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.
Claims22
An indirect printing system comprising:
- (a) a quantity of an aqueous ink;
- (b) an intermediate transfer member (ITM) having a release layer having an ink reception surface;
- (c) a printing station wherein an ink image is formed, from droplets of the aqueous ink, on the ink reception surface of the ITM,
- wherein:
- I. the ink printing system is configured to transfer the ink image from the ink reception surface of the ITM to substrate;
- II. the release layer is formed of a silicone material;
- III. 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
- IV. the release layer has at least one of the following structural properties:
- (1) said silicone material consisting essentially of silicone, or containing, by weight, at least 95% of said silicone;
- and
- (2) functional groups make up at most by weight, of said silicone material.
5-8. (canceled)
18-30. (canceled)
A method of indirect printing comprising:
- (a) providing a quantity of an aqueous ink and an intermediate transfer member (ITM) having a release layer having an ink reception surface;
- (b) jetting droplets of the aqueous ink onto the ink reception surface of the ITM to form an ink image on the ink receipt surface;
- and
- (c) transferring the ink image from the ink reception surface of the ITM to substrate;
- wherein:
- I. the release layer of the ITM 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 of the ITM 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.