Application and advantages of water-based ink defoamer
With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, water-based ink has been widely used in packaging
printing, advertising, publishing and printing due to its non-toxic, odorless and easily degradable characteristics.
However, water-based ink is prone to foaming during use, which not only affects the coating performance and
printing quality of the ink, but may also cause damage to the printing equipment. In order to solve this problem,
water-based ink defoamer came into being.
1. Definition and function of water-based ink defoamer
Water-based ink defoamer is a chemical additive specially used to eliminate foam in water-based ink. It can
effectively reduce the surface tension of the ink, destroy the stability of the foam, and make the foam break and
dissipate quickly. At the same time, the water-based ink defoamer can also inhibit the generation of new foam to
ensure that the ink maintains stable performance during the printing process.
2. Main types of water-based ink defoamers
Water-based ink defoamers can be divided into many types according to their chemical composition and performance
characteristics, mainly including:
Polyether block defoamers: have excellent compatibility and defoaming performance, suitable for water-based inks
with high surface requirements, and are not easy to cause surface defects in the paint film after defoaming.
Organic silicon defoamers: including emulsion polysiloxane and polyether modified organic silicon defoamers, which
have good anti-foaming ability and thermal stability and are widely used in water-based inks.
Compound defoamers: composed of multiple components, with excellent versatility and compatibility, suitable for
different types of water-based inks.
3. Application scenarios of water-based ink defoamers
Water-based ink defoamers are widely used in various printing scenarios that need to eliminate foam, including but
not limited to:
Food packaging printing: In food packaging printing, water-based ink defoamers can ensure that the ink is evenly
coated on the packaging material to avoid printing defects caused by foam.
Gift packaging printing: Gift packaging has high requirements for printing quality, and water-based ink defoamers
can improve the overall aesthetics of printed products.
Liquid milk internal and external packaging: In liquid milk packaging printing, water-based ink defoamers can
prevent the ink from generating bubbles during the printing process, ensuring the sealing and aesthetics of the packaging.
4. Advantages of water-based ink defoamers
Improve printing quality: Water-based ink defoamers can eliminate bubbles in the ink, allowing the ink to be more
evenly coated on the printing material, thereby improving the clarity and gloss of the printed product.
Improve production efficiency::The use of defoamers can reduce printing failures and downtime caused by foam, improve
the operating efficiency of printing equipment and the overall production capacity of the production line.
Reduce production costs: By reducing the scrap rate and rework rate during the printing process, water-based ink defoamers
help reduce production costs and improve the economic benefits of the enterprise.
Environmental protection and safety: Water-based ink defoamers are usually made of environmentally friendly and non-toxic raw
materials, which will not cause harm to the human body and the environment, and meet the environmental protection requirements
of the modern printing industry.
5. Precautions for using water-based ink defoamers
Choose the right defoamer: According to the specific composition of water-based ink and printing requirements, choose the right
defoamer type and amount to add.
Uniform addition: During the ink preparation or printing process, the defoamer should be added evenly to avoid adverse effects
caused by excessive or low local concentrations.
Pay attention to storage conditions: Water-based ink defoamers should be stored in a cool and dry place, avoiding direct sunlight and
high temperature environments.
6. Conclusion
As an important auxiliary agent in the printing industry, water-based ink defoamers play an important role in improving printing quality,
improving production efficiency, reducing production costs and environmental safety. With the continuous advancement of printing
technology and the increasing environmental protection requirements, the application prospects of water-based ink defoamers will be broader.
Therefore, the rational use of water-based ink defoamers in the printing process is of great significance to improving the overall quality of printed
products and the competitiveness of enterprises.
