Aquarius Water-Based Retarder Gel - 1kg
High-viscosity water-based ink additive designed to slow evaporation and increase screen open time, helping reduce premature ink drying and screen blockages during textile screen printing.
Characteristics
Aquarius Water-Based Retarder Gel is a specialty additive formulated for use with Zodiac™ Aquarius™ water-based screen printing inks. Its primary purpose is to increase ink open time by slowing moisture evaporation, helping keep ink workable in the screen during production. Avient specifies a recommended addition rate of 1–5%.
The high-viscosity gel formulation is particularly useful during longer production runs, warm or dry shop conditions, and applications where water-based ink may begin drying in the mesh. By extending open time, Retarder Gel can help reduce screen blockages and maintain more consistent printing performance during press stoppages and production.
Aquarius Retarder Gel is compatible with multiple inks within the Aquarius system, including High Solids and discharge formulations. It allows printers to adjust ink performance without unnecessarily thinning the ink compared with lower-viscosity retarders.
As part of the Aquarius additive system, Retarder Gel uses water-based, non-PVC, and non-phthalate chemistry and can be used alongside other compatible Aquarius additives when additional ink-property adjustments are required.
- High-viscosity water-based retarding additive
- Increases ink open time
- Helps slow water evaporation during printing
- Helps minimize premature drying in the screen
- Helps reduce screen blockages during production
- Useful during extended production runs and press stoppages
- Helpful in warm or dry production environments
- Designed for Zodiac™ Aquarius™ water-based inks
- Compatible with multiple Aquarius ink systems, including High Solids and discharge formulations
- High-viscosity gel helps extend open time without unnecessarily thinning the ink
- Recommended addition rate of 1–5%
- Water-based formulation
- Non-PVC and non-phthalate
- Designed for professional textile screen printing
Aquarius™ Retarder Gel is itself an additive and can be used as part of the broader Aquarius™ additive system when additional ink-property adjustments are required.
- Aquarius™ Retarder: Add 1–3% to increase open time.
- Aquarius™ Retarder Gel: Add 1–5% to increase open time while maintaining greater ink body.
- Aquarius™ Thickener: Add 0.1–1% to increase viscosity.
- Aquarius™ Softener: Add 1–5% to improve finished hand feel.
- Aquarius™ Fixer: Add 1–10% to improve fixation or help reduce cure temperature.
When combining multiple Aquarius additives, test the complete ink formulation under actual production conditions to confirm acceptable printability, cure, colorfastness, and durability.
- Add 1–5% Aquarius™ Retarder Gel to compatible Aquarius ink as needed to increase open time.
- Begin at the lower end of the recommended range and increase gradually as needed.
- Consider shop temperature, humidity, ink behavior, and production conditions when determining the appropriate addition level.
- Measure the additive accurately to help maintain repeatable production formulations.
- Mix thoroughly into the ink before printing to ensure uniform consistency.
- Avoid adding more Retarder Gel than necessary, as excessive additive levels can affect printing and curing characteristics.
- Keep ink moving during production to help reduce drying in the screen.
- Clean the stencil and image area during extended press stoppages to further reduce screen drying and blockages.
- Follow the printing and curing recommendations for the specific Aquarius ink or base being modified.
- Test the finished ink formulation under actual production conditions before beginning a full print run.
- Verify proper cure, print durability, and desired performance after modifying the ink.
- Keep the container sealed when not in use and store within the recommended temperature range.
Aquarius™ Water-Based Retarder Gel is an ink additive rather than a standalone printing ink. Its primary function is to increase open time by slowing moisture evaporation from compatible Zodiac™ Aquarius™ water-based inks.
The recommended addition rate is 1–5%. Begin with a lower percentage and increase gradually according to shop temperature, humidity, ink behavior, press conditions, and the amount of additional open time required.
The high-viscosity gel formulation is useful when additional open time is needed without unnecessarily reducing ink viscosity. This can be particularly beneficial during long production runs, warm or dry shop conditions, and applications where ink begins drying prematurely in the screen.
Adding Retarder Gel modifies the original ink formulation. Excessive addition may affect the ink's printing characteristics, curing behavior, and finished performance. Use only the amount required to achieve the desired open time.
For production work, test the complete formulation on the intended garment and confirm acceptable printability, cure, colorfastness, adhesion, and durability before beginning the full production run.
- Increasing the open time of Aquarius™ water-based inks
- Reducing premature ink drying in the screen
- Helping minimize screen blockages
- Long textile screen printing production runs
- Extended press stoppages
- Warm or dry production environments
- Applications where water-based ink dries quickly in the mesh
- Maintaining greater ink body while increasing open time
- Compatible Aquarius™ High Solids formulations
- Compatible Aquarius™ discharge formulations
- Professional textile screen printing
- Production shops using the Zodiac™ Aquarius™ water-based ink system
