Disperse, deagglomerate and wet-mill pigment particles down to the nanometer range. Improve color strength, hiding power, scratch, crack and UV resistance, surface finish, and durability of inks, paints, varnishes, and coatings. Simultaneously reduce particle sizes and remove entrapped air and/or dissolved gasses from the pigment suspension medium. Pigments are, most commonly, insoluble metal oxide particles (e.g., TiO2, ZrO2, SiO2, CeO2, and ZnO) that, when dispersed in an appropriate medium, can provide color. Depending on the medium, pigment dispersions are used as inks, varnishes, coatings, paints, etc. Many of the critical properties of these products, such as the color strength, hiding power, surface finish, and durability, are determined by the sizes of the dispersed pigment particles. Since the color strength depends on the cumulative exposed pigment surface area, it can be substantially enhanced by reducing and homogeneously dispersing the particles. Pigment particle size reduction can also improve scratch, crack and UV resistance of inks, coatings, varnishes, and paints because it leads to closer particle packing and their better incorporation into the binding medium. Industrial Sonomechanics® ultrasonic processors provide a convenient means for dispersing, deagglomerating and wet-milling pigment particles down to the required nanometer size range, while simultaneously removing any entrapped air and/or dissolved gasses (degassing) from the suspension medium. With our patented Barbell Horn® Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT), these processes can be easily implemented at any scale, guaranteeing reproducible and predictable high-quality results. What is ultrasonic pigment dispersion? Ultrasonic pigment dispersion uses high-intensity cavitation to break apart and evenly distribute pigment particles in a liquid medium, reducing them toward the nanometer range for inks, paints, varnishes, and coatings. How does particle size affect pigment performance? Critical properties such as color strength, hiding power, surface finish, and durability depend on pigment particle size. Because color strength relates to exposed surface area, reducing and homogeneously dispersing particles substantially enhances it. What is ultrasonic wet milling? Ultrasonic wet milling reduces and deagglomerates particles directly in a liquid suspension. It can simultaneously reduce particle size and remove entrapped air or dissolved gases from the suspension medium. Does smaller pigment size improve durability? Yes. Reducing pigment particle size leads to closer particle packing and better incorporation into the binding medium, which can improve scratch, crack, and UV resistance of inks, coatings, varnishes, and paints. Can pigment dispersion be scaled to production volumes? Yes. ISM’s Barbell Horn Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT) processors disperse and wet-mill pigments at any scale, delivering reproducible, predictable, high-quality results.
