AVCO-CLEAR LWC

HIGH PERFORMANCE THICKENER FOR TEXTILE PIGMENT PRINTING
AVCO-CLEAR LWC is a synthetic thickener for pigment printing.Printing pastes prepared with AVCO-CLEAR LWC is producing more level and even prints, with higher color yield and brilliancy even on difficult to print fabrics such as single knits made with open-end yarns, and polyester-cotton woven fabrics.

SPECIFICATION:

Appearance Slightly viscous white liquid.
Chemical nature Poly-acrylic acid copolymer dispersion in inert oils with special surfactants.
Compatibility Compatible with nonionic and anionic products usually used in pigment printing. Do not mix with strong acids, strong alkalis and with cationic products.
Ionicity Anionic
pH (1% dispersion) 5.5 – 6.5
Solubility Dispersible in water with a high speed mixer to a thick paste at concentration of 1.2-1.4%
Storage Do not store in direct sun and in hot places. When properly stored, storage stability is at least 12 months. If the product freezes, it can be reused after thawing and mixing.

PROPERTIES & USES:

  1. High quality concentrated thickener. Producing sharper and bright prints.
  2. Does not impair the hand of printed fabrics.
  3. Suitable for flat and rotary screen printing processes.
  4. Suitable for all kinds of textile fabrics.
  5. Suitable for all-aqueous and for oil-in-water printing pastes.
  6. Very good coverage and levelness of printed area, with excellent brilliancy and
    superior colour value.
  7. When using AVCO-CLEAR LWC it is not necessary to add an acid catalyst to the print paste. After drying the active matter of the thickener acts as the catalyst.
  8. Excellent reproducibility.
  9. Printing paste preparation is easy and rapid.
  10. AVCO-CLEAR LWC is less sensitive to water hardness.
  11. AVCO-CLEAR LWC does not block pumps, pipes and screens.
  12. During paste preparation and the printing process AVCO-CLEAR LWC does not release hazardous vapours of solvents to the environment.

APPLICATION:

Printing paste preparation:
The following is a typical formulation:

gr/kg

 Remarks
Water

adjust to 1000

 Use soft water
AVCO-ANTIFOAM PR

0 – 3

 Important when printing large area
AVCO-CLEAR LWC

12 – 14

 Adjust to the needed viscosity
AVCOPRINT JN

0 – 5

 Co-thickener to avoid bleeding problems
AVCO-BINDER SPC

60 – 180

 Usage depends on quantity of pigment
AVCO-PRINTOSIL EM

0 – 10

 Softener
AVCO-PRINTFIX L

0 – 6

 Cross-linking agent
Ammonia sol.

2 – 5

 Adjust to pH 7-8
AVCOLOR PIGMENTS

X

 Depends on required shade

AVCO-CLEAR LWC can be used with all common aqueous binders used in textile printing.
When used with AVCO-BINDER SPC the consumption of the thickener is lower, and the coverage and the brightness of the print are better.

PREPARATION METHOD:

The thickener is added to the water, and homogenized with an high speed (1500-3000 r.p.m.) homogenizer mixer for 10 minutes.
Add all other ingredients in the same order as in the recipe above.
The pH of the final paste should be 7-8. If pH is lower adjust it by adding ammonia solution.
The final viscosity for solvent free paste should be 70-90 dPa.S, for white spirit emulsions viscosity can be lowered to 60-70 dPa.S (Haake viscosimeter VT-02).

REMARKS:

  1. Add all ingredients in the same order as in the recipe above. Adjust pH with ammonia if needed.
  2. When preparing a solvent containing paste, the white spirit should be added in small portions in order to get a homogeneous paste the Consumption of the thickener is lower.
  3. The required viscosity depends upon the printing machine type, the type of fabric and the print design.
  4. If viscosity of the paste is too high, viscosity can be reduced with electrolytes such as ammonium salts.
  5. If viscosity of the paste is too low adjust it by adding more AVCO-CLEAR LWC and continue mixing for additional 4-6 minutes.
  6. If printing paste has to be stored for prolonged times add 1-2 gr/kg of a preserving agent (AVCOGARD PR).
  7. Prepare printing paste with softened water. If the water is hard, it is advisable to use a non-alkaline sequestering agent (AVCO-POLYQUEST KAL). Viscosity of paste may be impaired, and higher quantities of thickener are needed.
  8. The printing paste is sensitive to electrolytes. When adding electrolytes to the paste, the amount of thickener should be increased to receive the desired viscosity.
  9. AVCO-PRINT JN is a co-thickener and emulsifier used to overcome bleeding problems, and to obtain sharper border designs when printing on difficult substrate, and when printing with problematic pigments such as blacks.
  10. AVCO-PRINTOSIL EM is a silicone softener used to improve flexibility of the binder film.
  11. AVCO-PRINTFIX L is a cross linking agent, used to improve the wash fastness and the wet rubbing fastness.