What Is The Role Of Wax Emulsion In Water-based Ink?

What is the role of wax emulsion in water-based ink? Adding water-based wax emulsion as an ink additive to the water-based system will not change the resin system, nor will it affect the formula, giving the ink blooming, feel, matte, extinction and other properties.

1. Improve the gloss of water-based ink:

Improve the surface properties of water-based coatings and inks after film formation. Used in coatings, it can improve the waterproofness and heat resistance, anti-adhesion, anti-scratch properties of the coating, and increase the smoothness of the coating; high wear resistance and good extinction effect.

2. The effect of the average particle size of the wax emulsion on the gloss of the coating:

It is generally believed that the greater the change in the particle size of the wax emulsion, the more obvious the gloss effect, and the gloss of the coating is also related to the crystallinity of the wax. The wavelength of visible light is 400-700 nm. When the particle size of the polyethylene wax emulsion is less than 1/2 of the wavelength of visible light, that is, ≤200nm, light diffraction will occur, which can improve the gloss of the coating.

3. Application of wax emulsion in water-based and ink:
Abrasion resistance, smoothness, and scratch resistance After adding water-based ink, the wax emulsion forms a film in the water-based system. During this process, the wax emulsion drifts to the surface of the film and forms a wax protective layer on the film, which reduces the friction coefficient, improves the wear resistance and smoothness of the coating, changes the stress direction of the coating, and improves the scratch resistance of the coating.

The special wax emulsion for ink will migrate to the surface of the ink during the film formation process, evenly disperse, and form a wax protective layer, thereby achieving the effect of improving the surface performance of the ink. With the increase in the amount of wax emulsion added, the wax protective layer formed on the surface of the ink can improve the slipperiness of the paper, reduce the friction coefficient, and significantly reduce the wear of the ink. When the addition amount is greater than 5%, the gaps between the spherical wax particles on the surface are reduced, and the effect of increasing the amount is not obvious.