In today's printing industry, water-based inks are increasingly widely used due to their environmentally friendly characteristics. However, during production, stirring, circulation, and high-speed printing, the system easily generates stubborn foam. This foam causes defects such as white spots, pinholes, and uneven color in printed matter, seriously affecting printing quality and production efficiency, and even causing ink waste and equipment cleaning burdens.
Defoamers commonly found on the market often face challenges: some have insufficient defoaming ability, and the foam is not completely eliminated; some have poor compatibility, affecting the ink's gloss and transparency; and some have weak durability, quickly becoming ineffective in the system and unable to handle long-term circulation operations. How to choose a defoamer that is efficient, stable, and does not affect the final printed result has become a core concern for many ink manufacturers and printing companies.
In response to these pain points, drawing on years of technical accumulation, Chemi Tech has developed a series of high-performance water-based ink defoamers. Our solution is not simple addition of an additive, but provides systematic treatment steps based on a deep understanding of the foam generation mechanism.
First, precise diagnosis. Our technical team analyzes the customer's specific ink formula, production process (such as stirring speed and temperature), and printing conditions (such as printing speed and anilox roller type) to identify the key stages where foam is generated.
Second, product selection and evaluation. Chemi Tech provides a variety of defoamer products that have excellent foam-suppression and foam-breaking ability, while also having good compatibility with water-based systems, without causing cratering or affecting interlayer adhesion. We recommend that customers conduct small-scale experiments that simulate actual production conditions to observe the defoaming speed, durability, and impact on ink performance.
Third, optimize the addition plan. After determining the appropriate product, we will guide customers on the best addition point and dosage. It is usually recommended to add it during the grinding and dispersion stage or the letdown stage, and to ensure uniform dispersion to achieve long-lasting defoaming. The dosage is generally very low, between 0.1%-0.5%, making it economical and efficient.
We once assisted a packaging printing company in East China in solving the foaming problem in its high-speed flexographic printing process. When this company used a specific water-based ink for high-speed printing, foam accumulated severely in the ink fountain and on the ink transfer rollers, causing unclear printed patterns. After technical analysis by Chemi Tech, we recommended the Chemi Tech DF-213 product and guided them to add it at a ratio of 0.3% in the later stage of ink preparation. After application, the foam was controlled instantly and durably, the printing press was able to run stably at its maximum design speed, and the print quality was significantly improved, with the customer highly recognizing the stability and cost-effectiveness of the effect.
Choosing Chemi Tech, you gain not only a defoamer, but also a set of targeted problem solutions and continuous technical support. We are committed to helping customers improve product quality, reduce overall costs, and achieve smoother and more efficient production operations.