Ambergum® water-soluble polymers

There are three key products in this family: Ambergum 1221, Ambergum 3021, and Ambergum 3085.

Ambergum® 1221 powder is an anionically charged water-soluble polymer with a low molecular weight, prepared from cellulose. These properties bring the following benefits to lithographic fountain and plate solutions.

Benefits of Ambergum 1221 Powder
Solutions of Ambergum 1221:

• can be made at a high solids level to provide maximum desensitizing gum levels with minimum water use.
  
  
• are clean and residue free; filtration steps can be avoided and productivity can be increased.
  
  
• are functional over a wide pH range, allowing use in both acid and neutral fountain solutions.
  
  
• have good adhesion and film-forming properties to keep image areas sharp and clean.

AmberGum 1221 powder has been evaluated as a replacement for gum arabic in both lithographic gumming and fountain solutions.

Ambergum 1221 in Gumming Solutions
Lithographic gumming solutions are used to coat developed plates to protect them from oxidation, dirt, grease, and fingerprints during storage. The coating must perform these functions and must not interfere with the printing quality once the plate is in use.

Ambergum 1221 Water-Soluble Polymer in Fountain Solutions
Fountain solutions are used in the lithographic process to replace gum solids that have been eroded from the printing plate during the printing cycle; thus, the nonimage area is continually desensitized. Fountain solutions normally contain water and gum arabic and many contain some isopropanol.

Ambergum 3021 is supplied as a ready-to-use liquid solution. It is a functional equivalence of the dry powder Ambergum 1221. It was designed to eliminate the handling and dissolving of the dry cellulosic polymer.

Ambergum 3085 is also a cellulosic polymer solution and has found use in lithographic printing as a wetting agent. It is an aqueous solution and does not contain any solvents or volatile organic compounds. Ambergum 3085 is used as a replacement for isopropylalcohol on Dahlgren-type damping systems or as an additive for other damping systems. Its use in lithographic printing as an isopropyl alcohol replacement is covered by U.S. patent number 5,006,168.

Back