WO2017178876A1

WO2017178876A1 - Water-based ink composition for sublimation in fabrics of natural origin, such as cotton

Info

Publication number: WO2017178876A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/056598
Authority: WO
Inventors: Julio Alberto ALVAREZ PEREZ
Original assignee: Sumiprint Quimica Y Color S.A.S.
Priority date: 2016-04-12
Filing date: 2016-11-02
Publication date: 2017-10-19

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water-based ink specially designed to be applied on cotton fabrics, preferably on dark fabrics or mixtures thereof, allowing the production of an effect of corrosion of the colouring agent of the textile substrate once the fabric has been thermofixed, and allowing the etching of various motifs onto the discharged area by means of sublimation. Thus, the main advantage of the technology of the present invention is that it allows very brightly coloured stamps in a large variety of hues to be obtained, on dark backgrounds of fabrics with natural fibres, such as cotton. The present invention consists of a ink which, when mixed with corrosive agents and applied on the substrates, degrades the colouring agents present in said substrates, producing a bleached area onto which prints made with sublimation inks can be transferred.

Description

COMPOSITION OF WATER BASED INK FOR SUBLIMATION IN FABRICS OF NATURAL ORIGIN, SUCH AS COTTON

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of textile printing and relates to a water-based ink specially designed to be applied on cotton fabrics, preferably in dark fabrics, or mixtures thereof, allowing to obtain a corrosion effect of the textile substrate dye. Once it has been heat set, and on the discharge record different designs by sublimation. Thus, the main advantage of the technique of the present invention is that it allows to obtain prints of very bright colors and in a great variety of shades, in dark backgrounds of fabrics with natural fibers, such as cotton. The present invention then consists of an ink which, when mixed with corrosion agents and applied on the mentioned substrates, degrades the dyes present therein, resulting in a discoloration, on which prints made with sublimation inks can be transferred.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present, the fabric printing process can be carried out by means of many techniques, such as digital printing, inkjet, sublimation, etc., where mainly the fabrics that are printed or sublimated are those of light colors, preferably white and in fabrics that are not of natural origin, since the fabric of the natural fabrics makes the process of the union of the ink to the fabric more complicated and specialized machines are required to perform this process, a fact that limits its application.

Thus, in the state of the art there is a plurality of disclosures related to this type of compositions that correspond to water-based inks, within which is JPS 62290772 which teaches an ink composition for printing to the which incorporates a predetermined amount of an alkylene glycol alkyl ether, where the composition is obtained by mixing as a essential component a coloring agent, a water-based binder (for example, a styrene / acrylic copolymer resin or a styrene copolymer resin / maleic acid), and a compound of the formula (I), wherein R1 and R2 are each C4-8 alkyl; R3 is H or methyl; N is 1 -4, in an amount of 0.1 to 10% by weight based on the water-based composition. This component includes ethylene glycol dibutyl ether and ethylene glycol butylhexyl ether. Thus, this ink composition provides a high quality print that has a uniform film even when using a low permeability paper, such as a coated paper. Another disclosure related to the type of target inks is found in JPH 09157563, which is related to a water based ink which is prepared by mixing an ink with a copolymer (C) of a monomer (A) having an HLB (hydrophilic / hydrophobic balance) of 3 or less with a monomer (B) having an HLB of 5 or more. Examples of component A include styrene, ethylene, propylene, and phenyl vinyl ether, while examples of component B include p-carboxystyrene and (meth) acrylic acid. Component C is particularly a polymer represented by formula I, wherein X is H, a C1-6 hydrocarbon group; Y is H or methyl; Z is carboxyl, an acyl or an aryl; (m) and (n) are each 1 or greater; and m / n is 1/10 to 10/1, more desirably a polymer represented by formula II, where (m) and (n) are each 1 or more, and m / n is 1/1. The molecular weight of this copolymer is desirably 2500 to 5000.

On the other hand, there is JP 2002200844 which discloses a film material for printing which shows good printing properties, especially in jet printing, where this film material has an ink receiving layer, formed on a base textile fiber, which contains 100 pts of water-insoluble resin mass (a urethane resin, an acrylic resin and / or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin), 10 to 150 pts of mass of an organic pigment particle and / or inorganic with an average particle diameter of 1 to 10 μιη and 5 to 40 pts of mass of one polymer containing an oxazoline group, with a mass ratio between the ink receiving layer and a composite film body of 5 to 25%.

Likewise, document WO 2009024640 is related to a curable ink useful for inkjet or screen printing, which has a surface tension between 30 and 55 mN / m and a viscosity between 10 cps and 35 cps and because it comprises the following elements: water without or with an organic solvent as a vehicle, a dye and / or pigment dissolved in water, a UV-curing film-forming resin, between 20-50% of the weight of the ink, one or more monomer as a film softener and diluent, a photoinitiator and a dispersant and / or surfactant, optionally in the case of a screen printing ink, a thickener.

Finally, there is document CN 104628989, which relates to an aqueous jet ink for a cotton cloth and its manufacturing method, wherein the ink is a modified chitosan polyurethane emulsion which is prepared from the following materials in parts by weight: 15-22 parts of diisocyanate, 51-66 parts of polyhydric alcohols and 2-6 parts of carboxylic hydrophilic monomer, 10-20 parts of polyglycerol, 0.5-4 parts of a salification aid to obtain a polyurethane prepolymer, 135-180 parts of deionized water per 100 parts of the polyurethane prepolymer. From the information disclosed in the documents of the state of the art, it can be clearly seen that there is a main problem related to the printing of fabrics of natural origin, such as cotton, and the possibility of carrying out a sublimation process in fabrics they have a dark color, that is, they are not white or light but instead are dark and therefore, printing on them is not facilitated.

In addition to the above, in the existing disclosures the problem arises that the inks or compositions must be printed with a jet system or similar, a fact that requires expensive equipment and does not guarantee that the color will be printed properly in dark background fabrics, since it is known that in light fabrics a good result can be obtained, but at present there are no color prints, unless this is done with techniques other than sublimation.

According to the above, it is clear that there is a need in the state of the art for planting and obtaining a composition that corresponds to a water-based ink, which allows the printing or sublimation of dark fabrics, always guaranteeing the obtaining of a adequate printing of very high quality, without the need for additional processes or expensive machines, where said ink is suitable for use in natural fabrics, such as cotton or the like. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the field of textile printing, particularly it is directed to the techniques of digital printing and sublimation transfer on textile substrates not suitable for them under conventional conditions, such as natural and artificial fibers (cotton). , viscose) of dark tones. Thus, the invention consists of an ink which, when mixed with corrosion agents and applied on the mentioned substrates, degrades the dyes present therein, resulting in a discoloration, on which prints made with sublimation inks can be transferred.

Thus, the ink defined in the present invention solves the need for sublimation transfer on dark cotton fabrics, since the chemistry of this fiber does not allow the dyes characteristic of sublimation inks to anchor properly and the dark tone of the substrate does not allow to appreciate the effect of said dyes.

Additionally, the present invention is based on an ink based on acrylic-ethylenic co-polymers, some glycol type solvents and metal catalysts, which, when mixed with a corrosion agent, allow the degradation of dyes of the fabrics and receive the dyes from the sublimation process, which allows sublimation in substrates with fibers not suitable for conventional sublimation techniques and in colors where direct sublimation is not applicable. In addition, it also allows to obtain the color and resolution of the designs that only allows digital printing.

In one embodiment, the present invention is also directed to a process for the application of the previously defined ink, which consists of mixing a corrosion agent (corrodent) in a ratio ranging from 5 to 10% with respect to the total of the ink, and print the previous mixture on cotton fabrics or other natural or synthetic substrates or blends, of dark color, using silk screen printing. Then, heat is applied to the patterned area, approximately 1 to 2 minutes at a temperature between 170 and 180 ° C, where this process can be carried out both in drying ovens for textile garments and in pressure machines designed for the same purpose. As a result of the application of heat mentioned above, a degradation of the color of the textile substrate is generated with the ability to receive sublimation dyes that are printed on a special sublimation paper. For the printing of the inks you can use either the digital printing technique or the screen printing on paper. The application ends when the transfer process is carried out, which consists of placing the sublimation paper on the area of the fabric that was previously "corroded", arranging the printed side on the discolored area and providing heat and pressure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a chemical composition corresponding to a water-based ink for the textile printing process by screen printing, specially designed so that when it is printed on cotton fabrics or their mixtures sublimation processes can be made thereon, achieving intense tones, soft touches and a great variety of sublimation tones.

The ink of the present invention allows to obtain a corrosion effect of the dye of the textile substrate once it has been thermo-fixed, and also allows on the discharge to record different designs by sublimation, with which it is possible to obtain prints of very vivid colors and in a great variety of shades, in dark backgrounds of fabrics with natural fibers.

When printing natural fiber fabrics, such as cotton, there are problems when working with dark colored fabrics, particularly black since it is not easy to achieve effects and shades on these fabrics when using designs of different colors or shades. The present invention allows not only to improve the quality of printing on fabrics of natural fibers of dark colors, but also allows to obtain a very high print quality at a low cost.

The present application teaches a formulation for effecting color corrosion on the fabric, as well as a method for applying said composition and carrying out an impression on the fabric by means of the screen printing technique. The above is achieved by combining the printing ink with a corrosion agent that eliminates the dark color of the natural fiber fabric, facilitating the fixation of the printing inks and improving the display and quality of the printed designs.

In accordance with the present invention, a water-based composition comprising ethylene acrylic copolymer, urea and / or derivatives thereof, primary, secondary and tertiary amines, silicone fluids, glycols or glycerins, water, preservatives, thickeners is described. acrylic or associative or mixtures thereof, zinc salts or their oxides, silicas and optical brighteners. In one embodiment of the present invention, the ethylene acrylic copolymer contains 15% to 35% ethylene. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the formulation is essentially free of phthalates and heavy metals. In another embodiment of the invention the composition comprises from 30% to 60% of ethylene acrylic copolymer, from 2% to 10% urea and / or derivatives thereof, from 0.2 to 4% of primary, secondary and / or tertiary amines, from 0.5% to 4% of silicone fluids, 5% to 25% glycols or glycerins, 10% to 30% water, 1.0% to 0.6% preservatives, 3% to 7% acrylic thickeners or associative thickeners or mixtures thereof , from 0 to 5% of zinc salts and / or zinc oxides, from 2% to 6% of silicas and from 0 to 3% of optical brighteners.

According to the printing process disclosed by the present application, the water-based ink composition is mixed with the printing ink, this mixture is then applied on a silk and then transferred to the substrate or the cotton fabric that is You want to discolor. The process of transferring the ink from the silk to the fabric to be discolored is carried out by heat, for a short time in equipment commonly used for these processes, such as drying ovens for textile garments or pressure machines. Once the application time has passed, a fabric is obtained in which a degradation of the color has been achieved to almost white tones where dyes can then be applied by sublimation transferred from a special paper for this process.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the water-based composition of the present invention is mixed with printing ink in an amount of up to 10% by weight with respect to the tub; in a preferred embodiment of the invention The water-based composition of the present invention is mixed with the printing ink in an amount of 5% to 10% by weight relative to the ink. This mixture of ink and composition is used to create a pattern or design on a silk which is then transferred by means of the screen printing technique to the fabric to be discolored. This mixture of the water-based composition and the printing ink should be mixed, allowed to stand for about 15 minutes and then mixed again before use.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the design is transferred to the area to be stamped at a temperature between 170 ° C and 180 ° C for a time between 1 and 2 minutes. Once the bleaching process is finished the fabric is passed to a sublimation stage, in which the same bleaching pattern has been printed on a sublimation paper specially developed for this process. This stage of discoloration should preferably be carried out on very dark or black fabrics to avoid excessive discoloration, which would require the need to make an accurate design registration.

Said paper is placed in a sublimator together with the fabric and the patterns are made to coincide, after which by heat the sublimation of the colors from the paper to the fabric is achieved, achieving the effect of color printing on the discolored area of the cloth. In an embodiment of the present invention the Sublimation process is carried out at a temperature of up to 200 ° C and a pressure between 310 kPa to 413 kPa.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the coloring pattern can be applied to the sublimation paper by techniques widely known to those skilled in the art, such as screen printing or digital printing.

Claims

one . A water-based composition for bleaching natural fiber fabrics characterized in that it comprises:

- ethylene acrylic copolymer;

- urea and / or derivatives thereof;

- primary, secondary and tertiary amines;

- silicone fluids;

- glycols or glycerins;

- Water;

- preservatives;

- acrylic or associative thickeners or mixtures thereof;

- zinc salts or their oxides;

- silicas; Y

- optical brighteners,

2. The composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises:

- from 30% to 60% ethylene acrylic copolymer;

- from 2% to 10% of urea and / or derivatives thereof;

- 0.2 to 4% of primary, secondary and / or tertiary amines;

- from 0.5% to 4% silicone fluids; - from 5% to 25% glycols or glycerins;

- from 10% to 30% water;

- from 1.0% to 0.6% of preservatives;

- from 3% to 7% of acrylic thickeners or associative thickeners or mixtures thereof;

- from 0 to 5% zinc salts and / or zinc oxides;

- from 2% to 6% of silicas; Y

- 0 to 3% optical brighteners

3. A process for bleaching and printing a natural fiber cloth using the composition according to any of claims 1 or 2, which consists of the steps of:

a) mixing the water-based composition with printing ink;

b) create a desired pattern using the mixture from step a) on a closed silk;

c) transfer the pattern of step b) to the natural fiber fabric to be discolored;

d) print in color inks the same pattern from step b) on a sublimation paper to transfer it to the discolored fabric;

e) contacting the sublimation paper that the pattern has with the fabric in the area where the mixture from step a) was applied; f) transfer the pattern of step d) to the fabric by applying heat and pressure.

The process according to claim 3, wherein the mixture of step a) comprises up to 10% by weight of the water-based composition.

The process according to claim 4, wherein the mixture of step a) comprises from 5% to 10% by weight of the water-based composition.

The process according to any of claims 3 or 4, wherein the mixture from step a) must be allowed to stand for 15 minutes before mixing again.

The process according to claim 3, wherein the transfer of the pattern of step c) is performed by the screen printing technique.

The process according to claim 6, wherein the transfer of the standard is carried out at a temperature between 170 ° C and 180 ° C for a time of 1 to 2 minutes.

9. The process according to claim 3, wherein step e) is carried out at a temperature of 200 ° C and a pressure between 310 kPa and 413 kPa.

10. The process according to any of claims 3 to 9, wherein the fabric is made of cotton or fabrics comprising mainly cotton.

eleven . The process according to claim 10, wherein the fabric must be dark or black in color.