Application of water-based waxes in the ink industry

Wax is a commonly used coating ink additives, the main role of water-based wax in the ink coating to mention now scratch resistance, anti-caking, improve hydrophobicity, improve the feel, etc.

In the solvent-based system, the most commonly used varieties are micronized waxes, whose material types are generally polyethylene wax and pe PTFE wax, which mainly play the role of scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, and also have the characteristics of improving the feel, anti-adhesion, anti-stickiness and water resistance. Another important type is solvent-based wax paste, whose material type is generally amide wax, polyethylene oxide wax and water-based wax. The main role of amide wax and polyethylene oxide wax paste is rheology control such as anti-sink and anti-sag.

In waterborne coating systems, waterborne waxes are mainly used as additives in the form of solid waterborne micronized waxes and liquid wax emulsions and waterborne wax dispersions.

The main advantage of aqueous micronized waxes is that they do not contain emulsifiers and have no effect on the water resistance of the coating ink after film formation. The disadvantage is that the dispersion in aqueous systems requires high technical conditions and the ease of application is poor.

The advantage of wax emulsion and wax dispersion is that they are easy to use, with many specifications and a wide range of options, but the disadvantage is that the ph value and ionicity of the water-based resin system must be fully considered.