Effective foam control for waterborne coatings performs at low concentrations no hydrophobic particles and stable under high shear mixing. Particularly for waterborne inks balancing effective foam control and good surface appearance.

Easy to Incorporate – Self-Emulsifying

Low Tendency to Cause Surface Defects – No Hydrophobic Particles

May Be Used for Indirect Food Contact in Ink and OPV

Additives for Long-Lasting, Defect-Free Foam Control in Inks and Overprint Varnishes

Are you looking for a long-lasting foam control additive for your ink or overprint varnish (OPV) that performs during both the manufacturing and printing processes and does not cause surface defects, even on filmic substrates? Is storage stability a concern? Do you also need to meet regulatory requirements for various food-contact applications? Then consider DOWSIL™ 71 Additive and DOWSIL™ 74 Additive. These foam control agents provide excellent, long-lasting foam control at reduced use levels while maintaining the integrity of the coating, and they comply with U.S., European and certain local country regulations within Europe for food contact.

Unlike silicone emulsion products, DOWSIL 71 and 74 Additives are supplied as 100% organomodified silicones. They are low viscosity, surfactant-like compounds that self-emulsify and thus are easy to incorporate at low shear, while also avoiding any issues with emulsion instability. They are also highly effective in a wide range of acrylic resin formulations, providing excellent foam control at much lower use levels without causing cratering and other surface defects associated with silicone emulsions, even on non-absorbent filmic substrates.

DOWSIL 71 and 74 Additive performance benefits:

• 100% organomodified silicones 
• Self-emulsifying 
• Easy to incorporate at low shear 
• Can be used neat or diluted in polar solvents
• Compatibility with a wide variety of ink and OPV resins 
• Very low use levels 
• Excellent foam control during both manufacturing and processing 
• Shear stability 
• Continued performance even after long-term storage 
• Prevent defects, even on filmic subtrates 
• Compliant with U.S., European and certain local country regulations within Europe for food-contact applications 

Effective Foam Control at Very Low Use Levels

With their unique organomodified silicone structure, DOWSIL 71 and 74 Additives provide excellent foam control at much lower use levels than competitive emulsion technology.

Figure 1: DOWSIL 71 Additive, for example, can be used at nearly half the level of a silicone emulsion in a waterborne flexographic ink.

DOWSIL 71 Additive Outperforms a Silicone Emulsion in a Waterborne OPV After Nine Weeks of Storage

Because it is self-emulsifying, DOWSIL 71 Additive continues to provide excellent foam control during printing even after long-term storage when used at up to five times less than a silicone emulsion (Fig 2.)

Figure 2: Storage Performance of DOWSIL 71 Additive in a Waterborne Flexographic Ink

DOWSIL 71 Additive Provides a Defect-Free Surface in a Waterborne Flexographic Ink

Unlike silicone emulsions, which contain silica particles that can lead to defect formation, DOWSIL 71 and 74 Additives are highly organic in nature. They are compatible with a wide range of acrylic resins and provide defect-free surfaces.

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DOWSIL 71 Additive and DOWSIL 74 Additive for Inks and Overprint Varnishes