Chemical synthesis and analysis

Our inkjet ink R&D department is closely linked to the Agfa chemical synthesis department as well as the Agfa analytical department.

The chemical synthesis department is a world class R&D lab in the field of chemical compounds related to the imaging applications. A short list of their expertise includes knowledge of colorants (both dyes and pigments), polymers for use in inks (including ink binders and polymeric dispersing agents), surface chemistry to control the compatibility between ink ingredients, additional building blocks for use in inkjet inks, especially for curable inkjet inks (photo-initiators etc).

The analytical department is a multi-disciplinary lab with world class expertise in chemical analytics, physical analytics and physicochemical analytics. The chemical analytical techniques are supporting the chemical synthesis, but are also used to analyse ink samples and print samples. The physical and physicochemical analytics are used in the field of inkjet inks for amongst others rheometry in different conditions, measurements of ink particle size distribution, dynamic surface tension and surface energies of substrates.