Knowde Enhanced TDS
Identification & Functionality
- Technologies
- Product Families
Features & Benefits
- Ready-to-Use Product Features
- Characteristics
Ink Adjustment
The ink should be stirred homogeneously before printing and if necessary during production.
Drying
Physically fast drying, dries at 20°C air temperature within 20-30 min to be overprinted, at 50°C in the tunnel drier stackable after 30-40 sec. The times mentioned above vary according to the substrate, the ink film thickness, drying conditions and the auxiliaries used. Generally an extended drying time is necessary when overprinting the ink.
Fade resistance
For outdoor use, matt colors generally show less color shade stability than glossy color shades. We are using pigments of an excellent fade resistance for all shades of our Libra Matt LIM ink type. All basic shades are suitable for an outdoor use of 2 years if placed vertically and referred to the middle European climate. Mixed shades containing > 30% transparent base LIM 409 or printing varnish LIM 910 or shades mixed with white mostly have a reduced fade and weather resistance. The fade resistance of the ink is also reduced, as the density of the printed ink film decreases, therefore, we recommend a fabric 77-55 for outdoor use.
Stress resistance
After proper and thorough drying, the ink film is stackable, weather resistant as well as suitable for welding. Please note that the shades 980 and 180 Black are not suited for welding. Due to their chemical composition, the basic shades are less rub-resistant than other glossy screen printing color shades. For a maximum rub and abrasion resistance, it is necessary to overcoat with printing varnish LIM 910. The pigments used are resistant to solvents and plasticizers.
Applications & Uses
- Applications
- Compatible Substrates & Surfaces
- Field of Application
Substrates
The screen printing ink Libra Matt LIM is designed for printing onto
• Rigid PVC
• PVC self-adhesive foils
• Soft PVC
• Polystyrene (PS)
• Acrylic (PMMA)
• Polycarbonate
• coated Polyester Foils
• synthetic and resin-coated Papers, cork, and cardboard
Since all the print substrates mentioned may be different in printability even within an individual type, preliminary trials are essential to determine the suitability for the intended use. Field of use
Libra Matt LIM is a universal matt ink used for printing substrates where a particularly high requirement for ink opacity, flexibility, or resistance to plasticizers is required, e.g.
• scales, front panels and displays
• double-sided stickers as intermediate ink
• printing, rolling, spraying of PVC tarpaulins
• pressing, sealing into acrylic
For truck tarpaulins, we recommend the ink type Maraplan PL. LIM can also be processed with a spray gun, but preliminary trials are necessary for this process. In order to avoid surface irregularities, we recommend to filter the thinned ink (25 µm screen) before processing.
Technical Details & Test Data
- Metallics
Metallic Pastes
S 291 High Gloss Silver 10-20% S 292 High Gloss Rich Pale Gold 10-20% S 293 High Gloss Rich Gold 10-20% Metallic Powders
S 181 Aluminum 17% S 182 Rich Pale Gold 25% S 183 Rich Gold 25% S 184 Pale Gold 25% S 186 Copper 25% S 190 Aluminum, rub-resistant 25% These metallics are added to LIM 910 in the recommended amount, whereas the addition may be individually adjusted to the respective application. We recommend preparing a mixture which can be processed within a maximum of 8 h since metallic mixtures usually cannot be stored. Due to their chemical structure, the processing time of mixtures with Pale Gold S 184 and Copper S 186 is even reduced to 4 h. Owing to the smaller pigment size of Metallic Pastes it is possible to work with finer fabrics like 140-31 to 150-31. Owing to the bigger pigment size of Metallic Powders we recommend the use of a coarser fabric like 100-40. Shades made of Metallic Powders are always subject to an increased dry abrasion which can only be reduced by overvarnishing.
All metallic shades are displayed in the Marabu "Screen Printing Metallics" color chart.
AuxiliariesUKV 2 Thinner 10-20% SV 1 Retarder 10-20% SV 9 Retarder, slow 10-20% VP Retarder Paste 10-20% SA 1 Surface Additive 3-5% WM1 Plasticizer 2-5% ES Printing Modifier 0-1% UR 3 Cleaner (flp. 42°C) UR 4 Cleaner (flp. 52°C) UR 5 Cleaner (flp. 72°C) 7037 Spray Thinner Thinner is added to the ink to adjust the printing viscosity. For slow printing sequences and fine motifs, it may be necessary to add retarder to the thinner. For an additional thinning of the ink containing retarder, only pure thinner should be used. The addition of surface additive SA 1 can increase the resistance against abrasion and other mechanical stress (max. addition 10%). Plasticizer WM 1 is recommended if high flexibility is required from the printed ink film. This is important for thin substrates with a natural tendency to roll, as well as for applications involving cutting or die-cutting of the printed surface. The use of Plasticizer WM 1 reduces the drying speed. For the production of double-sided stickers the use of WM 1 is essential. Printing Modifier ES contains silicone and can be used to rectify flow problems on critical substrates. If an excessive amount is added, flow problems are increased and adhesion may be reduced, especially when overprinting. The use of ES may reduce the degree of gloss. The cleaners UR 3 and UR 4 are recommended for manual cleaning of the working equipment. Cleaner UR 5 is recommended for manual or automatic cleaning of the working equipment. For spray coating, fast Spray Thinner 7037 should be used (on parts sensitive to tension cracks, preliminary trials are essential).
Printing Parameters
All types of commercially available fabrics and solvent-resistant stencils can be used.
Packaging & Availability
- Range
Basic Shades 920 Lemon 922 Light Yellow 924 Medium Yellow 926 Orange 930 Vermilion 932 Scarlet Red 934 Carmine Red 936 Magenta 940 Brown 950 Violet 952 Ultramarine Blue954 Medium Blue 956 Brilliant Blue 960 Blue Green 962 Grass Green 970 White 980 Black High Opaque Shades 170 Opaque White 180 Opaque Black Further Products 182 Block-out Silver 409 Transparent Base570 Offset Baseprint Transparent White910 Overprint VarnishHigh opque white LIM 170 can be used for signature fields. Block-out silver LIM 182 is suited for the production of double-sided stickers. All shades are intermixable. Mixing with other ink types or auxiliaries must be avoided in order to maintain the special characteristics of this ink. All basic shades are included in our MarabuColorFormulator (MCF). They build the basis for the calculation of individual color matching formulas, as well as for shades of the common color reference systems HKS®, PANTONE®, and RAL®. All formulas are stored in the Marabu-Color Manager software .
Storage & Handling
- Shelf Life
Shelf life depends very much on the formula/ reactivity of the ink system as well as the storage temperature. The shelf life for an unopened ink container if stored in a dark room at a temperature of 15 - 25 °C is:
- 2,5 years for LIM 180 & 182
- 3,5 years for all other LIM color shades
Under different conditions, particularly higher storage temperatures, the shelf life is reduced. In such cases, the warranty given by Marabu expires.