Laminates environmental durability

Water-based or aqueous inks are prevalent on the desktop and enjoy the advantage of being relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly, but penetration in industrial applications has been slow for a variety of reasons. Water-based inks tend to require porous or specially treated substrates or even lamination to impart durability and the ink tends not to adhere to non-porous substrates. Additionally, many piezoelectric industrial print heads are incompatible with water-based ink formulations, although this is changing in some part due to market demand for systems that can jet water-based biological or food contact fluids. 

Fillers provide films with conductive properties, influence their surface properties, affect their permeability, mechanical and optical properties, and affect their durability against environmental exposure. Various technologies are used to produce conductive films. These include lamination to metal foils (in-plant, using pressure sensitive adhesives), surface coating, and addition of conductive materials. Conductive films are widely used in packaging to limit static electricity. 

Similarly, standard information on the durability of FRP will generally be based on data obtained under standard ambient conditions. Where there is an unusual combination of environmental loads, for example an aggressive atmosphere combined with elevated temperatures, additional tests on components or laminates may be required, using the approaches outlined in 7.3.1 and 7.3.2. 

---