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What is UV cured ink?

Date: May 27 2024  From: Star Color   

Ultraviolet curing ink (UV ink) is an ink that can rapidly cure under ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. It primarily consists of pigments, binders, photoinitiators, and additives. Among them, the binder is the fluid component of the ink, while the photoinitiator is the sensitive component that can generate free radicals or cations under the excitation of UV photons, thereby initiating polymerization, crosslinking, and graft reactions, turning the ink from a liquid state to a solid state.

Principle:

The photoinitiator in the ink absorbs UV light of a specific wavelength and becomes excited, forming active groups that participate in the reaction. These active groups then initiate polymerization of prepolymers and diluent monomers, undergoing charge transfer to form complexes, which undergo crosslinking and polymerization reactions in a very short time, forming a polymer with a three-dimensional network structure. This process gives the cured product a certain level of hardness and abrasion resistance.

The origin of UV curing technology can be traced back to early research in photochemistry and photophysics. With the in-depth study of photosensitive materials, scientists discovered that certain materials could undergo chemical reactions under UV light exposure, thus initiating the development of UV ink. The research and development of UV ink is a result combining knowledge from multiple disciplines such as photochemistry, polymer chemistry, and materials science, and through continuous experimentation and improvements, it has evolved into the widely used UV ink technology we have today.

Features:

• Fast curing speed: The curing time of UV ink is typically within fractions of a second to several seconds, significantly improving production efficiency.
• Environmental friendliness: UV ink contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and does not produce pollution during the curing process, meeting environmental protection requirements.
• Excellent physical properties: The cured UV ink exhibits properties such as abrasion resistance, water resistance, and chemical corrosion resistance, suitable for various environments.
• Suitability for various substrate materials: UV ink is suitable for various non-absorbent materials such as plastics, metals, and glass.
• Excellent printing effect: UV ink print products have high glossiness, vibrant colors, and good visual effects.

Applications:

• Printing industry: UV ink is widely used in various printing methods such as lithography, relief printing, intaglio printing, and screen printing, providing efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for packaging printing, publishing printing, and other fields.
• Electronics industry: UV ink can be used for the encapsulation and fixation of electronic components, improving the performance and reliability of electronic products.
• Automotive industry: UV ink is used for coating and bonding in automotive manufacturing, providing durability and aesthetic appeal.
• Medical devices: UV ink can be used for surface coatings of medical devices, providing protection and functionality.
• Other fields: UV ink is also applied in various fields such as optical fiber manufacturing, decorative finishing, metal decoration, and more.

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