Printing Problems Purged with Clariant’s Cartabond® KZI and MZI

Muttenz, May 5, 2009 - Specialty chemicals company Clariant has solved a process problem that has plagued printers for decades. The Company has developed Cartabond® KZI and MZI, ground-breaking new technology which reduces debris that can impair the quality of printing.

Clariant’s unique new generation of Zirconium-based crosslinkers – the patented Cartabond KZI and MZI – are chemicals that are used to improve the wet surface strength of coated paper during offset printing and converting operations. The result is a reduction in the accumulation of dust and fibers, with less time spent on cleaning the printing press, saving valuable time and money.

Even though Zirconium has been used in crosslinkers for more than 30 years, no real change or innovation has been brought to the market to improve its performance… until now. With this patented, exclusive development, Clariant’s Research & Development experts have come up with a unique new chemical process that draws more performance from the Zirconium element and improves the cost/performance profile of the crosslinker.

During printing and converting operations, such as sheeting, rolling and de-curling, the free particles naturally present on the paper surface tend to form dust. This is especially the case in the offset printing process, in which fountain water is added to the areas where ink must not be applied.

Highly tacky inks are then applied by several consecutive printing heads. As the paper surface is weakened by moisture, ink film splitting between blanket and paper can result in the release of particles and fibers from the surface. These then accumulate on the blanket and printing rolls due to ‘picking’, ‘piling’ and ‘linting’. The printing quality therefore deteriorates, which usually leads to missing dots and/or gradual lightening in the solid areas. It then becomes necessary to stop production in order to clean the blanket and printing rolls.

Zirconium-based crosslinkers are therefore used to improve the wet surface strength of coated paper. They create additional links between the binder polymer molecules, the cellulosic fibers and the filler or surface pigment particles. Zirconium-based crosslinkers react with the carboxylate groups in synthetic latex binders, such as carboxylated SBR or styrene-acrylate.

The new generation of crosslinkers from Clariant’s paper business – part of a wider family of Cartabond crosslinkers - is especially suitable for coated offset printing, in top-coating, pre-coating and single-coating. The new Cartabond MZI and KZI crosslinkers allow longer printing runs and cleaner converting operations. Bigger quantities are printed before it becomes necessary to stop and clean the blankets.

And, of course, the new Cartabond MZI and KZI products display a favorable eco-toxic profile and they are BfR and FDA compliant for food contact applications.

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