ABOUT CONTACT US (800) 272-7764 GET A QUOTE MACHINES CONSUMABLES ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS SERVICES TECHNICAL SUPPORT BLOG INK ADHESION & PROCESS DEVELOPMENT Ink Adhesion & Process Development Home » Services » Ink Adhesion & Process Development 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 will adhere properly to the surface, allowing it to be marked or decorated. 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 is to check the surface of your plastic using a dyne kit. These specialized dyne markers contain a fluid that mimics ink adhesion and allows printers to choose the type of ink that will most likely stick to the product’s surface. 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. Testing Ink adhesion & sample testing are free services provided to our customers. You can submit your information using the form on this page or call the EPS Customer Service department directly at (800)-272-7764 to find out more. For Ink Adhesion: We ask that you send us sample parts as the initial step in this process. As a part of this free service we will provide the imprinted sample (if return requested), a corresponding report with our recommendations, and a consultation with our internal teams to discuss the next steps. Fields marked with an asterisk are required. Name * Company * Email * Phone * Your Location: * Please Select Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota New Jersey Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin WYoming Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Mexico Puerto Rico Central America The Caribbean South America Western Europe Eastern Europe Africa/Middle East Asia Oceana This will enable us to direct your inquiry to the appropriate Sales Engineer. File Upload Click or drag a file to this area to upload. Upload an image file (optional) Note: Under no circumstances will we sell, share or otherwise distribute your data outside EPS. SUBMITSave and Resume Later ALSO OF INTEREST TECH TIP TUESDAY: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE REASONS...STUCK WITH PRE-TREATING FOR ADHESION?INK ADHESION PART 1: GENERAL EDUCATION .st1{fill:#010101}.st2{fill:#fff} START A CONVERSATION COMPANY INFO About Us Careers Virtual Booth Color Chart MSDS Sheets Privacy Policy PERSPECTIVES Latest News Case Studies White Papers CONTACT US Sales Engineers MAILING ADDRESS: 201 Tennis Way East Dorset, VT 05253 (800) 272-7764 Email Us! Engineered Printing Solutions is a Xaar company. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER! NAME * FIRST LAST COMPANY * EMAIL * SUBMIT © 2021 Engineered Printing Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Privacy & Cookies Policy