US-12617227-B2 - Methods of water transfer printing

US12617227B2US 12617227 B2US12617227 B2US 12617227B2US-12617227-B2

Abstract

A method of water transfer printing is provided. The method including the following operations. A water transfer printing film is received. An information body is transferred to a printing substrate without use of an organic solvent-containing activator prior to transferring the information body. The water transfer printing film includes a superabsorbent film, a water-based resin layer on the superabsorbent film, the water-based resin layer, and the information body on the water-based resin layer. The information body includes a water-based colorant and a water-based resin.

Inventors

Tien-Shui CHEN
Chi-Liang Chen

Assignees

YIHAO NANOMETER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240820
Priority Date: 20180814

Claims (10)

1 . A method of water transfer printing, the method comprising: receiving a water transfer printing film, the water transfer printing film comprises: a superabsorbent film; a water-based resin layer on the superabsorbent film, the water-based resin layer is formed from a composition comprising an acrylic copolymer emulsion of 23 wt % to 45 wt %, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin of 15 wt % to 20 wt %, a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) resin of 15 wt % to 20 wt %, a polyethylene glycol of 1 wt % to 2 wt %, a calcium carbonate of 5 wt % to 10 wt %, and a water of 18 wt % to 40 wt % followed by drying; and an information body on the water-based resin layer, wherein the information body comprises a water-based colorant and a water-based resin; and transferring the information body to a printing substrate without use of an organic solvent-containing activator prior to transferring the information body.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the superabsorbent film comprises polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the water-based resin layer further comprises a fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether of 0.2 wt % to 0.6 wt %, a N,N dimethylethanolamine of 0.2 wt % to 0.6 wt %, a water-based defoamer of 0.3 wt % to 0.6 wt %, and an aqueous dispersant of 0.3 wt % to 0.6 wt %.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information body further comprises a first information body comprising a water-based ink formed on the water-based resin layer and a second information body comprising a laser coating formed over the first information body.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the water-based resin of the information body has a weight percentage falling within a range from 50 wt % to 65 wt % of the information body and the water-based colorant has a weight percentage falling within a range from 35 wt % to 50 wt % of the information body.
6 . A method of water-based transfer printing, the method comprising: providing a water transfer printing film having a superabsorbent film, a water-based resin layer positioned on the superabsorbent film, and a water-based information layer on the water-based resin layer; placing the water transfer printing film on a water surface such that the superabsorbent film absorbs water to become softened, the water permeates through the superabsorbent film, the water-based resin layer, and reaches the water-based information layer to produce adhesiveness in the water-based information layer; and transferring the water-based information layer onto an object without the use of an organic-solvent based activator prior to the transferring.
7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the water-based resin layer is formed from a composition comprising an acrylic copolymer emulsion of 23 wt % to 45 wt %, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin of 15 wt % to 20 wt %, a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) resin of 15 wt % to 20 wt %, a polyethylene glycol of 1 wt % to 2 wt %, a calcium carbonate of 5 wt % to 10 wt %, and a water of 18 wt % to 40 wt % followed by drying.
8 . The method according to claim 6 , further comprising removing the superabsorbent film by a washing operation performed on the object with water after the transferring operation.
9 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising a baking operation performed on the object after the washing operation.
10 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising forming a protective layer over a surface of the object after the washing operation and prior to the baking operation.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE This application is a continuation application of allowed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/502,306, filed on Oct. 15, 2021, and which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/419,202, filed on May 22, 2019, which claims priority to TW Patent Appl. No. 107128296, filed on Aug. 14, 2018. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an eco-friendly activator-free water transfer printing film and its transfer printing method, in particular to a water transfer printing process that can be carried out without using any activator to avoid environmental pollutions and prevent jeopardizing human health or deforming the transfer printing pattern. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In water transfer printing technology, an ink coating is printed on a water-soluble resin film to form texts and patterns, and the water-soluble resin film is set on a water surface, and then an activator is provided for dissolving and hydrolyzing the water-soluble resin film into an isolated state, and a transfer object is pressed onto the water-soluble resin film in water in order to transfer the texts and patterns on a surface of the transfer object, and then the transfer object is washed by water and dried before attaching the texts and patterns onto the surface of the transfer object securely. However, the activator used for the water transfer printing is an organic solvent which discharges volatile organic compounds (VOC) during the manufacture, transportation and use of water transfer printing films and may damage the environmental ecology and jeopardize the health of related personnel. Since conditions such as the spray speed, uniformity, concentration, and recipe of the activator have substantial impacts on the solubility of the printed texts and patterns on the water-soluble resin film, and the printing process may lead to deformations due to the factors such as the uniform solution, and reaction force produced during the spray coating, and all these will affect the precision, aesthetic look, and production yield of the water transfer printing. In the present market, solvent based inks are used and printed on PVA films, and the PVA films will swell slowly and dissolve when exposed to water, but the ink layer is oil soluble and will not be swollen or dissolved by water, so that an activator (with an organic mixed solvent) must be added before the ink can be used. Therefore, the prior art has the following drawbacks: 1. The activator is mixed with water to cause water pollution and environmental pollution. 2. The activator (with the organic mixed solvent) is easily flammable and has fire safety issue. 3. Operators preparing and using the activator are required. In view of the aforementioned drawbacks of the conventional water transfer printing, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive research and experiment, and finally provided the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the primary objective of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing an eco-friendly activator-free water transfer printing film, comprising: a water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer, set on a superabsorbent film and mainly formed by a water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin, and the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin comprising an acrylic copolymer emulsion, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin and a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) resin, and the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer being provided for crosslinking an end surface of the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer after the other end of the superabsorbent film absorbs water and becomes softened; and an information body, set on the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer. In the eco-friendly activator-free water transfer printing film, the superabsorbent film is made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). In the eco-friendly activator-free water transfer printing film, the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer comprises an acrylic copolymer emulsion of 23 wt % to 45 wt %, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin of 15 wt % to 20 wt %, a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) resin of 15 wt % to 20 wt %, polyethylene glycol of 1 wt % to 2 wt %, calcium carbonate of 5 wt % to 10 wt %, and water of 18 wt % to 40 wt %. In the eco-friendly activator-free water transfer printing film, the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer further comprises fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether of 0.2 wt % to 0.6 wt %, and N,N dimethylethanolamine of 0.2 wt % to 0.6 wt %, a water-based defoamer of 0.3 wt % to 0.6 wt %, and an aqueous dispersant of 0.3 wt % to 0.6 wt %. In the eco-friendly activator-free water transfer printing film, the information body is a water-based ink and the water-based ink is a mixture of a water-bas