Pigment Dispersion And Colour Development
Grind time, mill base viscosity, jetness and storage stability are one problem, not four. They are all set by the dispersant.
Most colour complaints trace back to the grind. Weak jetness, flooding on a mixed shade, a concentrate that thickens in the warehouse and a mill that is always the bottleneck are four symptoms of the same decision. Eight dispersants are published here across waterborne and solventborne chemistries, and this is how to narrow them down.
Pigment Dispersion And Colour Development In 6 Steps
Start from the system, not the pigment
The wrong chemistry cannot be rescued by dosage.
Waterborne points to QK3778, QK3770, QK3755, QK3740 or QK3730. Solventborne points to QK3340 or QK3320. Epoxy and UV point to QK3310.
Match the active content
Dosage figures are not comparable between a 35% and a 100% active product.
QK3730 is 35% active, QK3770 and QK3755 are 40%, QK3778 is 60%, QK3320 is 80%, and QK3740 and QK3310 are 100%. Compare on active polymer reaching the pigment, not on addition level.
Read the dosage by pigment class
A single recommended percentage is meaningless across a colour range.
Every dispersant page publishes separate figures for inorganic pigment, organic pigment, titanium dioxide and carbon black. All of them are on pigment weight.
Set the grinding procedure
Where the dispersant goes in matters as much as how much goes in.
Waterborne block copolymers need a resin-free grind in water. QK3740 must be dissolved in water or glycol first. QK3320 needs resin and solvent premixed before the additive, with post-addition under high shear as the recovery route.
Measure the right things
Colour strength alone will not catch a dispersion that is about to fail.
Record grind fineness, mill base viscosity, colour strength against reference, and a rub-out on mixed shades. The rub-out is what catches flooding and flocculation early.
Test storage before scale-up
Concentrates fail in the warehouse, not in the lab.
Store at both ends of the published storage window and re-measure viscosity at 7 and 28 days. Carbon black pastes are where QK3730 anti-thickening behaviour earns its place.
The Grades Referenced Above
QK3778 Waterborne Dispersant
Universal waterborne dispersant at 60% active that handles every pigment class including anti-corrosive fillers.
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QK3770 Wetting and Dispersing Agent
VOC-free block copolymer dispersant for waterborne wood and industrial coatings and resin-free concentrates.
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QK3755 Wetting and Dispersing Agent
VOC-free block copolymer for resin-free waterborne concentrates carrying 30-60% pigment.
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QK3740 Wetting and Dispersing Agent
100% active polymer dispersant that adds no carrier to waterborne coatings, inks and concentrates.
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QK3730 Wetting and Dispersing Agent
APEO-free dispersant built for carbon black and organic pigment in waterborne ink, inkjet and leather coatings.
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QK3340 Solventborne Dispersant
High molecular weight solventborne dispersant for carbon black jetness in coil, anti-corrosive and marine coatings.
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QK3320 Polyurethane Wetting and Dispersing Agent
80% active polyurethane dispersant for highly polar solventborne systems: automotive, motorcycle and coil coatings.
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QK3310 Solvent-Free Polymer Dispersant
100% active dispersant for epoxy and UV systems, with no risk of resin crosslinking and strong anti-float behaviour.
View technical dataPigment Dispersion And Colour Development Questions
Is dosage calculated on the batch or on the pigment?
Which dispersant for carbon black in water?
Which dispersant will not disturb an epoxy cure?
Start On Pigment Dispersion And Colour Development
Send the formulation details and the constraint you are working against. A recommended starting point with the matching data sheets comes back by email.