What is the summary of ink safety issues? Where do these printing industry technologies learn?
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1. Water-based dye and pigment inks (including latex)
The various inks on the market today are actually very safe. For harmful components in all types of inks, carcinogens such as nickel, which are commonly found in yellow pigments, have been largely eliminated. To ensure that your dye-based or pigment-based yellow inks do not contain nickel, a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is available from suppliers who manufacture and sell ink in the United States. The data is usually available on the printer or ink manufacturer's website, and can also be requested by the supplier.
If nickel is used in the ink, it must be listed as an ingredient in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and made a warning label for the carcinogen. It's a good idea to check the Material Safety Data Sheet for the ink you use to help you know how to protect yourself, your employees and your customers from these substances. If too many "proprietary ingredients" (other than the printer manufacturer) are listed in the Material Safety Data Sheet provided by the third-party ink supplier, then you should be careful. Because this word can be used to cover the existence of harmful ingredients. This is true for all types of inks, not just water based inks. Printers and ink salespeople usually do not hide or underestimate the existence of any hazards. This is also a concern for solvent- and UV-curable printer manufacturers.
The solvents for aqueous dye-based and pigment-based inks are mostly water with some wetting agents, usually glycol ethers, which are quite safe. A small amount of alcohol and a component are usually added to these inks to inhibit the formation of mold or bacterial colonies, but it may clog the nozzles.
The polymer associated with pigment dispersion in latex inks is typically an acrylic polymer which does not pose a significant risk. In latex inks, they are polymer particles that agglomerate and form a film during evaporation of water and cosolvents. This is a physical process with no chemical reactions. The term "curing" is sometimes used in latex inks, which does mean that it is heated until a film is formed at the time of production.
2, water-based fabric ink
The ink that can be printed directly on the fabric may be pigmented or dyed. Pigment-type inks are very similar to those used for coating films or paper-printed inks, and contain a binder like "latex" to improve the durability of the ink on the fabric. Dye-type inks are another case. Depending on the type of fiber, they may contain sublimation dyes (small molecules of disperse dyes), disperse dye inks for printing on synthetic fibers, reactive dye inks for printing on cellulose fabrics such as cotton, and acid dye inks for Need to print on bright nylon and silk.
Sublimation dyes must be heated after printing to diffuse into synthetic fibers (usually polyester). Dyes that do not fully diffuse into the fiber must be washed off the fabric. There is no chemical reaction in this process, so no harmful by-products are produced. Whether using paper transfer or direct printing, the materials used are essentially the same. Undiffusing dyes can cause irritation to the skin, so if used in garment production, washing it off the fabric is a very important part. If the graphics will be used for signs or exhibitions, there is no need to clean them.
Acid dyes and reactive dyes react with the fibers and attach to the fabric in a chemically reactive manner, just like printing on conventional fabrics. Pretreatment and post treatment are required to achieve an effective chemical reaction. The unreacted dye and by-products of the reaction, as well as the pretreated material, should be removed after treatment so that these materials do not remain on the fabric. In traditional analog printing, manufacturers often wash dyes that are not sufficiently reactive or non-diffusing after printing to avoid adding dye to their wastewater. This is why the clothing you buy, especially the dyed polyester, should be cleaned separately to remove the undiffusing dye.
3, solvent-based and weak solvent ink
Solvent-based and weak-solvent inks are completely different from aqueous inks. In pigmented inks, they use organic solvents instead of water as the primary ink carrier (linker). As for safety issues, the pigment molecules and polymer molecules in the ink are very similar to those of aqueous inks. However, the solvent is another matter entirely.
First, the solvent constitutes most of the weight of the ink and they are organic, which means they are flammable and may explode when mixed with air (depending on the flash point of the ink). These solvents can be classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which cause ozone pollution when discharged into the environment. If the human body inhales more or discharges it into the environment in liquid form, it will also cause damage to humans and fish. Toxic.
Some "strong" or "pure" solvent inks (usually used for billboard printing) contain solvents with low flash points. Flash point refers to the extent to which ink vapors are at risk of explosion. Solvent-based inks have the best adhesion to vinyl, but have significant safety concerns. Some can also cause skin irritation. Again, check out the Material Safety Data Sheet for the specific ink you are considering. Don't simply consult people who sell printers or inks because they usually dilute the hazards.
Weak solvent inks are an ink type that chemists strive to minimize the hazard without sacrificing ink performance. For weak solvent inks, chemists who formulate inks choose to use solvents with higher flash points, but this makes drying more difficult. They also chose a solvent with a lower odor to exclude strong cosolvents, which lost adhesion and durability to a certain extent (compared to solvent type).
Some printer manufacturers may say that because of the low odor of using weak solvent inks, there is no need to ventilate the printer. Be aware that even if you don't smell it, the printer's operator will still inhale the solvent and ink aerosol (aerosol) that evaporates during the printing process (very tiny drops will always appear when printing).
Another problem to be considered with solvent-based inks is that the residual solvent evaporates into the air during the period from dry to touchable. Depending on the type of solvent, if the graphics are to be used indoors, this can cause odor and health problems. Strong solvent inks have the biggest problems, but all solvent-based inks have this behavior.
4, UV curing ink
UV curable inks are chemically reactive. They react under UV light and react if liquid ink splashes on your skin. You must wear goggles, because if the ink gets into your eyes, you may be seriously injured (not to mention the damage that the powerful curing fixture can cause to your eyes).
There is no doubt that these inks are very active and contain harmful chemicals that can cause harm if not handled properly. Several printer manufacturers are now promoting low-odor UV inks. This is primarily to reduce or eliminate the co-solvent added to the ink formulation and it will dry out over time in the ink, as will low odor monomers, oligomers or photoinitiators.
After the ink is printed onto the substrate, the UV curing lamp begins to crosslink the oligomers and monomers in the ink, which then immediately becomes a solid three-dimensional matrix and is expected to form a chemical/physical relationship with the printed substrate. Bonding. If not fully cured, these uncrosslinked active ingredients may remain in the print. For some applications, this may not matter, but if a partially cured print is to be in contact with people or used indoors, this can be problematic.
Many UV printers and ink manufacturers claim that their inks can be fully reacted without harm if used properly. Smell the print! If you can smell the ink, it has volatile chemicals. These volatile materials may be derived from the substrate and may be derived from organic solvents that are added in small amounts to the ink formulation to adjust the performance of the printhead, or from unreacted hazardous components. In either case, you should be aware of its hazards and use them appropriately. Don't forget to check the Material Safety Data Sheet and take the recommended precautions.
All in all, we have made great progress in the design of inkjet printing inks and printing systems, but still remember to read the material safety data sheet for ink, understand the possible hazards, and take precautions to avoid harming yourself and operating. Workers, customers and the environment.