Réponse rapide : les acheteurs qui choisissent additives for waterborne flexographic inks usually get a better first shortlist when they separate three different jobs early instead of asking one additive to rescue every press-side symptom at once. Start with CHLUMIWE® 2100 when the waterborne flexo ink still needs stronger mouillage du substrat, spread, and lower-surface-tension entry on film, coated paper, or another difficult surface. Move CHLUMIAG® 3501 forward when the ink already prints directionally but the dried print face still needs anti-sticking, release, or downstream handling control. Start with CHLUMIAF® 3062 when the real bottleneck is foam, microbubbles, or recirculation-side air entrainment in a waterborne flexographic route.
This page stays inside the redirected CHLUMICRYL® Additifs pour revêtements et encres direction and does pas fall back to the older photoinitiator cluster. It also is not a duplicate of Longchang’s already-live flexographic ink additives page, which covers a broader chemistry window across UV, solvent, and water-based systems. The buyer question here is narrower: which additive deserves the first trial when the ink is specifically waterborne, printed by flexography, and still not giving a commercially stable result on the press line?
Why waterborne flexographic inks deserve their own additive page
A waterborne flexographic ink sits in a tighter buyer lane than a broad flexographic article because the formulation has to keep together water-based process behavior, fast flexo transferet downstream handling after drying or rewinding. A lab drawdown may look acceptable while the live job still fails commercially because the ink does not wet the substrate cleanly, the printed face blocks or drags after drying, or the circulating system keeps pulling air into the ink.
That makes waterborne flexo a cleaner application split than another generic ink page. Buyers often need to separate a surface-entry problem, un dried-face handling problemet un recirculation-side foam problem before they can judge the rest of the package honestly. Those are different first screens, even when one press trial shows all three symptoms together.
General industry framing supports that split conservatively. Waterborne flexographic systems are commonly judged by how cleanly they wet films or coated stocks, whether the dried print face handles cleanly during rewinding, stacking, lamination, or later varnish steps, and whether foam or entrained air keeps disturbing transfer stability. The product-specific facts below still stay tied to current Longchang-supported product pages.
What the current company-supported evidence actually separates
- CHLUMIWE® 2100 is supported by Longchang as a multi-component modified polydimethylsiloxane route with surface tension below 25 mN/m, a recommended dosage of 0,1% à 1,0%, adéquation à difficult-to-wet substrates, and applicability across UV, solvantet systèmes à base d'eau. Longchang also states that, with a small amount added, it will ne produit pas de mousse stable lors d'une dispersion à grande vitesse.
- CHLUMIAG® 3501 is the broader print-face handling and anti-sticking route. Longchang lists it for encres d'imprimerie, encres pour jet d'encre, encres de sérigraphie, vernis de surimpression, revêtements antiadhésifset anti-sticking-agent use, while also supporting use across UV, solvantet systèmes à base d'eau. The current public page also says it can be added at any stage or later.
- CHLUMIAF® 3062 is supported by Longchang as a polysiloxane modifié par un polyéther defoamer with a recommended dosage of 0,1% à 0,5% pour encres d'imprimerie, and applicability across UV, solvantet systèmes à base d'eau. The current public page directly positions it as a printing ink defoamer, which is a clean fit when the waterborne flexo line is being limited by foam or microbubble carry-through.
That is enough company-supported separation to build a real B2B buyer page without inventing unsupported flexographic product facts. The goal is not to claim one additive solves every waterborne flexo complaint. The goal is to help the buyer choose the first better trial route.
Tableau comparatif rapide : quel itinéraire mérite la première place ?
| Buyer priority in waterborne flexographic inks | Meilleur premier itinéraire | Pourquoi cela devrait être la première chose à faire | Point de surveillance principal |
|---|---|---|---|
| The waterborne flexo ink still hesitates, pulls back, or spreads weakly on film, coated stock, or another difficult substrate | CHLUMIWE® 2100 | The supported route is built around very low surface tension, difficult-substrate wetting, and broad water-based applicability | Use it when the first problem is still substrate entry, not when the real complaint starts after drying on the printed face |
| The print already transfers directionally, but the dried face still blocks, drags, or handles poorly during rewinding or later contact | CHLUMIAG® 3501 | Longchang directly supports it for printing-ink use, anti-sticking logic, and broader downstream handling across water-based systems | Do not treat it as a substitute for true wetting correction when the ink still cannot enter the surface cleanly |
| Foam, microbubbles, or air entrainment are still corrupting transfer stability or final print appearance | CHLUMIAF® 3062 | Longchang directly positions it as a printing-ink defoamer and supports water-based system use | It is a defoaming route, not the first answer to a dried-face slip problem or a missing wetting route |
When CHLUMIWE® 2100 is the better first move
2100 should move first when the waterborne flexographic project still looks like a substrate-entry problem. This is the cleaner starting route when the ink is not spreading or covering the target surface cleanly enough to judge the rest of the package honestly.
That distinction matters because waterborne flexo teams often see more than one complaint at once. A weakly wetting ink can also look rough, unstable, or bubble-prone simply because the film never settled correctly on the substrate in the first place. If the surface-entry route is still wrong, later handling or defoaming trials become harder to read.
- Best first-screen use: difficult-substrate wetting and spread in waterborne flexographic inks
- Supported dosage window: 0,1% à 1,0% de la formulation totale
- Principal atout : lower surface tension and cleaner substrate entry for difficult surfaces
- Main caution: keep it as the first move when wetting is the dominant bottleneck, not when the print already lands acceptably and the real complaint starts later
In short, 2100 is the better first move when the question is still how the waterborne flexo ink meets the substrate.
When CHLUMIAG® 3501 is the better first move
3501 should move ahead first when the ink already transfers directionally but still shows a dried-face handling problem. This route is stronger when the issue is not basic surface entry, but blocking, sticking, drag, release-oriented handling, or later contact pressure on the printed face.
That matters in waterborne flexographic inks because many jobs are not finished when the ink simply lands on the web. Rewinding, stacking, lamination, overprint varnish, or later converting steps can expose a different additive problem from the original transfer stage. Longchang’s current public page is useful here because 3501 is not positioned only as a narrow coating additive. The supported route keeps together encres d'imprimerie, vernis de surimpression, revêtements antiadhésifset anti-sticking use, while staying open across UV, solvantet systèmes à base d'eau.
- Best first-screen use: anti-sticking, release, and downstream handling control after the waterborne flexo ink already transfers directionally
- System fit: UV, solvent, and water-based systems on the current public page
- Principal atout : one route that already supports printing-ink use plus broader handling logic
- Main caution: if the printed film still has obvious wetting failure, 3501 should not be used to hide a problem that still belongs to the 2100 route first
So 3501 is the better first move when the waterborne flexographic project needs a handling-first cleanup route after transfer is already directionally acceptable.
When CHLUMIAF® 3062 is the better first move
3062 should move ahead first when the waterborne flexographic line is being limited by mousse, microbulles, ou air entrainment. In those cases, a better wetting route or a better handling route usually will not give the team an honest print read until the foam pressure is under control.
Longchang’s public product page is direct here. 3062 is positioned as a printing ink defoamer, supports a 0,1% à 0,5% dosage window for printing inks, and remains open to systèmes à base d'eau. That makes it commercially useful in waterborne flexography, where circulation, pumping, and press-side agitation can keep feeding air into the ink even after the drawdown itself looks acceptable.
- Best first-screen use: persistent foam, microbubble carry-through, or waterborne air-release problems in flexographic inks
- Supported dosage window: 0.1% to 0.5% of total formulation for printing inks
- Principal atout : a defoaming route directly tied by Longchang to printing inks and water-based systems
- Main caution: it is not a substitute for a true wetting route or a dried-face handling route when those are the real first bottlenecks
This is the stronger first move when the visible defect is being limited by air management, not by missing wetting or missing handling control.
Comment les acheteurs doivent choisir avant de demander des échantillons
1. Start with the real first failure on the press line
If the waterborne flexo ink still hesitates on the substrate, start with 2100. If the ink already transfers directionally but still handles badly after drying, move 3501 forward. If foam or microbubbles are still corrupting the print read, start with 3062.
2. Keep substrate entry separate from dried-face handling
A waterborne flexographic ink that cannot wet the stock cleanly and a waterborne flexographic ink that prints acceptably but still blocks during rewinding are not the same additive problem. Separating those routes early usually makes the first trial set much more honest.
3. Keep foam control separate from both surface routes
Defoaming is not just a smaller version of wetting correction or anti-sticking control. If entrained air is still sitting in the system, it can distort how the team reads every later additive on the press.
4. Respect the watchpoint, not only the headline benefit
2100 brings a substrate-entry route. 3501 brings a broader anti-sticking and handling route. 3062 brings a direct printing-ink defoaming route. Those practical differences usually decide the better first route more than the additive family name alone.
5. Keep the first trial set small
For many waterborne flexographic buyers, one 2100 wetting route, un 3501 handling routeet un 3062 defoaming route teach more than an overloaded first screen filled with partially overlapping additives.
Itinéraire recommandé pour Longchang à partir de cette page
- Voie d'humidification : CHLUMIWE® 2100
- Handling route: CHLUMIAG® 3501
- Defoaming route: CHLUMIAF® 3062
- Aperçu du cluster : CHLUMICRYL® Additifs pour revêtements et encres
- Related broad page: Comment choisir les additifs pour les encres flexographiques
- Related waterborne print-finishing page: How to Choose Additives for Waterborne Overprint Varnishes
- Related packaging page: How to Choose Additives for Label Inks
- Page de fonction associée : Comment choisir les additifs mouillants pour les revêtements et les encres
- Page de fonction associée : Comment choisir les antimousses pour les revêtements et les encres
- Page de fonction associée : Comment choisir les additifs anti-adhérents pour les revêtements et les encres
FAQ
Which additive should I screen first if a waterborne flexographic ink still is not spreading cleanly?
Usually 2100, because the supported route is built around very low surface tension and difficult-substrate wetting, which matches a real entry-and-spread problem more directly than a handling or defoaming route.
When should 3501 move ahead of 2100?
3501 should move ahead when the ink already transfers directionally but the dried print face still blocks, drags, or handles poorly during rewinding, stacking, lamination, or later contact.
When does 3062 make more sense than the other two?
It makes more sense when foam, microbubbles, or air entrainment still dominate the visible defect pattern and the team needs a printing-ink defoamer route rather than another surface-control trial.
Is this page the same as the broader flexographic-ink additives page?
No. The broader flexographic page still answers the wider application question across UV, solvent, and water-based systems. This page is narrower and helps waterborne flexographic buyers decide whether the first bottleneck is substrate entry, dried-face handling, or circulation-side foam.
Does this page make food-contact or regulatory claims for packaging work?
No. This page stays focused on additive-selection logic for waterborne flexographic workflows. Any compliance, migration, or final end-use qualification still needs separate formulation and regulatory review.
Étape suivante
If your waterborne flexographic project is stuck between weak substrate entry, dried-face handling pressureet recirculation-side foam, stop treating them as the same additive request. Start with the real bottleneck first. That usually makes the next CHLUMICRYL® sample decision faster and more commercially useful.