ISO 12634:2017

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 12634
Second edition
2017-09
Graphic technology — Determination
of tack of paste inks and vehicles by a
rotary tackmeter
Technologie graphique — Détermination du tirant des encres, à l'aide
d'un tackomètre rotatif
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Apparatus . 3
5 Principle . 6
6 Conditioning, sampling and sample preparation . 6
6.1 Calibration . 6
6.2 Conditioning (breaking-in) of the tackmeter rollers . 7
6.3 Sampling . 7
6.4 Sample conditioning. 7
7 Procedure. 7
7.1 Preparation and instrument settings . 7
7.2 Settings for specific tests not mentioned explicitly in this document . 8
7.3 Inking of the central roller . 8
7.4 Measuring tack . 9
8 Evaluation .10
9 Report .10
Annex A (informative) Reference testing .12
Annex B (normative) Measuring geometries .13
Annex C (normative) Breaking-in rollers .14
Bibliography .15
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
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on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
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expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
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URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 12634:1996), which has been technically
revised.
The document has been entirely revised with regard to instrument specifications and test method
settings.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
On the market, a number of three-roller tackmeters are available that differ in design features such as
roller weight, geometry and composition of the distribution system. Instruments of different types do not
give the same apparent tack readings. Instruments of the same type will only give apparent tack readings
within tolerance, provided that they are maintained and calibrated properly and in the same manner.
Tack is a property indicative of internal cohesion of fluids and the adhesion to surfaces. It varies with
measuring conditions, primarily separation velocity, splitting area, force applied, film thickness and
temperature. Tack also varies with changes in other rheological properties of the fluid as a result of
time and interactions with the separating surfaces.
This document refers to tack measurement of paste inks and their vehicles only, not involving fountain
solution. During offset printing, the ink on a press may contain fountain solution and form an emulsion.
The amount of fountain solution within the ink partly depends on the composition of both the ink and
the fountain solution, the forces present, and the relative position of the ink in the roller train. The tack
of an emulsion partly depends on the composition of both the ink and the fountain solution and the
ratio of ink and fountain solution.
The tack value is a well-established criterion for assessing a paste ink or vehicle, although the parameter
tack is poorly defined. The tack cannot be regarded as a material property that can be derived from
basic physical phenomena. However, the tack influences the behaviour of ink in a printing press.
Parameters that affect tack include:
— dimensions, hardness and elasticity parameters of elastomeric rollers;
— surface properties of rollers;
— nip pressure;
— roller speed;
— temperature of rollers and environment;
— temperature of the sample;
— ink film thickness;
— influence of the ink or vehicle on the properties of the elastomeric coverage of the rollers (e.g.
absorption of solvents);
— condition of the elastomeric rollers due to the cleaning process;
— condition of the elastomeric rollers due to long-term use;
— properties of the test sample.
The tack of printing inks and vehicles influences their transfer properties, as manifested by throughput
in roll milling, picking of paper during printing and wet trapping in multicolour printing. Although
a tack measurement does not completely predict the transfer performance of an ink or a vehicle, it
provides a meaningful parameter for quality control, development and research.
Parameters that are affected by tack include:
— pick;
— ink trap;
— mottle.
Respecting all differences, this document specifies a method that allows users of comparable equipment
to obtain comparable results when working under the same conditions.
The previous version of this document referred mainly to the manufacturers' recommendations for
test method specifications such as speed, ink film thickness and temperature. As a result, there was a
huge increase in the number of small differences according to user, region, instrument, etc. This new
revision standardizes the settings across two platforms, Geometry A and Geometry B, for the purpose
of communication. Individual users can still use the familiar settings for internal use. If the deviating
settings are used for external communication, the deviation has to be described in the communication.
Mechanical instruments have been excluded from this document.
In this method, a procedure has been added to perform a periodic test with reference material to check
deterioration of the materials used, such as rubbers and inks.
vi © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 12634:2017(E)
Graphic technology — Determination of tack of paste inks
and vehicles by a rotary tackmeter
1 Scope
This document specifies the test procedure for determining the tack value of neat paste inks and
vehicles which have low volatility and are unreactive under normal room conditions during the
timespan required for testing.
1) 2)
This document contains a basic description of Inkometer® and Inkomat® (Geometry A) and
3) 4)
TackOscope® and TackTester® (Geometry B).
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 187, Paper, board and pulps — Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing and procedure for
monitoring the atmosphere and conditioning of samples
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
breaking-in
preparation process for new rollers where these are running in an (or another)
ink system to condition the elastomer (3.10) until constant readings are achieved
3.2
central roller
temperature controlled metallic roller used in a three-roller tack tester for ink distribution and as ink
transfer roller to the measuring roller (3.7)
3.3
distribution roller
elastomer covered roller used in a three-roller tack tester for ink distribution over the central roller (3.2)
1) Inkometer® is an example of a suitable product available commercially. This information is given for the
convenience of users of this document and does not constitute an endorsement by ISO of this product.
2) Inkomat® is an example of a suitable product available commercially. This information is given for the
convenience of users of this document and does not constitute an endorsement by ISO of this product.
3) TackOscope® is an example of a suitable product available commercially. This information is given for the
convenience of users of this document and does not constitute an endorsement by ISO of this product.
4) TackTester® is an example of a suitable product available commercially. This information is given for the
convenience of users of this document and does not constitute an endorsement by ISO of this product.
3.4
flying
ink fly
tendency of a printi
...