Hardener – Printcolor HDa

Printcolor HDa is a reactive hardener system developed for long term outdoor and demanding applications used with screen print inks on plastics and metals.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor HDa hardener is based on aliphatic components that combine the characteristics of high chemical resistance and extremely good abrasion resistance. It is based on a highly reactive bonding compound that produces an extremely durable cured ink layer with high chemical and mechanical resistance.

Printcolor HDa is engineered for UV stability and to be yellowing-free even after prolonged outdoor exposure. HDa produces a glossy cured link layer that is highly flexible, allowing it to bend with flexible substrates without becoming brittle. Printcolor HDa can be used with most solvent screen printing inks. However, to take full advantage of the UV stability and flexibility possible with HDa the best ink partners are screen printing Series 640, Series 650, Series 660, Series 658 and Series 665.  Refer to the Technical Information and HDa MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Printcolor HDa
The unique chemical cross-linking that gives HDa it’s flexibility and outdoor stability takes more time or temperature to reach full cured hardness compared with HDi hardener. This may present handling issues for high throughput applications such as industrial / large scale applications. For commercial printers longer curing may simply mean slowing or increasing temperature in drying tunnels – especially during cooler months.

An advantage of the slightly longer curing times is increased pot life. Ink mixed with HDa has an average pot life of 6-8 hours (and often longer) depending on your ink type and ambient conditions. Printcolor HDa requires temperatures above 15 degrees C for chemical crosslinking to take place, ideal curing conditions are at room temperature – 20 degrees or higher. You can increase print durability and reduce curing time by oven baking the printed product. Mixing ratios of ink to HDa will vary with the on ink series your using and your end application, these are listed in the technical leaflets and on ink can labels.

The good oil from our trade print room

• We always use HDa when printing with Series 660 as it’s a flexible ink and requires a flexible hardener.
• HDa is specifically formulated for two characteristics; UV stability for long term outdoor use, and an elastic cured ink layer useful on flexible substrates like leather, textiles or PP / PE drink bottles for example.
• Hardener going ‘off’ in the can is a complaint we hear made of all brands. We guarantee if you routinely clean the spout and replace the cap properly after each pour, you will get full use of your can of HDa right down to the very last drop – we do.
• DON’T use more hardener than the recommended amount. If you overdose ink with hardener you’ll lengthen curing time and risk reducing print adhesion and durability.
• You cannot use HDa with metallic gold in some ink Series.  The cooper in gold metallics reacts with HDa and acts as a catalyst for the hardener, giving you about 20 minutes of pot life. If you need to use HDa for a gold print, we have mixing recipes based on metallic silver that will produce a stunning gold ink fully compatible with HDa hardener.
• We prefer to use HDa (rather than HDi) in summer months to extend ink pot life in hot and humid working conditions.

Hardener – Printcolor HDi

Printcolor HDi is a highly reactive hardener system developed for indoor applications for use with pad and screen printing inks on plastics and metals.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor HDi hardener is formulated for industrial/commercial printing applications intended for indoor use. It is based on a highly reactive bonding compound that produces an extremely durable cured ink layer with high chemical and mechanical resistance.

Ideal ink partners for 700 HDi hardener are Printcolor two component screen ink Series 630 and Series 650. HDi can also be added to single component screen inks to increase print durability. Refer to the Technical Information and HDi MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Printcolor HDi hardener
Printcolor HDi is a universal hardener designed to perform with all Printcolor solvent screem and pad print inks. It’s quiet a reactive hardener which means printing will cure reasonably quickly making it ideal for fast throughput applications and tight print-to-pack turnarounds. Mixing ratios of ink to HDi will vary with the on ink series your using and your end application, these are listed in the technical leaflets and on ink can labels.

Ink mixed with HDi has an average pot life of 4-8 hours depending on your ink type and ambient conditions. Printcolor HDi produces a rigid ink layer best suited to hard surfaces such as plastics and metals as it may crack if flexed or applied to soft materials (See Printcolor HDa for flexible applications). HDi requires temperatures above 10 degrees C for chemical bonding to take place, ideal curing conditions are at room temperature – 20 degrees or higher. You can increase print durability and reduce curing time by applying heat to the printed product using a drying tunnel or oven.

The good oil from our trade print room

• We use Printcolor HDi a lot and are always confident that it will deliver consistent and predictable adhesion results.
• HDi is intended for internal/indoor print applications and, due to its chemical composition, will tend to go chalky and yellow when subjected to UV from long-term outdoor exposed.
• When curing at room temperature, we generally pack and ship the next day. Curing time can be reduced by increasing temperature either by baking or use of a heat drying tunnel.
• Its high reactivity facilitates fast print curing, it also means that if you don’t replace the cap after use you’ll reduce the shelf life of your HDi considerably. Hardener going ‘off’ in the can is a complaint we hear made of all brands, but I guarantee if you routinely clean the spout and replace the cap properly after each pour, you will get full use of your can of HDi right down to the very last drop – we do.
• DON’T use more hardener than the recommended amount. If you overdose with hardener you will lengthen curing time and risk reducing print adhesion and durability.

Primer – 10-PP Wipe Primer for Polypropylene

Printcolor 10-PP chemical wipe primer to promote pad and screen ink adhesion on untreated Polypropylene.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor Series 10-PP is a chemical wipe primer for use on polypropylene (PP) to achieve adhesion of pad and screen printing inks. It is an effective and inexpensive method of treating short run jobs, or items that are difficult to pretreat by corona or flame. 10-PP primer can be used in combination with Printcolor screen printing ink Series 630, Series 640, Series 650 and Series 665 and with pad printing ink Series 750, Series 752, Series 754 and Series 784. Ink should be mixed with the thinner and hardener ratio described in the relevant technical data sheets.

Printcolor 10-PP chemical primer is receptive to printing for days, months and years after application provided the dried primer film is stable. While it will not loose its priming effect over time, it is recommended that parts are printed within a few days of treatment in order to avoid damage to the primer film by chemicals or mechanical abrasion. The primed plastic can be printed as soon as the solvent carrier has evaporated from the primer, leaving a dry film. 10-PP is formulated with a fast solvent so your part can be printed within seconds of being primed.  Refer to the Technical Information and 10-PP MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Printcolor 10-PP
Printcolor 10-PP is a convenient method of treating short run PP jobs, pre-filled product containers, bulky items or those with irregular surfaces that make flame and corona treatment difficult. It is also an excellent option for high gloss dark plastics that tend to mark or cloud from corona and flame treatment. 10-PP is simply wiped on to the product surface and allowed to dry before printing. 10-PP primer does not alter the plastic or the ink, but leaves a thin film of chlorinated resin on the surface with which the ink can chemically bond, creating an adhesion bridge between the PP surface and ink.

Other brands of primers are based on volatile solvents that evaporate quickly, forcing you to soak your priming cloth frequently during application. This not only creates fumes an slows production but uses a lot of solution, and that cost you money. Printcolor 10-PP is formulated on milder solvents with a moderate rate of evaporation making it easy to use, while allowing a rapid prime and print cycle.

Printcolor 10-PP will not change the appearance of the cured ink, nor is the primer visible on the surface of the product once it has dried. Printcolor 700-PP does not work with polyethylene (PE) and may produce varied results on plastics containing high quantities of fillers and/or recycled content, or slip agents. We recommend testing prior to production to confirm adhesion performance on your product.

The good oil from our trade print room

• We always carry out and ink test on new products before print production, even those with the recycle symbol ‘5 PP’.
• 10-PP should be applied as a thin film using a soft cloth soaked with primer and wiped across the print area.
• If you clean a misprint from the product, you will need to re-apply 10-PP to the plastic.
• We are happy to carry out ink tests on your product for you so you can sure 10-PP works before you buy it!

Retarder – 018 Medium

Printcolor 018 is a medium retarder for screen and pad print inks.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor 018 is medium retarder suitable for use in all Printcolor screen and pad solvent inks. Evaporation time of the whole system can be slowed by adding 018 retarder. Retarder slows evaportation time of the system, lengthening working time of the print cycle and better release from the screen when operating under extreme operational conditions (elevated heat or humidity for example). Printcolor 018 is formulated from solvents chosen to minimise chemical attack on squeegee. Its gentle wear on urethane blades  will extend squeegee life and performance.

Retarding evaporation will assist to keep screens open but may lengthens touch-dry time on the substrate, for this reason adding more than 10% of Printcolor 018 (by weight) is not advisable under normal printing conditions. In such cases a combined use of thinners and retarders is the best way to optimise ink flow and transfer.

What we say about Printcolor 018 retarder
It is not a paint thinner, nor is it a generic slow thinner. Printcolor 018 is specifically formulated to retard ink used for pad and screen printing applications. Printcolor 018 retarder is Quality Assured to ISO 9002 Standards and offers the best value for money on the market.

Printcolor 700-018 is a universal retarder for pad and screen printing inks used to slow evaporation of solvent from the ink layer where more working time required. A maximum addition of 10% by weight is recommended, over dosing with retarder may cause printing problems and inhibit hardener curing. 700-018 is best combined with 017 medium to achieve correct ink consistency for printing.

Available in 1L cans.

The good oil from our trade print room

• Adding small amounts of 700-018 is useful where the ink drys too quickly, closing in the screen. This can be an issue in process colour screens and half tone prints, images with very fine detail or when using a fine mesh screen.
• Used in combination with Printcolor 017 thinner, small additions of 700-018 will help control drying speed of faster ink types without having to thin them to a watery consistency.