Helizarin Binder ET ECO

Acrylate-based pigment-printing binder for direct, discharge and resist printing. The prints are fast to dry cleaning, have a pleasingly soft handle and excellent all-round fastness properties.

Properties

Nature   Aqueous dispersion of a thermally crosslinkable acrylate copolymer
Physical form   Slightly viscous liquid

Shelf life   When it is stored in the original, sealed containers at temperatures of between 5 °C and 35 °C, Helizarin Binder ET has a shelf life of at least 12 months. Once a drum has been opened, the contents should be used up as soon as possible. After product has been taken out, the drum must be properly resealed because the binder tends to form a skin on exposure to air.Helizarin Binder ET should be stored under frost-free conditions.

Density   Approx. 1.03 g/cm³
Setting point    Approx. 0 °C
Boiling point    Approx. 100 °C
pH    Approx. 7 – 9 (undiluted)
Solubility    Miscible with water in all proportions
The above values characterize the physical range of properties. Details ofthe tolerances are provided in the product specification.

Action    Helizarin Binder ET allows the production of prints with an excellent standard of fastness, including fastness to dry cleaning (according to DIN54024 = ISO 105 D01). The binder is suitable for direct, discharge andresist printing.

Prints produced with Helizarin Binder ET have a pleasingly soft handle andare resistant to ageing.
Helizarin Binder ET has only a very slight influence on the viscosity ofsynthetic thickenings.

Application

Helizarin Binder ET can be used in conjunction with the Lutexal® types inboth aqueous and low-solvent pigment-printing systems. The print pastes have very good running properties. In the case of printing formulations with a high white spirit content, preliminary trials should be carried out because here the running properties are very dependent on the recipe used and on the quality of the white spirit.

Of particular interest is its use in conjunction with Helizarin Binder TW – a combination that gives very soft prints with a high standard of fastness. When Helizarin Binder TW is used, the amount of white spirit should not exceed 200 – 250 g/kg print paste. In such formulations it is also necessary to add 4 – 5 g/kg Luprimol® SIG or SE.

Processing notes

Helizarin Binder ET has good compatibility with the auxiliaries normally employed in pigment printing and can be mixed with other Helizarin binders in all proportions. If it should be necessary to store the print pastes for an extended period, it is advisable to cover the containers with plastic film or to pour a thin layer of white spirit over the surface of the paste. This white spirit can be readily emulsified into the paste with a high-speed stirrer prior to printing.

Guideline recipes

To ensure that the prints produced with aqueous formulations have the requisite depth of shade, definition and surface-printing effect, it is generally necessary for the print paste to have a higher viscosity than is normally employed with white-spirit emulsion systems. The guideline recipes provided were prepared with potable water of average hardness and adjusted to the following viscosities:
aqueous: approx. 80 dPa s (= poise)
low-solvent: 60 – 70 dPa s
(Measured with the Viscotester VT 02 supplied by Haake Mess-Technik GmbH & Co., Karlsruhe, Germany).
The recipes are intended as a guide and should be adapted as necessaryto suit the local conditions (e. g. water hardness, processing conditions, substrate, etc.).

1. Standard recipe for cellulosic fibre fabrics and blend fabrics
(aqueous)<
... g water
80 –180 g Helizarin Binder ET
25 g Luprintol® MCL
35 g Lutexal HEF or 40 g Lutexal HP
1000 g

2. Economical prints on cotton fabrics (aqueous)
... g water
80 –150 g Helizarin Binder ET
10 g Luprintol MP
30 g Lutexal HEF or36 g Lutexal HP
1000 g

3. Cellulosic fibre fabrics and blend fabrics (low-solvent)
... g water
80 –180 g Helizarin Binder ET
25 g Luprintol MCL
25 g Lutexal HEF or 28 g Lutexal HP
150 g white spirit
1000 g

A smoother fabric surface is obtained by adding 5 g/kg Luprimol SIG or SE; this addition also produces a further improvement in the fastness properties (particularly the fastness to dry rubbing) and has a positive influence on the handle and brilliance of the prints. When Luprimol SIG is to be incorporated in aqueous formulations, a high-speed stirrer should be used to ensure its homogeneous dispersion in the mix.
On substrates composed of synthetic fibres and their blends with cellulosic fibres, and also on regenerated cellulose materials, an addition of 7 –10 g/kg Helizarin Fixing Agent LF is necessary to improve the fastness. An addition of Helizarin Fixing Agent LF can also further improve the fastness on cotton to a certain extent (particularly the wet fastness).

Preparation of a pigment thickening

The requisite amount of water is run into the mixing vessel and, if necessary, an antifoam added (e. g. 0.5 –1.5 g/kg Defoamer TP). The Helizarin Binder ET, the Luprintol types and, if required, Helizarin Fixing Agent LF and Luprimol SIG or SE are then added successively, with stirring. Finally, the Lutexal HEF or HP is stirred in, after which the mix is stirred with a high-speed stirrer until the thickener has swollen to its full extent(approx. 8 –10 min). With low-solvent formulations, the white spirit is next emulsified into the mix, which is finally homogenized by stirring for a further 12 –15 minutes.

pH

The print pastes should have a pH of at least 7.5 – 8. Lower values mustbe corrected by adding ammonia.
Viscosity adjustment
Subsequent adjustments can be made to the viscosity of the mix. To increase the viscosity of aqueous pastes, Lutexal HEF or HP can be stirred direct into the paste. Pastes that contain white spirit can also be thickened by adding 0.5 – 2 g/kg Lutexal HVW.
A reduction in the viscosity of pastes that contain Lutexal HEF or HP can be achieved by stirring in small amounts of an aqueous solution of diammonium phosphate or ammonium sulfate.

Fixation

Hot-air fixation produces the optimum standard of fastness. The following conditions are recommended:
4 – 5 min at 150 °C or 3 – 2 min at 160 –170 °C.
With high-temperature steam, the prints should be fixed for 5 – 7 min at a minimum temperature of 160 °C.
While this method of fixation also produces a good standard of fastness, it is still somewhat below that of prints fixed in hot air.