Ink-jet printability of ceramic inks for digital decoration of ceramic tiles

Abstract

Inkjet technology was developed more than fifty years ago, but in current decade this technology had made a revolution in the ceramic decoration industry worldwide. Today, majority high proportions of ceramic tile manufacturers in the European producing countries, Spain and Italy, have already converted to digital inkjet printing. This fact, lead to a demand of specific knowledge about the process, the ceramic pigments used in the inks, the vehicles applied, synthesis method, applications, etc. This report is looked into the evolution of the decoration ceramic sector emphasizing, about the necessities of new pigments as the conventional ones are not suitable for digital decoration and it is required new techniques to obtain them. The main requirements for ink-jet printing are reviewed: rheological, morphological and optical properties of the pigments, vehicles, glazes, etc. Problems and inconvenient are analysed in order to find a way to solve it as: sedimentation, drop size and shape, particle size, stability in a specific media, improved colorant strength. An overview of the main synthesis methods of pigment preparation and inkjet types are also made. This project identifies the main points about inkjet ink applied in ceramics in order to understand them better and explain why they are so important.