A New Approach to Evaluating Ink Curing Time Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Abstract A new method for analyzing the drying characteristics of ink has been developed using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). DSC is able to determine the drying time of an ink in 30-45 minutes. In contrast, the ASTM method uses a Beck-Koller (BK) Dryer instrument to draw a stylus across an ink film to evaluate film drying, which can take hours or days depending on the film. This DSC method is comparative and does not reflect dry times under standard atmospheric conditions. A commercial offset ink was analyzed using DSC and BK Dryer methods. The two methods correlated highly (r = 0.976) with DSC offering comparable or smaller relative standard deviations and a significantly shorter analysis time. This method has the potential to analyze any oxygen-dependent coating.