Toynol® PCS-85 Surfactant for Printing Chemicals
Toynol® PCS-85 Surfactant for Printing Chemicals
Abstract
Toynol® PCS-85 is a high-performance surfactant combination developed to address insufficient wetting in high-speed printing of printing chemicals such as alcohol-free fountain solutions, waterborne inks and waterborne varnishes. It significantly reduces static and dynamic surface tension (static surface tension as low as 34.8 mN/m in a 0.1% aqueous solution), provides excellent low-foam performance (foam height reduced to 6 mm within 300 seconds), and delivers an outstanding balance of printability. Compared with conventional solutions, it is APEO-free and offers good compatibility with inks, making it a suitable option for improving the quality and stability of high-speed printing.
Core Product Information
| Item | PCS-85 |
|---|---|
| Chemical Type | Acetylenic diol surfactant combination |
| Appearance (25°C) | Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid |
| Ether cloud point (5% butyl ether aqueous solution) | 28 ± 1 °C |
| Water solubility (1%) | Readily soluble in water |
Key Performance Indicators
| Performance | PCS-85 |
|---|---|
| Static surface tension (0.1% aqueous solution) | 34.8 mN/m |
| Dynamic surface tension (0.1% aqueous solution, at 6 bubbles/s) | 41.9 mN/m |
| Foam height (1% aqueous solution, initial) | 30 mm |
| Foam height (1% aqueous solution, 300 s) | 6 mm |
| Environmental profile | APEO-free |
Main Features and Advantages
- Highly efficient wetting: Rapidly reduces static and dynamic surface tension, ensuring uniform spreading of inks or varnishes on substrates during high-speed printing.
- Low-foam performance: Fast foam dissipation helps avoid defects such as spotting and ink skipping caused by foam during printing.
- Excellent compatibility: Good compatibility with waterborne resins, pigments and printing additives without causing ink emulsification.
- Environmentally safe: APEO-free, meeting green printing chemical standards.
Recommended Application Fields
- Alcohol-free fountain solutions: As a core wetting component, replaces alcohol solvents in newspaper rotary printing and commercial offset printing, reducing VOC emissions while ensuring uniform plate wetting and avoiding scumming or ink-water imbalance.
- Waterborne inks: Used in flexographic and gravure waterborne ink systems to improve dye dispersion stability and dot clarity, suitable for high-end applications such as food packaging and paper printing.
- Waterborne varnishes: Optimizes leveling in primer coats before lamination and UV coating, enhancing gloss and abrasion resistance for book covers, gift boxes and other refined post-print finishing.
- Printing cleaners: As a penetrating agent in plate and roller cleaning formulations, rapidly breaks down residual ink and suppresses foam, improving cleaning efficiency.
Usage and Recommended Dosage
Addition sequence: Add after the main formulation components (such as resins and pigments), stirring slowly until fully dissolved.
Dilution: May be added directly to the aqueous phase, or pre-diluted before use to ensure uniform dispersion.
Recommended dosage: Typically 0.5%–3% of the total formulation; determine the optimal level through dosage screening based on printing speed and substrate properties (e.g., use the upper end of the range for high-speed printing).
Notes: If the product separates, shake well before use without affecting performance; avoid direct mixing with strong oxidizing agents.
Safety and Storage
- Safety precautions: Wear safety glasses and gloves during handling. On skin contact, rinse immediately with clean water; if splashed into the eyes, rinse with plenty of water and seek medical attention.
- Storage conditions: Store sealed in a dry, cool, well-ventilated place, away from high temperatures and from heat, sparks and open flames.
- Packaging: 25 kg drums, 200 kg drums, IBC drums.
- Shelf life: 24 months from the date of manufacture under recommended storage conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: PCS-85 and PCS-87 show similar dynamic surface tension. How do I choose based on actual printing conditions?
A: PCS-85 has a lower static surface tension (34.8 mN/m), making it more suitable for high-speed printing that requires rapid spreading (such as newspaper rotary printing). PCS-87 offers better foam control (zero foam after 300 s), making it ideal for systems highly sensitive to foam (such as high-precision anilox-roller printing). Choose based on both printing speed and foam tolerance.
Q: Does the product maintain wetting performance after 50-fold dilution (simulating fountain solution concentration)?
A: Yes. Tests show that PCS-85 maintains a dynamic surface tension in the 34–45 mN/m range after 50-fold dilution, effectively wetting the aluminum plate substrate without affecting the image areas, preventing scumming or ink emulsification.
Q: Can this product fully replace imported acetylenic diol surfactants?
A: Yes. PCS-85 is close to certain competing products in key indicators such as surface tension and foam performance, and can be used as a direct replacement with a more competitive cost. We recommend a small-scale parallel test to optimize the dosage.
Q: Is the product’s performance stable in hot, humid summer printing environments?
A: Yes. The acetylenic diol structure offers good heat resistance, with no performance decay below 40°C. In high-humidity workshops, humidity-control measures are recommended; the product itself is non-hygroscopic and its chemical stability is unaffected.
Contact Us
- For free samples, detailed technical data sheets (TDS) or safety data sheets (SDS), or any technical questions, please contact us:
- Company: Tianjin Hi-Perferal Advanced Materials Co., Ltd.
- Address: No. 2-1, Zhenghua Road, Caozili, Wuqing District, Tianjin
- Technical service hotline: 022-82910362
- Website: www.surfychem.com