Archroma, a leader in colour and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, has launched its new Helizarin LTC New liq, a formaldehyde-free low temperature curing binder for pigment printing on all kinds of fibres at the recent ITMA in Barcelona.

“Helizarin LTC New was developed by Archroma’s R&D team together with experts at our Global Competence Center for Printing, based in Barcelona, Spain,” said Joaquin Femat, Head of Business Development for Printing, Brand & Performance Textile Specialties, at Archroma.

Helizarin LTC New is a binder designed for low temperature curing or no curing. This is said to allow to reduce the fixation temperature and time compared to conventional pigment printing processes. In addition, manufacturers will not experience the change of shades that sometimes occur with high temperature processes.

When using Helizarin LTC New, textiles manufacturers can therefore improve the productivity of their printing process and reduce their energy consumption, the manufacturer reports.

Challenges

“Prints are increasingly popular in apparel and interior textiles, as they allow us to express ourselves through vibrant colours and patterns. Consumers are especially drawn to the soft touch of an elegantly printed fabric,” the company explains.

“Creating soft and vibrant prints can, however, be challenging for textiles manufacturers: pigment printing is usually applied to the fabric with a binder that often contains formaldehyde, needs a high temperature for curing, and can make the fabric harsh to the touch. That is why Archroma developed its new Helizarin LTC New to allow textiles manufacturers to address these challenges.”

Solution

Helizarin LTC New is also a welcome solution for textiles manufacturers, who do not have curing equipment, since it is said to offer similar to better fastness than commodity binders that have been treated through a full process, and excellent fastness on synthetic fibres, such as polyester and polyamide.

“When it comes to the final result on the fabric, Helizarin LTC New allows the creation of soft and durable prints for premium quality articles,” the company continues. The new product will be the core of Archroma’s Cool Print, a complete formaldehyde-free system that keeps printed textiles soft and durable, and the planet cooler.

Potential savings

The system, which combines Helizarin LTC New with Luprintol softening and fixing auxiliaries and Printofix pigment preparations, allows manufacturers to realise potential savings of up to 30% in processing time, 45% in energy consumption and 44% CO2 emissions – compared to benchmark pigment printing.

Helizarin LTC New, as well as the Cool Print system, is formaldehyde free and registered under REACH. It can be used in line with the ZDHC & bluesign requirements, is compliant with the Oeko-Tex Std 100 Class 1 standard for baby wear, and with the MRSL of the most major brands.

www.archroma.com