Q&A TAIGA Additives Technical Support & Industry FAQs

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FAQ

My coating drying conditions are 12 minutes at 200°C. I need a surface additive to improve the coating’s wetting properties on the substrate while also providing good thermal stability.

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

Polyether-modified silicones should be used with caution at very high curing temperatures; we recommend using polyester-modified silicones such as Tech-210A instead. Tech-210A is a highly reactive silicone that provides strong surface tension-reducing properties. Even at low concentrations, it delivers excellent leveling and substrate wetting performance. The typically recommended addition rate is 0.2%; we recommend conducting a gradient test. The additive should be added during the later stages of production and requires only low shear to mix uniformly. The migration behavior of the additive must be tested and evaluated.

Our solvent-based coating does not wet tinplate well, so we need a wetting agent that can be added later and does not need to comply with FDA regulations. Do you have any recommendations?

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

To resolve substrate wetting issues, the surface tension of the coating must be reduced. There are two viable approaches: a) Silicone: Try Tech-233A or Tech-2733, which can significantly reduce surface tension; the recommended addition rate is 0.1–0.2% (based on the purchased form relative to the total formulation). Other silicone products may also be used. b) Non-silicone: Tech-1399 is a polymer-based leveling agent that can slightly reduce surface tension; this is generally sufficient to resolve substrate wetting issues. Add 0.3–0.5% (based on the purchased form relative to the total formulation).

We are looking for a dispersant that can stabilize titanium dioxide at high temperatures, is resistant to yellowing, and maintains consistent viscosity and fineness.

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

We recommend Tech-5366, a super-dispersant that maintains excellent stability under high-temperature conditions. It is particularly effective at coating the surfaces of inorganic powder pigments and resists yellowing at high temperatures.

Do pigments of the same color but from different manufacturers—such as (PW6)—require different dispersants?

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

Even for the same pigment, surface treatment processes may vary, so the optimal dispersant for each will also differ. For dispersing carbon black in solvent-based inks, we recommend Tech-6202; for dispersing organic color pigments, we recommend Tech-5350 and Tech-5835; and for dispersing titanium dioxide, we recommend Tech-598.

Can you recommend an additive for water-based inks that helps the ink wet difficult-to-wet surfaces (such as PE)?

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

Tech-2409 is recommended for use on various film substrates and can effectively improve the wetting and dispersion properties of water-based inks.

Our ink system is a water-based polyurethane. We’ve tried some defoamers in the past, but they caused pinholes. Could you recommend a few water-based defoamers that don’t cause pinholes or affect tran

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

We recommend trying Tech-3901, Tech-38101, and Tech-328W.

In water-based OPV, our coating film is relatively thick, which has led to some edge shrinkage/thickening. Are there any BYK additives that can resolve or improve this issue?

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

We recommend using a combination of surface additives to control surface tension and rheological additives to address the issue of narrow or thick edges. For surface additives, we recommend testing Tech-2846 and Tech-2409; for rheological additives, we recommend Tech-9022W.

We would like to screen some dispersants for our water-based inkjet inks. During this screening process, does TAIGA recommend resin-based or resin-free grinding?

Application:Printing Ink

Reply:

Taking into account flexibility, applicability, compatibility, and pigment usage, we recommend resin-free grinding.