The Effect of Inkjet Ink Composition on Rheology And Jetting Behaviour

This proceeding describes the development of two apparatus used to characterise ink-jet fluids. In term of Linear Viscoelasticity (LVE), the recently developed Piezo Axial Vibrator (PAV) was used to characterize the high frequency response of model ink-jet fluids. Two series of model ink-jet fluids were investigated. The first series was a mixture of diethyl phthalate and mono-disperse poly(styrene) and the second series examined the influence of dispersant and pigment on a commercial UV carrier fluid (varnish). Both the polymer and pigment loaded fluids showed a development of LVE with increasing concentration. A filament stretching apparatus, called the “Cambridge Trimaster” was used to characterize the fluids high speed stretching and break-up behaviour. Examples of the apparatus response for polymer solutions are given. Both apparatus provide valuable data in relation to the coupling of ink-jet rheology and jetting properties.