Inkjet inks for ceramic tile decoration
AssigneesSun Inkjet Ceramics, S.L., Sun Chemical Corporation
InventorsVicente Cuevas Deusa, Francisco Javier Balcells-Gomez, Ramon Bono Palomar, Maria Teresa Tichell Alegre, Ian Brough
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Solvent-based pigmented ceramic inkjet ink compositions including a solvent blend consisting predominantly of one or more hydrophobic solvent(s) (preferably one or more hydrophobic long chain hydrocarbon solvent(s)) are capable of achieving superior print quality when applied over unfired glazes by the inclusion of less than 10% by weight of the composition of a water-soluble solvent, especially glycol ethers. These ink compositions are particularly suited to ceramic tile decoration via the double fast firing process, with resulting improvements in absorption, color strength and print definition.
Claims25
A process for preparing a ceramic tile comprising:
- printing a solvent-based pigmented ceramic inkjet ink composition onto an unfired water-containing glaze on a pre-fired ceramic tile;
- wherein said printing is single pass inkjet printing,
- and then firing the tile via a double fast firing process;
- wherein said composition comprises a solvent blend wherein the solvent blend comprises one or more hydrophobic solvent(s) and one or more water-soluble hydrophilic solvent(s), wherein the water-soluble hydrophilic solvent is present in an amount of about 0.1-10% by weight of the composition;
- and
- wherein the solvent-based pigmented ceramic inkjet ink composition further comprises from 15 to 65% (w/w) of a ceramic pigment that imparts color to a surface of a ceramic tile.
A solvent-based pigmented ceramic inkjet ink composition comprising:
- from 15 to 65% (w/w) of a ceramic pigment that imparts color to a surface of a ceramic tile;
- a solvent blend wherein the solvent blend comprises one or more hydrophobic solvent(s) and one or more water-soluble hydrophilic solvent(s), wherein the water-soluble hydrophilic solvent is present in an amount of about 0.1-10% by weight of the composition;
- and
- wherein:
- (i) the one or more hydrophobic solvent(s) are selected from the group consisting of C12-C30 aliphatic hydrocarbons, dioctyl cocoate and blends thereof and the one or more water-soluble hydrophilic solvent(s) comprises at least one glycol and/or glycol dialkyl ether, or glycerol;
- or
- (ii) the one or more hydrophobic solvent(s) 1s dioctyl cocoate and the one or more water-soluble hydrophilic solvent(s) comprises at least one glycol monoalkyl ether.
A solvent-based pigmented ceramic inkjet ink composition comprising:
- from 15 to 65% (w/w) of a ceramic pigment that imparts color to a surface of a ceramic tile;
- a solvent blend wherein the solvent blend comprises one or more hydrophobic solvent(s) and one or more water-soluble hydrophilic solvent(s)), wherein the water-soluble hydrophilic solvent is present in an amount of about 0.1-10% by weight of the composition;
- wherein the one or more hydrophobic solvent(s) are selected from the group consisting of C12-C30 aliphatic hydrocarbons, high boiling point ester solvents having a boiling point of greater than about 235° C., and blends thereof;
- and
- wherein the one or more water-soluble hydrophilic solvent(s) comprises one or more glycol(s) and/or glycol ether(s), or poly(ethylene) glycol(s);
- wherein the one or more glycol(s) is selected from ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, tetrapropylene glycol, butylene glycol, dibutylene glycol, tributylene glycol or tetrabutylene glycol;
- and
- wherein the one or more glycol ether(s) is selected from dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, propylene glycol monopropyl ether, tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol phenyl ether or propylene glycol methyl ether.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.