UV INK PRIMERS FOR UV INKJET PRINTERS

UV inkjet primer helps UV ink bond to low surface energy substrates. For this reason, primers play a vital role in the printing process, especially with digital printers. The printing industry uses digital UV flatbed printers to print on a wide range of products, ranging from glass, plastics, acrylic, paper, stainless steel, etc. Many decorators prefer these printing machines because of their ability to print onto almost any substrate in full color. Primers make it possible for the ink to adhere to these substrates.

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What is UV Ink Primer?

UV ink primer is a substance used as a preparation coat applied to a product, such as unpainted metal, in the printing process. In some cases, pretreatment might be required prior to priming and printing. Printing pretreatment methods include flame, corona, Pyrosil®, and plasma. In digital printing, we use the UV inkjet primer to promote adhesion through strengthening the physical bond between the UV ink and substrate.

When should I use a UV Ink Primer?

A primer is needed to enable adhesion between ink and substrate, in addition to controlling the ink spread during inkjet printing.

For hard goods, the best way to ensure full adhesion is to pre-treat the substrate with primers or by flame before printing. Until the introduction of the Natron PP Primer and G1 Glass Primer, decorators manipulated these substrates with flame treatment. A blue flame oxidized the surface, hence increasing the surface energy of the molecules on the substrate. This would in turn improve adhesion between the ink and the substrate.

While the use of primers generally adds cost due to the additional wipe-on step in the printing process, Boston Industrial Solutions has developed an on-demand jettable UV ink primer. The inkjet primer prints this primer onto the substrate on demand only when and where needed, eliminating wastage. Use UV ink primers when necessary. All primers developed by Boston Industrial Solutions, Inc., not only aid ink adhesion but also help to enhance the printed image quality.

Determining ink adhesion on a substrate

There are several factors that affect superior adhesion. Some of these factors are the dyne levels of the ink and substrate, surface energy, coatings, and other bonding factors. Use a dyne pen to test ink adhesion on a substrate. Dyne pens will give you a good idea of ink adhesion on a substrate. Generally, the surface tension of the UV inkjet ink should be 10 dynes less than the surface energy of the substrate. Most UV inks have a range of 25-35 dyne, this is standard for UV inks on the market today. With this in mind, you can expect great ink adhesion and high quality prints on a product that has a surface energy between 35-45 dyne.

How to apply a UV Ink Primer

UV ink primers can be jetted on (printed on), sprayed on or manually wiped on a substrate. The UV Jettable Primer provides high quality printing with speed while meeting various demands for media compatibility. Apply these types of primers on demand only where and when needed. The other type of printing primers are spray on. To use these, spray them onto the substrate prior to printing. Wipe on primers gets applied using a lint-free towel and wiped on the object. To increase efficiency, use machines for application.

Pre-treatment solutions

Boston Industrial Solutions, Inc., has UV ink primer solutions for all types of substrates. The Natron G1 primer for glass is the world’s best one-part pre-treatment system for glass. This breakthrough inkjet ink primer uses nano-particles to optimize UV ink adhesion on glassware and other substrates. Glassware primed with this primer can withstand many industrial washes without any impact on the image. Apply the Natron G1 UV primer for glass with a lint-free cloth or towel.

The JP254 primer simplifies the primer application process for stainless steel and glass. This primer requires a separate print head. To use JP254 jettable ink primer print is where and when needed. There is no wastage with this primer.

As discussed, there are substrates with characteristics that inhibit ink adhesion. Such substrates require adhesion promoters which are specific for each substrate. We offer several types of primers that aid ink adhesion on all substrates. Boston Industrial Solutions, Inc., has inkjet primers for glass, metal, plastic, tile, rubber, and more. You can expect exceptional ink adhesion, vibrant print, increased durability, and improved abrasion resistance on a product is pre-treated with our primers.

Customer support

Boston Industrial Solutions, Inc., solves the hardest printing challenges. We are scientist dedicated to solving the hardest printing challenges. We use chemistry and data to help customers achieve exceptionally high-quality prints. Our goal is to reduce the number of primers that you need to print on as many substrates as possible.

We have a primer that is right for your application. To learn more about our primers, please visit our technical data section, which is available for all of our products. Additionally, we offer free adhesion testing upon request in order to determine the best inkjet primer for your product. Our goal is to help our customers deliver durable, vibrant, high-quality prints.

For more information, please contact us or ask your question and we’ll have an answer posted on our site in the next 24 hours.

+1 (781) 281-2558

info@bostonindustrialsolutions.com

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