Rapid development of pearl pigment has been in the packaging, printing, publishing industry get more and more widely used, from cosmetics, cigarette case, wine, gift packaging, to business CARDS, greeting CARDS, calendars, books and periodicals cover, and then to pictorial printing, textile printing, the figure of pearl pigment is everywhere. Especially for food packaging film, the growing market demand, such as ice cream, soft drinks, cookies, candy, paper packaging, and other fields, using pearly membrane to consumers with pleasant feeling.

Pearl pigment to promote blocked

Despite various fields the need for pearl pigment is very big, but in terms of marketing, pearl pigment but still encounter resistance.

First, sold on the market at present several kind of pearl pigment (mica titanium pearl pigment) series production process is complex, process precision and equipment demand is higher, making the manufacturing cost is high, limiting such pigments are widely used. Like a lot of paint of paint and ink manufacturers have been interested in this kind of paint is very, but in practical application due to its high price and pause. So to reduce the production cost, realize large-scale production, expand the market is very crucial step.

Secondly, the application research of pearl pigment is still at a very weak link, the current pearl pigment in the coatings, plastics, printing ink, artificial leather, building materials, cosmetics, paper, packaging materials, textile printing and dyeing, etc, applied technology research and development has just started, because most people for the characteristics of this new type of decorative paint still poorly understood, and applied technology lag, low level of technology, adornment effect is poor, restrict the application and promotion of pearl pigment. Make books of this kind of paint can be used for decoration, in order to enhance product added value of products, lost excellent competitive opportunities. But for the pursuit of pearl pigment, people never stop, because people are clearly understand a truth: a technology breakthrough tend to promote an industry upgrading of products, will give an industry brings inestimable economic benefits.

Third, pearl pigment production process looks be like simple, but the actual production technology is complex, involving disciplines. So all countries in the world of the technology strictly confidential and the blockade, in order to keep business secrets, since many companies never published its annual sales performance. Compared with some developed industrial countries, our country of scientific research, production and application of mica titanium pearl pigment or at an early stage of development, regardless of product quality, variety and application technology, are at the lower level, some key technical problems still not a breakthrough, made in Germany and Japan paint still dominated by the company's products.

The influencing factors of pearly luster

Although pearl pigment in applications in a variety of resistance, but the industry still call the advantage of pearl pigment to print each link.

Let us first to analyze the mica titanium pearl pigment in the use of some of the situation: pearl pigment is a kind of gloss paint, it is passive light flash effect, that is to say, must be in by light will appear under the condition of flash effect. Mixture with it pearl ink, its pearl effect mainly depends on the pearly luster pigment, and depends on the printing ink and gloss of pearl pigment content, shape, etc.

The content of pearl pigment

In the case of the evenness of printing ink pigment dispersion, people have studied the amount of pearl pigment in the fabric silk screen printing ink, the impact on the pearly luster. Method is, in the same ink formula to change pearl pigment in the ink amount, to visual method to evaluate the efficacy of the pearly luster, increasing research in pearl pigment in the ink in proportion to the number, when the dosage of pigment is 5%, the gloss effect is poorer; When the amount to 12%, pearl effect is better; When the dosage of 15%, pearl effect best, fastness good; Continue to increase the dosage of pigment was 17%, pearl effect similar to when the dosage of 15%; If continue to increase the dosage, the pearl effect no longer increases. This shows a truth, devotion to increase the amount of pearl pigment, can not obviously improve the effect of pearl, when the pigment amount reaches a certain value, after pearl effect will no longer play its role. Blind increase dosage of pigment results: one is to make the ink cost rise; 2 it is to make the ink printing fastness to decline. In order to ensure the ink printing adaptability, it is suggested that the amount of pearl pigment should be controlled in 12% ~ 15%.

The shape of pearl pigment

In addition to the amount of pearl pigment, pearl effect is related to the shape of the pigment, tabular crystal should be the basic construction of pearl pigment form, only in this way can the shape of the pearly luster strongly reflected like a lens, and ratio of tabular crystal diameter to thickness is best at around 200, and accord with the condition of material is very scarce. The current production and application of most of the world's most extensive pearl pigment is a natural mica chip as the core, through the special chemical technology, coated on the surface layer or one multilayer titanium or other metal oxides formed by micro powder. So the stand or fall of pearl ink, depends on when the ink preparation is adopted flake pigment.

How to reduce the dosage of pearl pigment

If make the less dosage of pearl pigment, ink costs will be lower, people use motivation will pearl ink, the greater the but if there is a good method to come down the amount of pearl pigment in the ink? The answer is yes. Lower the dosage of pearl pigment, in fact the main is to make the flake pearl pigment to parallel orientation, if can flake pearl pigment in the ink layer surface arranged parallel to their uniform ink layer of middle layer or the bottom even in the absence of pigment particles, also won't affect the pearl effect, because the light is on the surface of sheet particles closure, in, the underlying pigment particles is not affected by light, also cannot be reflected or refracted light, for the effects of a pearly luster. The following from each link to achieve flake pearl pigment in the ink layer surface evenly arranged, eventually reduce the dosage of pearl pigment.

Pearl ink preparation process

Pearl pigment ink depends largely on the quality of the resin carrier of flake pigment wetting, dispersion and the parallel degree of orientation in the ink film. The former consists of the selected resin is determined by the structure and properties, the latter must rely on ink design formula and correct implementation of the printing process. Carrier resin is a foundation, formula design and printing process is the key. Ideal ink should have low solid content, for this, the pearl pigment usage shoulds not be too much, because too much paint easy to dense, irregular state, easy to bad, and in the process of printing ink layer and dry ink layer should have larger volume contraction force, and the contraction force and flake powder of its own gravity, to squeeze the flake mica titanium pearl pigment, make it tend to be parallel, with the proportion of printing ink, paint, printing ink, viscosity, and many other factors are closely related. Flake pigment can arrange parallel to the substrate, the pigment of pearl effect is better. To add a certain amount of polyethylene wax printing ink dispersion can improve the directional properties.

Pearl pigment size selection

Flake pigment choice, should grasp the sheet size and the relationship between the flash effect: flake diameter is larger, the flash source of distance between the greater (piece and piece of spacing), flash effect more dispersed. This is because the larger the diameter, the surface by the more opportunities to the multiple reflection and refraction of light, so light intensity is strong; If a piece of small diameter, flash source spacing is small, will focus on flash effect, less chance repeated reflection, refraction, flash strength will be weakened. In addition to the piece of the relationship between the diameter size and light, also related to the pigment in the ink state, general sheet size is smaller, the easier it is condensed, the link is easy sedimentation; Particles of aspect ratio is smaller, the easier in the links of material also assumes the slurry.

In the deployment of ink, you can add thickener is used to prevent subsidence or wet paint in advance, and then dispersed in the links of material, in order to avoid condensation or settlement. Because the mica titanium pearl pigment has good dispersion ability, create the superior condition for printing ink manufacturing, in ink low viscosity medium, good dispersion effect by using low-speed mixing. At the same time can avoid manufactured other ink used in the three rollers machine, high-speed mixer or ball mill and other equipment, because it can lead to mica titanium pearl pigment particles were broken and lose luster. Even if must use this equipment in production to spread out, also should be arranged in the final stages in the process of producing ink, will join the blender can mica pearlescent pigment.

The influence of printing process of pearl effect

Pearl ink is suitable for various printing way, but a variety of printing process will have certain influence in the quality of printed matter, in order to ensure the quality of printing, printing process should match the pearl ink performance. For this, we need to put forward some requirements of printing process to meet the performance of the printing ink. Such as the pearl in the offset printing process, fast printing speed, ink viscosity, to produce a pearl effect, choose pearl pigment particle size is larger, the ink roller transfer effect is not very good, fast speed, the friction between the ink roller is too large, it is easy to flake pigment grinding, pearl effect cannot be displayed. If the speed too slow will generate heap rollers fault; In pursuit of flash effect, choose pearl pigment particle size is larger, in order to increase the ink liquidity, make the printing ink is thinning, drying too slow, affect the printing speed, was forced to stop, it is a thorny issue in offset printing.

Pearl ink, gravure printing process, enough although print surface gloss and a lot of pearl pigment, it is difficult to present pearly flashing effect. This is due to the carved roller plate, only a tiny, reflective ability of pearl powder is transferred to substrates, and larger sheet-shape grains remains in the plate groove, pearl pigment is transferred to the weight of the paper is not enough, it will be difficult to send flash effect.

Pearl ink screen printing process requirements and with other ink printing. To make the printing process, matching with the ink performance for pearl printing ink pigment particle size is larger, it has much more surface reflection performance, can form very strong diffuse such as uniform, produce good pearl luster.

But pay special attention to when choosing number of wire mesh, wire mesh of the pore size and the particle size of pearl pigment used in printing ink. To make the ink can smoothly through the plate printing on substrates, occur on the screen without plugging phenomenon, general requirements wire mesh aperture to 1.5 ~ 2.5 times larger than pigment particles biggest advisable, but it is not mesh is bigger, the better, because of low mesh screen will affect the precision of the graphics, printed image would be too rough, so choose appropriate to mesh count. Pearl ink maker should be indicated in the product packaging ink pearl pigment particle size, to facilitate the users to choose as a reference. Generally obtained from the experiment: by the particle size of 20 to 180 microns pearl pigment preparation of ink should be chosen 40 ~ 60 mesh/inch net yarn, can print some products require the printing accuracy is not high. If the particle size of the pearl is 5 ~ 100 mu's m pigment inks, can choose 60 ~ 100 mesh/inch net yarn, can print some fine print.

According to the relevant data analysis: mica titanium pearl pigment percent concentration in different ways of printing ink (quality) difference is bigger also, among them with screen printing of the content is the lowest. Silk screen printing ink content is 8% ~ 8%; In gravure printing ink content 15% ~ 15%; In the flexographic printing ink content 15% ~ 15%; Offset printing ink in the content of 30%. So, using screen printing way will reduce the production cost.

In a nutshell, mica titanium pearl pigment is a kind of new concept of optical color paint, has a broad space for development, will be as in-depth study, continuously reduce production cost, are widely used for the near future mica titanium pearl pigment create a wider roads, for the user to select products and create more convenience.