Polymerizable ink composition
First Claim
1. A polymerizable printing ink, comprising:
- a polar suspending medium;
a plurality of monodisperse polymer microspheres suspended in the suspending medium;
a coloring agent chemically associated with the microspheres;
a surfactant dispersed in the suspending medium to stabilize the microsphere suspension; and
a monomer, including at least one unsaturated group, positioned in the ink such that polymerization of the monomer after applying the ink to a substrate secures the microspheres in a fixed relation to one another.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a polymerizable printing ink. The ink includes a polar suspending medium in which a plurality of polymer microspheres are suspended. At least one surfactant is dissolved in the suspending medium, and a monomer is positioned in the ink such that polymerization of the monomer after the application of the ink to a substrate will hold the microspheres in fixed relations to one another. The microspheres have a chemically associated coloring agent to provide the ink with color. The ink may include a polymerization initiator, such as a photoinitiator, to cause the film to polymerize upon the application of a form of energy, such as ultraviolet light. The invention also provides methods for making and using the ink, and for adding a coloring agent to a plurality of polymer microspheres.
63 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A polymerizable printing ink, comprising:
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a polar suspending medium; a plurality of monodisperse polymer microspheres suspended in the suspending medium; a coloring agent chemically associated with the microspheres; a surfactant dispersed in the suspending medium to stabilize the microsphere suspension; and a monomer, including at least one unsaturated group, positioned in the ink such that polymerization of the monomer after applying the ink to a substrate secures the microspheres in a fixed relation to one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 34, 35, 36)
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28. A photopolymerizable printable ink for use with inkjet printers, comprising:
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an aqueous suspending medium including at least 30% water and 0-70% a lower molecular weight alkyl alcohol by volume; a plurality of monodisperse polymer microspheres dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 10-40% of the ink by weight; a coloring agent associated with the microspheres; a monomer with at least one unsaturated group dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 0-10% of the ink by weight; a photoinitiator dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 0-3.0% of the ink by weight; a plasticizer dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 0-3.0% of the ink by weight; a wetting agent dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 0-2.0% of the ink by weight; an antioxidant dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 0-5.0% of the ink by weight; a flame retardant dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 0-1.0% of the ink by weight; a thixotropic agent dispersed in the suspending medium at a concentration of 0-1.0% of the ink by weight; and an accelerator dispersed in the suspending medium.
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29. A method of making a polymerizable printing ink for printing a colored film on a substrate, the ink including a suspending medium that is at least partially aqueous, the method comprising the steps of:
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mixing at least one surfactant into the suspending medium; forming a plurality of monodispersed polymer microspheres so that the microspheres have at least some unreacted monomer associated therewith; adding a coloring agent to the microspheres so that the coloring agent becomes incorporated within the microspheres to form a plurality of microsphere-coloring agent complexes; and mixing the microsphere-coloring agent complexes into the suspending medium. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification