Intermediate transfer member
AssigneeLanda Corporation Ltd.
InventorsBenzion Landa, Sagi Abramovich, Moshe Levanon, Helena Chechik, Tatiana Kurtser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An intermediate transfer member (ITM) for use with a printing system, the ITM having (a) a support layer; and (b) a release layer having an ink reception surface and a second surface opposing the ink reception surface, the second surface attached to the support layer, the release layer formed of an addition-cured, hydrophobic silicone material, wherein the release surface of the release layer has relatively hydrophilic properties with respect to the addition-cured, hydrophobic silicone material.
Claims19
A method of operating an indirect printing system, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a quantity of an aqueous ink and an intermediate transfer member (ITM) having a release layer having an ink reception surface;
- and
- (b) jetting droplets of the aqueous ink onto the ink reception surface of the ITM to form an ink image on the ink reception surface,
- wherein:
- I. the release layer is formed of a silicone material;
- II. the ink reception surface of the release layer is adapted to satisfy at least one of the following structural properties:
- (i) a receding contact angle of a droplet of distilled water on said ink reception surface is at most 60°;
- and
- (ii) for a droplet of distilled water deposited on said ink reception surface, a 10 second dynamic contact angle (DCA) is at most 108°;
- and
- III. the release layer has at least one of the following structural properties:
- (1) said silicone material consisting essentially of a silicone, or containing, by weight, at least 95% of said silicone;
- and
- (2) functional groups make up at most 5%, by weight, of said silicone material.
A method of setting up a mounted-ITM system for use in indirect printing, the method comprising:
- (a) providing an intermediate transfer member (ITM) having a release layer having an ink reception surface;
- and
- (b) mounting the ITM over drum or over a plurality of rollers,
- wherein:
- I. the release layer is formed of a silicone material;
- II. the ink reception surface of the release layer is adapted to satisfy at least one of the following structural properties:
- (i) a receding contact angle of a droplet of distilled water on said ink reception surface is at most 60°;
- and
- (ii) for a droplet of distilled water deposited on said ink reception surface, a 10 second dynamic contact angle (DCA) is at most 108°;
- and
- III. the release layer has at least one of the following structural properties:
- (1) said silicone material consisting essentially of a silicone, or containing, by weight, at least 95% of said silicone;
- and
- (2) functional groups make up at most 5%, by weight, of said silicone material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.