JP2000086950A - Production of ink and apparatus used for the production - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To extremely improve a production efficiency and to obtain a pigment dispersion having stable, uniform and high qualities by continuously carrying out a flushing process and a baking process by the same one twin-screw extruder. SOLUTION: Supply, kneading and dehydration of a varnish and a paste pigment of a flushing process are continuously carried out by using a twin-screw extruder having a screw passing through from a first to a fifteenth blocks by heating the first to the seventh blocks at 60-100 deg.C and keeping the temperature. The dehydrated mixture is further kneaded in the eighth and ninth blocks at a normal temperature under normal pressure and sent to a tenth block. The mixture is maintained at ordinary temperature under atmospheric pressure in the tenth to the fifteenth blocks and supply of an auxiliary, an additive and a solvent in a mixing process and kneading of the sent mixture are continuously performed. Thus, the flushing process and a baking process are successively carried out and a large amount of a pigment dispersion having stable uniform qualities and a high pigment concentration is obtained in a short time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention belongs to the technical field of a method for producing an ink and an apparatus used for the method, and in particular, a press cake pigment and a varnish are mixed at a predetermined ratio and mixed in the pigment. The present invention belongs to the technical field of a method for producing an ink using a flushing method in which pigment particles are dispersed in a varnish while replacing water to be dispersed with a varnish, and an apparatus used for the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when producing an offset ink, a pigment in a press cake state containing water and a varnish are uniformly mixed at a predetermined ratio for a predetermined time, and a surfactant is added and kneaded. Flushing is performed to disperse the pigment particles in the varnish while replacing the water mixed in the pigment with the varnish, and then the water is replaced by the varnish and separated, and the separated water is subjected to vacuum dehydration and the dewatered ink. A certain amount of an auxiliary agent and a solvent are added to the mixture, and the mixture is uniformly mixed with a three-roll mill, and the components are adjusted to meet a preset quality standard.

[0003] Pigments in a press cake state are commonly called paste pigments, and since they do not agglomerate during production, they have good dispersibility and coloring power, making it possible to finish clear ink. Since such a paste pigment is used, the conventional ink manufacturing method responds to the ink manufacturing by batch processing.

[0004] However, when the batch processing is employed as described above, not only is it necessary to use the same amount or more of equipment according to the processing amount, but also it takes much time and time to flush the varnish and the moisture in the paste pigment. It requires a lot of power. In addition, in the ink manufacturing method by the batch processing, the varnish and the paste pigment for each lot are likely to vary, and the produced ink is easily affected by the variation.

Therefore, an ink manufacturing method which solves such a problem by continuously performing an ink manufacturing process instead of such a batch method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 60-31857. Proposed.

In the ink manufacturing method disclosed in this publication, a pigment in a press cake state and a varnish are mixed by a screw method, the water content of the pigment is replaced and separated by the varnish, and the separated water is subjected to vacuum dehydration. The flushing process is continuous. Due to this continuity, this publication does not require batch processing between operations in the flushing step, and as a result, the above-described problems caused by batch processing can be solved. The above-mentioned publication discloses that a mixing step of adding a certain amount of an auxiliary agent and a solvent to the dehydrated ink as necessary and continuously mixing is also performed.

[0007]

However, in the method for producing ink of this publication, only a twin-screw extruder for continuously performing flushing is described, and the flushing step is continuously performed. Thereafter, if the mixing step is to be continuously performed, a twin-screw extruder for continuously performing the mixing step is required. In other words, when the flushing step and the mixing step are to be performed continuously and continuously, at least two extruders are required, and there is a problem that the equipment becomes large.

[0008] Further, in this conventional method for producing an ink,
For example, since the conditions of ink production such as set temperature and screw shape are different depending on various pigments of different colors, it is necessary to change extruders depending on the pigment used for the ink to be produced. For this reason, not only the work is troublesome and the production efficiency is poor, but also a large number of twin screw extruders is required, not just two.

Further, in this conventional method for producing an ink,
A large-sized vacuum pump is required depending on the throughput, and there is a limit in ensuring the desired removal of water. For this reason,
Since there is a possibility that dehydration may be insufficient, it is necessary to further perform dehydration by performing a baking step after the dehydration treatment. When this baking is performed, since the treatment is performed at a high temperature, there is a high possibility that the pigment is discolored.

In addition, in the flushing step, the processing is performed at different set temperatures in the supply section, the phase change section between the varnish and the pigment, the dehydration section, the baking section, the measuring section and the discharge section. Close temperature control must be performed in each processing part of the flushing process. For this reason, it is practically difficult to stabilize the physical properties of the ink.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform a flushing process with the same twin-screw extruder without changing the machine for other types of pigments. By continuously performing the baking step, it is possible to greatly improve the production efficiency, and to provide an ink manufacturing method capable of stably adjusting the physical properties of the ink and an apparatus used for the manufacturing method. is there.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an ink capable of producing a stable, uniform, high-quality pigment dispersion having a high pigment concentration without changing the properties of the pigment, and a method for producing the same. The provision of the equipment to be used.

[0013]

In order to solve this problem, a method for producing an ink according to the first aspect of the present invention uses a single twin-screw extruder in which a twin-screw is arranged in parallel to form a pigment. And a varnish, and a flushing step of dispersing the pigment in the varnish while replacing the water in the pigment with the varnish, a dehydration step of dehydrating the water in the pigment separated by the substitution with the varnish, and a dehydrated pigment A method for producing an ink comprising a post-treatment step of adding and kneading at least one of an auxiliary agent, an additive, and a solvent to a kneaded product of varnish and a varnish, and adjusting the components, wherein the flushing step and the dehydration step The heat treatment is performed at a constant temperature higher than the normal temperature, and the post-processing step is performed at the normal temperature.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the constant temperature is 60 to 100 ° C. Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 is that, when the kneaded product of the pigment and the varnish shifts from the dehydration step at the constant temperature to the post-treatment step, in the post-treatment step, an auxiliary agent, an additive and a solvent are used. Before the step of adding at least one, a step of kneading the kneaded product of the pigment and the varnish at room temperature is performed.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the shape of the groove of the screw in the supply section of the pigment and varnish and the supply section of at least one of the auxiliary agent, the additive and the solvent is made shallow, and the groove shape in the other part is reduced. The feature is that the groove shape of the screw is deepened so as to be easily mixed with the one supplied in the supply section.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5, the pigment and the varnish are kneaded by using one twin-screw extruder provided with the twin-screw in parallel, and the water in the pigment is replaced with the varnish. A flushing step of dispersing the pigment in the varnish while performing the dehydration, a dehydration step of dehydrating the water in the pigment separated by the replacement with the varnish, and at least one of an auxiliary agent, an additive and a solvent in the kneaded product of the dehydrated pigment and varnish A post-treatment step of adding and kneading the components, adjusting the components, wherein the screw in the supply section of the pigment and the varnish and the supply section of at least one of the auxiliaries, additives and solvents. The groove shape of the screw is made shallower, and the groove shape of the screw in other portions is made deeper, so that it is easy to mix with the one supplied by the supply part.

Furthermore, an ink manufacturing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is an ink manufacturing apparatus equipped with the twin-screw extruder used in the ink manufacturing method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. The groove shape of the screw in the supply portion of the pigment and varnish and the auxiliary agent, in at least one supply portion of the additive and the solvent, the groove shape of the screw is set to a shallow groove, the other portion in the It is characterized in that the groove shape of the screw is set to a deep groove.

[0018]

In the method for producing an ink of the present invention thus constituted, a single twin-screw extruder performs a varnish and pigment supply step, a flushing step, a vacuum dehydration step,
A series of continuous operations are performed up to the post-treatment step of adjusting the components by adding auxiliaries, additives and solvents, and the discharging step of the obtained ink, so that high-quality ink is produced in a short time, that is, at high speed and in large quantities. As a result, production efficiency will increase significantly.

In this case, the processing temperature is maintained at a constant temperature higher than the normal temperature until the dehydration step, and is maintained at the constant normal temperature in the subsequent post-processing step. Becomes easier.

Further, the kneaded product of the pigment and the varnish dehydrated while being heated and maintained at a constant temperature higher than the normal temperature is maintained at the normal temperature in the mixing step and supplies an auxiliary agent, an additive and a solvent. Is not directly transferred to, but once kneaded better in a kneading section maintained at room temperature, and then to a step in which auxiliaries, additives and solvents are supplied. As a result, the mixing process of the post-treatment can be performed smoothly and uniformly, and the auxiliary agent, the additive and the solvent can easily be uniformly mixed with a large amount of the kneaded pigment even if the amount is small. Therefore, a pigment dispersion having a high pigment concentration and a stable and uniform quality can be produced without changing the contents.

Further, in the method and apparatus for producing an ink of the present invention, the pigment and varnish supply unit and the auxiliary agent are provided.
In at least one supply of additives and solvents,
Since the groove of the screw is set shallow, the kneaded material sent by the screw and the material supplied by these supply units are easily mixed. Thereby, the kneading of the varnish and the pigment is performed well and efficiently, and the flushing is completed, and the kneading of the kneaded product of the pigment and the auxiliary agent, the additive and the solvent are performed well and efficiently. As a result, a high quality pigment dispersion is produced.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an embodiment of a method for producing an ink and an apparatus used for the method according to the present invention.

The ink manufacturing apparatus used in the ink manufacturing method of this embodiment employs a single twin-screw extruder in which two screws are juxtaposed. As shown in FIG. The extruder is divided into fifteen blocks (chambers) of first to fifteenth blocks. Although not shown, biaxial screws are respectively installed through these first to fifteenth blocks, and these screws are driven to rotate by a motor M.

The ink manufacturing method using a single twin-screw extruder of this example is roughly divided into a pre-processing flushing step and a post-processing mixing step. That is,
The first to ninth blocks are flushing parts where a flushing step is performed, and the fifth to seventh blocks are vacuum parts where a vacuum dewatering process is performed. The tenth to fifteenth blocks constitute a mixing section in which a mixing step of adjusting the components of the ink by adding an auxiliary agent and a solvent is performed.

An opening is provided in the first block of the flushing section, and a varnish supply line is connected to the opening. The varnish is supplied to the first block by a pump at a constant rate. An opening is also provided in the second block, and a paste pigment supply feeder is connected to the opening. Then, a fixed amount of paste pigment is supplied to the second block by a feeder. Further, both the third and fourth blocks are kneading portions, and the varnish and the paste pigment are transferred to the rear block while being kneaded.

The fifth block of the vacuum section is a decompression section, and is separated from a block in front of the fifth block by a screw sealing mechanism to constitute the vacuum section. An opening is provided in the sixth block, and a vacuum pump is connected to the opening. Then, in the sixth block, the water in the paste pigment separated and replaced by the varnish is vacuum-dewatered by a vacuum pump. Further, the seventh block is a decompression section, and is isolated by a screw sealing mechanism like a block behind it to constitute a vacuum section.

The eighth and ninth blocks of the flushing section are both kneading sections, and after the dehydrated varnish and paste pigment are further kneaded, they are transferred to the rear mixing block. ing.

An opening is also provided in the tenth block of the mixing section, and an auxiliary / additive supply line is connected to this opening. Auxiliary agents and additives are metered into the tenth block by a pump. Further, an opening is provided in the eleventh block, and a solvent supply line is connected to this opening. Then, a fixed amount of the solvent is supplied into the eleventh block by a pump. Furthermore, the twelfth to fourteenth blocks are all kneading units, and include varnishes, paste pigments,
The auxiliary, the additive, and the solvent are transferred to the rear block while being kneaded. Further, the fifteenth block is a discharge unit, and a pigment dispersion having a stable, uniform quality and a high pigment concentration, obtained by the respective processes up to the fourteenth block, is discharged from this discharge unit. Is filled in a predetermined container (not shown).

In the twin-screw extruder of the ink manufacturing apparatus of this example, the groove shapes of the screws in each block are set as follows. In the first, second, tenth, and eleventh blocks, the groove shape of the screw is set to a shallow groove, and in other blocks, the groove shape is set to a deep groove. In that case, as described above, in the fifth block, in order to isolate it from the block before it,
Each block has a deep groove with a seal to isolate it from blocks behind it. The screws of these shallow grooves, deep grooves and deep grooves with seals have the shapes shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, for example.

Further, in the ink manufacturing method of this example, in each of the first to seventh blocks, each process is performed while maintaining the temperature at a constant temperature of 80 ° C. In each step up to the fifteenth block, processing is performed at normal temperature and normal pressure.

In the ink manufacturing method of this embodiment having the above-described structure, the first to seventh blocks of the twin-screw extruder are heated to a constant temperature of 80 ° C., and the first block is first heated to the first block. A predetermined amount of varnish is supplied, and a predetermined amount of paste pigment is supplied in the second block. At this time,
Since the screws of the first and second blocks are shallow grooves, the supplied varnish and the paste pigment are relatively easily mixed evenly. The varnish and paste pigment mixed to some extent in the second block are sent to the third block, and are sufficiently kneaded in the third block and the next fourth block,
Sent to the fifth block. The inside of the fifth to seventh blocks is maintained in a state where the pressure is reduced by being sucked by a vacuum pump. Then, in the fifth and sixth blocks, the moisture in the paste pigment is replaced by varnish and is in a separated state. In the sixth block, the moisture is vacuum-dehydrated by a vacuum pump.

Next, the kneaded product of the dehydrated varnish and pigment is processed in the eighth to fifteenth blocks maintained at normal temperature and normal pressure. That is, first, the kneaded material is sent from the seventh block to the eighth block, and
It is kneaded better with a block. Then, it is sent to the 10th block, and in this 10th block, the same auxiliaries and additives as in the case of the conventional ink production are supplied in predetermined amounts, respectively. A predetermined amount of the same solvent is supplied. As described above, the kneaded material placed in a state of being heated and maintained at 80 ° C.
Instead of directly moving from the seventh block to the tenth block where the auxiliaries and additives maintained at normal temperature and normal pressure are supplied,
The process moves to the tenth block through the eighth and ninth blocks maintained at normal temperature and normal pressure. That is, the kneaded product of the varnish and the pigment dehydrated in the eighth and ninth blocks is further kneaded, and preparations are made for the subsequent kneading with auxiliaries, additives and solvents. As a result, the flushing is completely performed, so that the processes after the tenth block are smoothly and uniformly performed.

The kneaded material sent from the ninth block is supplied with a predetermined amount of an auxiliary and an additive in the tenth block, and is supplied with a predetermined amount of a solvent in the eleventh block. At this time, since the screws of the tenth and eleventh blocks are shallow grooves, the supplied kneaded material and the supplied auxiliary agent, additive, and solvent are relatively easily mixed evenly. Further, the kneaded material mixed to some extent in the tenth and eleventh blocks is sent to the twelfth block, and is sufficiently kneaded in the twelfth block and the subsequent thirteenth and fourteenth blocks at normal temperature and normal pressure.

At this time, complete flushing is performed through the eighth and ninth blocks, so that the kneaded material is re-uniformized in the twelfth and fourteenth blocks, and a small amount of auxiliaries, additives, and solvents are used. Are easily kneaded uniformly in the kneaded material of a large amount of pigment, so that these are kneaded efficiently,
A pigment dispersion having a stable and uniform quality and a high pigment concentration can be obtained. The obtained pigment dispersion is discharged as an ink from the fifteenth block under normal temperature and normal pressure, and filled in a predetermined container.

As described above, according to the ink manufacturing method and apparatus of this example, a single twin-screw extruder using a twin-screw system is used to perform a series of steps from the pre-processing flushing step to the post-processing mixing step. , The high-quality ink can be manufactured in a large amount in a short time, and the production efficiency can be greatly increased.

In this case, the set conditions at the time of performing the processing are set to a constant temperature of 80 ° C. up to the dehydrating portion, and to a constant normal temperature and normal pressure in each subsequent processing portion. Simple and temperature control simple.

Further, since the groove shape of the screw is set to be shallow in the first and second blocks which are the varnish and paste pigment supply sections, the varnish and the paste pigment are easily mixed, and the kneading of these is good. And efficiently. This makes the flushing more complete. Furthermore, in the 10th and 11th blocks, which are the auxiliary, additive and solvent supply sections, the screw groove shape is set to be shallow, so that the kneaded pigment and the auxiliary, additive and solvent are mixed. The kneading can be performed satisfactorily and efficiently. Thereby, a uniform high-quality pigment dispersion can be manufactured.

Further, the kneaded material kept at a constant temperature of 80 ° C. is not directly transferred to the tenth block to which the auxiliary and additives kept at normal temperature and normal pressure are supplied. Since the process is shifted to the tenth block via the eighth and ninth blocks maintained at normal temperature and normal pressure, the mixing process of the post-processing after the tenth block can be performed smoothly and uniformly. This makes it easy to mix even a small amount of the auxiliaries, additives and solvents into a large amount of the kneaded product of the pigment, so that a pigment dispersion having a stable and uniform quality and a high pigment concentration can be obtained.

In addition, since the dewatering process is performed efficiently in the flushing process, the conventional baking process is not required, the number of processes can be reduced, and a change in the properties of the pigment due to the baking process at a high temperature can be prevented. Thus, a uniform quality pigment dispersion can be obtained.

In the above-described example, the set temperature in the flushing step is set to 80 ° C., but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be set to any temperature in the range of 60 ° C. to 100 ° C. it can. In that case, a slight temperature change when automatically controlling to keep the temperature at a constant temperature,
Needless to say, the heating is maintained at a constant temperature.

Also, the varnish and the paste pigment are supplied separately in the first and second blocks.
You may make it supply the paste pigment to which the varnish adhered beforehand. In that case, the first block is omitted.

[0042]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink manufacturing method of the present invention, all the steps of ink manufacturing are performed by a single twin-screw extruder in a series of continuous operations. Therefore, high-quality ink can be manufactured in a large amount in a short time, and the production efficiency can be greatly increased.

Further, since the processing temperature in the ink production is maintained at a constant temperature higher than the normal temperature until the dehydration processing section in the flushing step, and is maintained at a constant normal temperature in each of the subsequent processing sections, the temperature control is maintained. It is simple and temperature control can be facilitated.

Further, the kneaded product of the pigment and the varnish, which is kept at a constant temperature higher than the normal temperature and heated and dehydrated, is once kneaded at a normal temperature, and then mixed with an auxiliary agent and an additive for the mixing step. And the process is shifted to the processing section to which the solvent is supplied, so that the flushing can be completed completely, and the subsequent processes in the mixing step can be performed smoothly and uniformly, and Even a small amount of a substance and a solvent can be easily mixed uniformly with a large amount of a kneaded pigment. Therefore, a pigment dispersion having a stable and uniform quality and a high pigment concentration can be produced.

Further, according to the ink manufacturing method and the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the screw groove in the supply section of the pigment and the varnish and the supply section of at least one of the auxiliary agent, the additive and the solvent are set to be shallow, Since it is easy to mix the kneaded material sent by the screw and the material supplied in these supply units, kneading of the varnish and the pigment can be performed well and efficiently, and the kneaded material of the pigment And the auxiliary, additive, and solvent can be satisfactorily and efficiently kneaded, and a high-quality pigment dispersion can be reliably produced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an embodiment of a method for producing an ink and an apparatus used for the method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a screw having a shallow groove used in the apparatus for manufacturing ink of the example shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a deep groove screw used in the ink manufacturing apparatus of the example shown in FIG. 1;

4 is a perspective view showing a screw having a deep groove with a seal, which is used in the ink manufacturing apparatus of the example shown in FIG. 1;

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A pigment and a varnish are kneaded using one twin-screw extruder in which a twin screw is juxtaposed, and the pigment is introduced into the varnish while replacing the water in the pigment with the varnish. A flushing step of dispersing, a dehydration step of dehydrating water in the pigment separated by replacement with a varnish, and a kneaded product of the dehydrated pigment and the varnish, kneading by adding at least one of an additive, an additive and a solvent, A method for producing an ink comprising a post-treatment step of adjusting components, wherein the flushing step and the dehydration step are performed while being heated and held at a constant temperature higher than room temperature, and the post-treatment step is performed at room temperature. Characteristic ink manufacturing method. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the constant temperature is 60 to 100 ° C. 3. When the kneaded product of a pigment and a varnish shifts from the dehydration step at the constant temperature to the post-treatment step, in the post-treatment step, at least one of an auxiliary agent, an additive, and a solvent is used. 3. The method for producing an ink according to claim 1, wherein a step of kneading the kneaded product of the pigment and the varnish at room temperature is performed before the adding step. 4. The groove shape of the screw in the supply portion of the pigment and the varnish and the supply portion of at least one of the auxiliary agent, the additive, and the solvent is made shallow, and the groove shape of the screw in other portions is made deep. The method for producing an ink according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ink is easily mixed with the ink supplied in the supply unit. 5. A pigment and a varnish are kneaded by using a single twin-screw extruder in which a twin-screw is juxtaposed, and the pigment is introduced into the varnish while replacing moisture in the pigment with the varnish. A flushing step of dispersing, a dehydration step of dehydrating water in the pigment separated by replacement with a varnish, and a kneaded product of the dehydrated pigment and the varnish, kneading by adding at least one of an additive, an additive and a solvent, A method for producing an ink comprising a post-treatment step of adjusting components, comprising: a supply section for the pigment and varnish and at least one supply section for the auxiliary agent, the additive, and the solvent; A method for producing an ink, wherein the groove shape of the screw in another part is deepened so as to be easily mixed with the one supplied in the supply part. 6. An ink producing apparatus comprising the twin-screw extruder used in the method for producing an ink according to claim 1, wherein the screw and the varnish are supplied in a supply section of the pigment and varnish. Groove shape and at least one of the auxiliaries, additives and solvents
An ink manufacturing apparatus, wherein the groove shape of the screw in one supply unit is set to a shallow groove, and the groove shape of the screw in another portion is set to a deep groove.