Pigment dispersions are highly concentrated suspensions of pigments (both organic & inorganic) which have been mechanically ground and chemically stabilised to prevent flocculation and settling. These dispersions are inkjet colorants and provide the colour in the final inkjet ink. They can be designed for aqueous, solvent, UV or oil applications.

Pigments are insoluble particles that need to be mechanically broken down, dispersed and chemically stabilised in order to produce a suitable dispersion. Dyes are soluble molecules that DO NOT need to be mechanically broken down, dispersed or chemically stabilised. Pigments are more durable than dyes and provide much improved UV and chemical resistance to fading over time.

We use state of the art bead mills and a number of different dispersing chemistries to produce ultra fine and stable pigment dispersions. Our products range from non-ionic surfactant stabilised dispersions to unique non-polymeric anionic dispersing technologies, depending on the final inkjet application. For added peace of mind all our products are extensively tested to guarantee stability by being stored at for four weeks at 60oC.

Our state of the art facility and advanced chemistries allow us to disperse the pigments extremely well. Most of our products have a mean (d50) particle size of around 100nm. What's more, all of our products are filtered using either 0.5um or 0.3um absolute filters to guarantee perfectly sized particles.

We would always recommend using polypropylene depth filters (0.3 - 5um) to filter your inks based upon our dispersions. These can range from 1" to 40" in length depending on your batch size. For very small amounts (<0.5kg) in the laboratory we have found that using a Buchner funnel and flask under vacuum with Whatman GF/B (1.0um) glass fibre filters works well.

Depending on the final ink application, we recommend suitable inkjet ink additives/formulations which will provide a good starting point for you to begin your evaluations. However, we only provide this information as a guide and strongly recommend that all ink parameters are fully tested before commercialisation of the final inkjet ink.

We would always recommend mixing together your ink additives and carrier solvent (water/solvent/monomer). Add this mixture to the dispersion slowly with constant high energy stirring. Once all has been added, leave to mix at high energy for a moment. You can then buffer your ink if necessary, and then filter.

We would recommend using DMEA, TEA or AMP 90.

It's worth remembering that only the aqueous dispersions are at risk of microbial contamination. Our dispersions contain 0.4% Acticide MBS, which is an aqueous additive of MIT/BIT. Both D71M & D71V19 contain an extra 0.3% of Acticide OTW8, which is an aqueous additive of OIT, a specific fungicide. Better still, all our products have been wet state challenge tested at an independent microbiological laboratory. If the addition of further protection is deemed necessary by the ink formulator, we recommend Acticide MBS from THOR.

We can offer full instructions on how to dissolve our DVC vinyl chips. The most important part is that you have the correct high speed dispersing equipment. A rotor stator dispersing mechanism with a high shear dissolving screen is ideal.