Methods for manufacturing curable inks for digital offset printing applications and the inks made therefrom
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsFrank Ping-Hay Lee, Aurelian Valeriu Magdalinis, Marcel Breton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for making pigmented, curable, liquid ink compositions, and the ink compositions prepared from the methods are disclosed. The method includes adding at least one monomer and a dispersant to mixing vessel, and metering into the mixing vessel at least one pigment over a period of time. The method further includes adding at least one initiator and at least one curing agent, and then milling the composition. The pigmented, curable, high viscosity liquid ink compositions are suitable for digital offset printing.
Claims15
A method for preparing a pigmented, curable, digital lithographic ink composition, comprising:
- a) adding to a mixing vessel at least one monomer or oligomer and at least one dispersant;
- b) heating the mixing vessel;
- c) adding at least one initiator and a thermal stabilizer, and optionally a leveling agent, while mixing;
- d) adding at least one pigment, and optionally an inorganic filler, while stirring to form a pigmented radiation curable ink composition;
- e) cooling the pigmented radiation curable ink composition to about room temperature;
- and
- f) milling the pigmented radiation curable ink composition to reduce the particle size of the pigmented, curable ink composition to less than about 1 μm to prepare a pigmented, curable, ink composition.
A method for preparing a pigmented, curable, ink composition comprising:
- a) adding to mixing vessel at least one monomer and at least one dispersant;
- b) heating the mixing vessel to a temperature within the range of from about 40° C. to about 95° C.;
- c) adding at least one pigment while stirring to form a homogenous mixture;
- d) further mixing the homogenous mixture for a period of from about 5 minutes to about 80 minutes;
- e) adding to the homogenous mixture at least an initiator and a thermal stabilizer, and optionally a leveling agent, while mixing to form a pigmented radiation curable ink composition;
- f) cooling the pigmented radiation curable ink composition to about room temperature;
- g) milling the pigmented radiation curable ink composition to reduce the particle size of the pigmented, curable ink composition to less than about 1 μm to prepare a pigmented, curable, ink composition;
- h) optionally returning the contents to a mixing vessel after milling, heating and mixing the ink composition, and adding at least one monomer to the vessel while stirring to form homogenous ink composition mixture;
- and
- i) milling the homogenous ink composition mixture to prepare a finished pigmented, curable, liquid ink composition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.