases, the pigments were ground with acrylic/polyester blends. It was found that the pigment millbases prepared with acrylic resin/polyester blends could be used with the acrylic polymers and/or polyester polymers in formulating waterborne coatings, paints and inks. The film properties of these waterborne coatings and inks were excellent. The water resistance of the film on paper, aluminum foil and polymer substrates was superior than that of the film containing polyester alone. The blocking temperature for film containing polymer blends was 20 – 30°F higher than that of the polyester containing films.

Water-Based Flexo and Gravure Inks Containing Eastman AQ Polyesters

The ink and overprint varnishes from water-dispersible Eastman®AQ polymers (e.g. polyesters) offer unique properties such as no amine odor, low foaming, easy clean-up, fast drying, high gloss, good resolubility, good transfer, good scuff and rub resistance, excellent adhesion on films and foils. Eastman polymers are also a good grinding vehicle for a variety of pigments and an excellent binder for the fluorescent and metallic pigments, resulting in super gloss flexo and gravure fluorescent and metallic ink systems with stability approaching six months or longer. These gravure and flexo inks and overprint varnishes demonstrated print quality and printing speeds equal to or superior to solvent inks. Eastman®AQ polymer containing inks are ideal ink systems for paper, board, aluminum foil and film substrates.