Is polyurethane ink binder suitable for most inks?

Polyurethane Ink Binder is indeed one of the most versatile and widely applicable binder systems at present. It can cover a wide range of ink types such as those for flexible packaging, plastics, paper, and metals, and is known as the "universal binder". 

 

It has an appropriate polarity and adjustable molecular structure. It has excellent wetting and dispersion properties for organic pigments, carbon black, dyes, etc., and can balance adhesion, gloss, toughness and resistance. Therefore, it is the mainstream choice in intaglio composite inks, surface printing inks, heat-resistant inks, aluminum foil inks, and flexible inks. It has good compatibility with nitrocellulose, chlorinated acrylate resins, acrylic resins, etc., and can be blended and modified. It is suitable for most packaging printing formulations and has an extremely high usage rate in the industry. 

 

However, it is not applicable to all inks: for scenarios such as UV pure curing, water-based screen printing, some high-temperature ceramic/glass inks, and economical paper offset printing inks, acrylic, epoxy, phenolic and other more cost-effective or specialized resins will be preferred. Additionally, single-component polyurethane also has limitations in extremely high temperatures and strong chemical corrosive environments. 

 

Overall, in mainstream fields such as packaging printing, plastic printing, and food soft packaging, polyurethane binders can be compatible with over 80% of high-end inks and are the industry's preferred choice. As long as it is not for extremely special purposes, they can basically meet the requirements of printing, laminating, post-processing, weather resistance, and resistance to boiling, etc. They are currently the binder with the most balanced comprehensive performance and the widest application range.