Manufacturing inks and coatings requires a great deal of flexibility in the development of new, improved, functional materials for a multitude of applications.
Formulation scientists look to FlackTek™ for rapid development and QC testing of inks and coatings. Common applications include paints utilizing functional fillers and high-value materials in waterborne and solvent-based systems, low-VOC coatings, energy-curable printables, and loading high-solids concentrations. Formulating this diversity of coating chemistries might normally lead to cross contamination of formulations. The FlackTek™ removes that risk by eliminating the need for cleaning equipment between batches.
Benefits Include:
Efficient Mixing of Pigments and Additives: FlackTek™ technology provides rapid and thorough mixing, ensuring uniform dispersion of pigments, fillers, and additives in inks and coatings.
Elimination of Microbubbles: Achieves air-free formulations, enhancing the quality, appearance, and performance of inks and coatings.
Temperature Control Capabilities: Advanced models offer precise temperature regulation to protect heat-sensitive components during mixing.
Non-Contaminating Process: Disposable mixing containers prevent cross-contamination, maintaining the purity of formulations.
Versatile Batch Sizes: Accommodates various batch volumes, suitable for both small-scale R&D and large-scale production.
Homogeneous Dispersion of Nanomaterials: Ensures uniform distribution of nanoparticles, improving the functionality and performance of advanced coatings.
We Can Help You Process:
Water-Based and Solvent-Based Inks
UV-Curable Coatings
Conductive Inks (e.g., silver, copper-based)
Pigment Dispersions
Paints and Varnishes
Nanoparticle-Enhanced Coatings
High-Viscosity Printing Pastes
Anti-Corrosion Coatings
Functional Coatings (e.g., hydrophobic, oleophobic)
Emulsions and Suspensions
Common Challenges and Solutions
The Challenge: Difficulty reducing particle size and even pigment dispersion.
The Solution: The ability to micronize dry pigments prior to dispersing or wet grind pigments in solution for increased potency is a perfect application of the FlackTek™. Carbon black, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, and coloring/plastic pigments can be equally reduced and dispersed into resins, oils, and solvents. Hegman gauge testing of these dispersions can produce results of 7.5 or higher, and can be achieved consistently and reproducibly in minutes.
The Challenge: Highly filled materials are notoriously difficult to achieve homogenous dispersions, control rheology, viscosity, and ensuring materials compatibility.
The Solution: With FlackTek™ the development of highly-loaded metallic or conductive inks can be done quickly at scales unachievable by other technologies. These high concentration formulas can be used as is, or used as a pre-dispersion/precursor to final formulations, aiding in the manufacturing process. High value materials such as silver inks, or other polymeric conductive inks are best made in small batch sizes and benefit from limited waste. We maintains precise levels of homogeneity in materials of varied density and viscosity, even in very small sample sizes. Maintaining an even dispersion of materials at various scales is difficult, using the FlackTek™ to help prep these specialized inks and coatings gives a wide range of flexibility in batch size.
The Challenge: Ineffective functional coatings often stem from the non-homogeneous dispersions of ingredients and the presence of entrained air.
The Solution: The FlackTek™ creates even dispersions of fillers and removes the need for downstream material processing prior to coating application. This is easily done by creating high shear in the mixing technology, and eliminates the need for using additional dispersion or grinding equipment. Using a vacuum FlackTek™ to degas coatings is often a necessary step to eliminate disparity in conductivity, or insulative properties. Degassing is performed in conjunction with mixing/dispersion of these fillers or additives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I mix varying viscosities and materials?
To handle a wide range of chemical formulations and viscosities, manufacturers rely on FlackTek™’s versatile mixing capabilities. With adaptable mixing equipment that allow for versatility in size, speed, capacity and customized mixing programs, FlackTek™ enables efficient, repeatable, homogeneous mixing, accommodating various chemical properties for your unique application.
How can I increase efficiency and reduce my mixing time?
By leveraging FlackTek™, manufacturers can achieve improved production efficiency and reduced mixing time. FlackTek™’s innovative solutions streamline the mixing process, leading to faster turnaround times and increased productivity. There’s no cleanup between batches, you can easily save up to 250 unique programs, results are perfectly repeatable, and the bladeless dual asymmetric centrifugal mixing speeds up mixing times compared to traditional bladed mixers.
What benefits can efficient mixing bring in terms of waste reduction and optimized resource utilization?
FlackTek™’s efficient mixing solutions, incorporating advanced technologies, minimize waste by ensuring thorough blending and reducing the need for rework. By optimizing resource utilization, including raw materials and energy consumption, FlackTek™ contributes to sustainable and cost-effective production processes.