Adhesion for Reliable, High-Quality Printing
Ink Adhesion & Process Development
EPS provides comprehensive ink adhesion testing and process development to ensure your products print cleanly, consistently, and with long-term durability. From evaluating substrate surface energy to running real-world part testing, our team helps you identify the right inks, pretreatments, and process parameters for your application.
Adhesion Fundamentals
Ink Adhesion Testing
The surfaces of plastics and other materials vary not only in terms of texture, but in terms of surface tension, too – a characteristic also referred to as “surface energy” or “surface wetting”. If the surface tension of a substrate is lower than the surface tension of the ink, the ink won’t stick. It’s a sign of inadequate chemical covalent bonding & “bad ink adhesion,” in layman’s terms. Likewise, if the substrate is wettable, that is, if it has high surface energy, the ink is more likely to wet the surface appropriately, resulting in good print quality, and increase the likelyhood of proper adhesion.
One simple test of a plastic’s printability is to drip some water on the surface. If the water beads up, the surface energy of the substrate is lower than the surface tension of the water, and vice versa. If the water “sheets” its surface tension is lower than the substrates’. Beading is bad. Sheeting is good. The scientific test to check ink receptivity of a material is a surface energy measurement. This measurement, using specific fluids to understand both surface energy and the polar and dispersion components of the surface, aids in understanding the correct ink and surface treatment steps to deliver best adhesion to the product’s surface.
Testing Services
Process Development & Testing
We’re here to support you every step of the way through the development of your machine. Our team will work toward a solution to your particular challenge, including testing samples of your product parts.
Ink adhesion & material sampling can be supported through a request to your sales engineer.
Please call your sales engineering, or complete the Contact Us form to find out more. We will work with you to understand the specifics of your desired application & discuss next steps (including possible testing and material needs).
Continue Exploring
From precision ink science and pad printing to advanced digital inkjet platforms, engineering, automation, and lifetime technical support—explore how we help you design, build, and optimize every facet of your print production.
Troubleshooting
Whether you’re a first-time customer investing in a standard model or a long-time customer operating advanced multicolor servo printers, our team is here to support your success every step of the way.Custom Machine Automation Design & Robotics
We design and engineer innovative product marking and handling solutions tailored to your application—delivering greater flexibility, faster throughput, and a competitive edge through advanced R&D and close collaboration.Color Technology
Whether it is a pad printing or digital ink application, we can help you select the most effective formulation.Custom Pad Development
Our Customer Service Department is available to help you select the proper design or shape and hardness for a particular job if you need assistance.
