INK COMPOSITION FOR INKJET PRINTING BY THE CONTINUOUS DEFLECTED INK JET TECHNIQUE NOTABLY FOR SAFETY MARKINGS

Abstract

An ink composition for printing by the continuous deflected ink jet technique, liquid at room temperature, including a method for marking or printing on a substrate, support or object using said ink composition, and a substrate, support, or object provided with a marking obtained by drying, and/or absorption of said ink composition, in which the ink composition includes a solvent including one or several organic solvent compounds, and optionally water; a binder comprising at least one binding resin; at least one plasticizer of said binding resin; at least one dye which belongs to the family of anthraquinone dyes; and optionally, at least one or several other dyes and/or pigments which do not belong to the family of anthraquinone dyes.

Claims

1. An ink composition for printing, by the continuous deflected ink jet technique, liquid at room temperature, comprising: a) a solvent comprising one or several organic solvent compounds; b) a binder comprising at least one binding resin; c) at least one plasticizer of said binding resin; and d) at least one dye which belongs to the family of anthraquinone dyes.

2. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the binding resin is selected from among (meth)acrylic, vinylic, ketonic, hydroxyaromatic, cellulosic, styrenic, epoxy, polyurethane, styrene-acrylate, alkoxysilane, ester resins, and combinations of two or more of the latter.

3. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the binder represents from 0.1 to 50% by weight of the total weight of the ink composition.

4. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the at least one plasticizer is selected from among thermoplastic polyurethanes, phthalates, adipates, esters, alkyl phosphates, glycerol, lactic acid, oleic acid, polypropylene glycol, triglycerides of fatty acids, levulinic acid; carbamates or carbamic resins; and mixtures thereof.

5. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the at least one plasticizer is present in an amount of at least 0.05% by weight of the total weight of the ink composition.

6. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the dye belonging to the family of anthraquinone dyes, is selected from the group consisting of C. I. Solvent Blue 36, C. I. Solvent Blue 45, C. I. Solvent Blue 104, and mixtures thereof.

7. The ink composition according to claim 1, comprising from 0.01% to 5% by weight of said at least one dye belonging to the family of anthraquinones.

8. The ink composition according to claim 1, further comprising at least one or several other dyes and/or pigments which do not belong to the family of anthraquinone dyes.

9. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein said at least one dye belonging to the family of anthraquinone is of a first color, and said ink composition further comprises another dye and/or pigment not belonging to the family of anthraquinone dyes which is of a second color, different from the first color.

10. The ink composition according to claim 9, wherein the binder consists of a cellulose resin.

11. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the total amount of dye(s) and/or pigment(s) including the dye belonging to the family of anthraquinone dyes, is from 0.05% to 25% by weight, of the total weight of the ink composition.

12. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the ink composition comprises less than 10% by weight of water, based on the total weight of the ink composition.

13. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the solvent represents at least 20% by weight of the total weight of the ink composition.

14. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein said one or several organic solvent compounds comprises a majority proportion by weight, based on the total weight of the solvent, of one or several volatile organic solvent compounds, and a minority proportion by weight, based on the total weight of the solvent, of one or several non-volatile organic solvent compounds.

15. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the solvent comprises a majority amount by weight, based on the total weight of the solvent, of one or several solvent compounds selected from ketones with 3 to 10 carbon atoms.

16. The ink composition according to claim 15, further comprising one or several other solvent compounds other than the ketones in a minority total amount by weight, based on the total weight of the solvent.

17. The ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the ink composition has an electric conductivity greater than or equal to 300 S/cm at 20 C.

18. The ink composition according to claim 1, further comprising at least one conductivity salt.

19. The composition according to claim 18, wherein the at least one conductivity salt is present in an amount of at least 0.05% by weight, of the total weight of the ink composition.

20. The ink composition according to claim 1, further comprising one or several additives selected from among anti-foam agents; chemical stabilizers; UV stabilizers; surfactants; agents inhibiting corrosion by salts; bactericides, fungicides and biocides; and pH regulating buffers.

21. A method for marking a substrate, support or object comprising: projecting onto a surface of said substrate, support, or object an ink composition by the deflected continuous ink jet technique, wherein the projected ink composition is the ink composition comprising a) a solvent comprising one or several organic solvent compounds; b) a binder comprising at least one binding resin; c) at least one plasticizer of said binding resin; and d) at least one dye which belongs to the family of anthraquinone dyes.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, before projecting the ink composition, the surface of the substrate, support, or object is not subject to any surface treatment other than simple cleaning.

23. A substrate, support, or object comprising: a marking obtained by drying, and/or absorption in the substrate, support, or object, of the ink composition comprising a) a solvent comprising one or several organic solvent compounds; b) a binder comprising at least one binding resin; c) at least one plasticizer of said binding resin; and d) at least one dye which belongs to the family of anthraquinone dyes.

24. The substrate, support or object, according to claim 23 wherein the substrate, support or object is a metal, stainless steel, glass, ceramic, a material containing cellulose, an organic thermoplastic polymer selected from among PVCs, PETs, polyolefins, polyethylenes (PE), and polypropylenes (PP); of poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA or Plexiglas, fabric, or any other non-porous or porous substance, or a composite of several of these materials.

25. The substrate, support or object according to claim 24, wherein the substrate, support or object is a packaging or a container, a bottle, or a stopper made of a polyolefin, a polyethylene, or a polypropylene.

26. A method of printing comprising: combining a binder comprising at least one binding resin, at least one plasticizer of said binding resin, and at least one dye belonging to the family of anthraquinone dyes, in an ink composition for printing by the deflected continuous ink jet technique, liquid at room temperature; and causing migration of said at least one dye belonging to the family of anthraquinone dyes to a support on a surface of which the ink composition is applied.

27. A method of printing comprising: combining a binder comprising at least one binding resin, at least one plasticizer of said binding resin, and least one dye belonging to the family of anthraquinone dyes, in an ink composition for printing by the deflected continuous ink jet technique, liquid at room temperature; and preparing a marking resistant to erasement by dissolution with a solvent.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

[0145] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of embodiments of the invention, given as illustrative and non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES

[0146] The following ink compositions were prepared by mixing the products mentioned in the Table I below, in the indicated proportions.

[0147] The ink compositions prepared are ink compositions according to the invention (Compositions of Examples No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3), and a comparative ink composition not compliant with the invention (composition of the Comparative Example).

[0148] The viscosities and the conductivities of the inks obtained are also given in Table I below.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE I Constituents Comparative Example Example Example (percentage by weight) Example No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 Methyl-ethyl ketone 89.1 78.95 79.45 79.45 Cellulosic resin (cellulose 5.4 3.23 4.5 4.5 acetobutyrate CAB553.04) Polyurethane resin 12.93 (Unithane 672S65) Tributyl citrate 11.5 Carbamic resin 11.5 (Resamine HF480) Solvent Black 3 3.9 3.45 3.2 3.2 Solvent blue 104 0.5 0.48 0.45 0.45 Tetrabutylannnnoniunn 1.1 0.96 0.9 0.9 hexafluorophosphate Viscosity (mPa .Math. s) 4.8 4.6 4.3 4.6 Conductivity (S/cm) 844 840 802 770 CAB553.04 manufactured by Eastman. Unithane 672S65 manufactured by Ernisunion. Resamine HF480 manufactured by Allnex.

[0149] The thereby prepared inks were deposited by means of Markem-Imaje 9040 printers, which use the deviated continuous ink jet printing technique, on flasks made of polyethylene. Markings were thereby obtained on these flasks.

[0150] After 4 hours and 24 hours of drying, the markings on these flasks made of polyethylene were sprayed with methylethylketone for completely dissolving the marking.

[0151] After dissolution of the markings, the residual legibility is observed.

[0152] The Examples 1, 2 and 3 according to the invention show legibility and transfer of ink into the support much greater than in the Comparative Example which does not contain any plasticizer.