| Teca-Print USA, a global leader in the development of
the pad printing process, has developed a line of ink specially formulated for the rigors
of pad printing. Until now, industrial users of pad printing equipment relied upon the
chemistry of ink that had been formatted for the silk-screen process. Minor modifications
to the silk-screen "recipe" intended to enhance the inks’ performance for
pad printing left the ink lacking in the areas of opacity, drying time and general user
friendliness.
With the introduction of the new Teca-Print Color Inks, pad
printers now have an alternative. Our objective in designing these inks was to consider
the needs of the user... not simply the ease of ink manufacturing. The many benefits of
the Teca-Print Color ink series include:
- A pigmentation system that colors the ink with a heavier concentration of pure pigments,
yielding unsurpassed levels of opacity. In most cases, applications that previously
required two print transfers to achieve acceptable opacity (i.e., white ink on black
substrates) are now satisfied with a single "hit".
- Scientifically formulated chemical components which result in much faster drying and
curing cycles. Current inks often require up to fifteen days to achieve full cure. The TPC
two component inks dry to the touch in seconds and cure within two to three days at
ambient temperatures. By adding an oven drying cycle, full cure is achieved as fast as
twenty-four hours. No more waiting to test permanence of the imprint on your product. Each
color within the series possesses identical rheologic properties and "starting
viscosity". This feature results in consistent processes from color to color. In many
cases, we have also reduced the odor level normally associated with screening inks.
- The durability of these inks (when properly cured) is unprecedented. Both the one and
two component inks display resistance to chemicals and mechanical abrasion that quickly
outpace competitive ink. Properly cured ink, even on usually difficult materials such as
nylon, resists a wide range or solvents including MEK. We have also developed resins with
extraordinary light fastness properties for outdoor applications. All of these gains have
been achieved while increasing the working pot life of the two component ink to a minimum
of eight hours.
- The color matching system used with the Teca-Print Color series uses thirteen
monopigmented base colors which allow for very accurate color matches. Using wet samples,
"draw-downs", or by referring to a number from one of the standard industry
matching systems, we can custom match any color with the truest of hues. Our
computer-based matching process allows for custom color matches with a very short delivery
lead-time.
These obvious advancements make the new Teca-Print Color series of
pad printing ink an opportunity that users of pad printing systems simply cannot afford to
miss.
Technical information, samples and application assistance are
available by calling Teca-Print USA’s Massachusetts headquarters at (978) 667-8655 or
by completing the information on the "Talk
to Teca-Print" page.
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