Simply put, ballpoint pens or roller-ball pens are water-based ballpoint pens.

The writing principle of the ballpoint pen is mainly to use the friction force generated by the direct contact between the ballpoint and the paper surface when writing, so that the ballpoint rolls in the ball seat and brings out the ink or ink in the pen core to achieve the desired effect. The purpose of writing.

A ballpoint pen is a pen that uses ink and different pigments to write. The tip of the pen is a small steel ball. The small steel ball is embedded in a small cylindrical copper bowl, and then connected to a plastic tube containing ink. The ink flows down from all sides as the steel ball rotates.

The pigments in ballpoint pen ink are dyes. There are three main ink colors: blue, red, and black, among which blue ink is the most commonly used. In the past, the pigment components in blue ink were salt-based royal blue and salt-based blue lotus, and the solvents were oxidized castor oil and ricinoleic acid. Because salt-based dyes are not lightfast (the lightfastness is only level 1-2), are not heat-resistant, and are not resistant to acid and alkali, they have poor durability and have now been eliminated. The "424" blue ballpoint pen and the "322" black ballpoint pen currently on the market have better durability in handwriting.

There are frequent reports that scented ballpoint pens are toxic. The volatile organic compounds contained in inferior scented stationery are toxic and can cause certain damage to the human body. However, we have not heard of reports that no volatile organic compounds are added during normal use. Incidents of poisoning caused by oily ballpoint pens containing compounds

Classification

There are many kinds of ballpoint pens in different styles. In terms of quality, there are high, medium and low grades, but in terms of category Basically, they can be divided into two types: oil-based ballpoint pens and water-based ballpoint pens.

⑴Oil-based ballpoint pen, commonly known as ballpoint pen. The pen tip balls used are mostly made of stainless steel or carbide materials. The diameter of the ball determines the thickness of the writing lines. Common ball diameters include 1 mm, 0.7 mm, and 0.5 mm (which are often indicated on the pen body or ballpoint refill of the product). The ink of ballpoint pens is specially made and is mainly made of a mixture of colorants, solvents and tackifiers. Common colors are blue, black and red. Ordinary inks are mostly used for general writing, while special inks are mostly used for archival writing. The ink used for archival writing is usually marked on the refill. For example, the refill made in China is marked with the word DA.

Oil-based ballpoint pens are the first generation of ballpoint pen products. It has been more than 60 years since they were put on the market in batches. After long-term improvement and improvement, the production process of oil-based ballpoint pens has matured, with stable product performance, long shelf life, and stable writing performance. It has now become a traditional product variety among ballpoint pens. The ink used in oil-based ballpoint pens has high viscosity, so the writing feel is relatively heavy. .

⑵Water-based ballpoint pen, also known as ballpoint pen or ballpoint pen. A ballpoint pen whose barrel and pen cover are made of plastic injection molding is called a full-plastic ballpoint pen; a pencase that is stamped and ground from stainless steel is called a semi-steel ballpoint pen; a penholder and pen cover made of stainless steel is called an all-steel ballpoint pen. The all-plastic type is basically a one-time use, that is, it will be scrapped when the ink is used up; the semi-steel type and all-steel type mostly use a replaceable refill structure. The pen tip of the ballpoint pen is divided into two types: cannonball type and needle tube type, which are made of copper alloy, stainless steel or engineering plastic respectively. Balls are mostly made of materials such as stainless steel, carbide or alumina. The diameter of the ball with medium writing is 0.7 mm, and the diameter of the ball with fine writing is 0.5 mm. There are two types of water storage: fiber bundle water storage and non-fiber bundle water storage. Ink colors include red, blue, black, green, etc. The ballpoint pen has the characteristics of both a fountain pen and an oil-based ballpoint pen. It writes smoothly and smoothly, with even lines. It is an ideal writing tool.

In addition to the above classifications, there are also common classifications based on the color of the ink and the structure of the pen:

1. Classification based on the color of the ink: ⑴ Single-color ballpoint pen: this It is the most common ballpoint pen, often available in blue, black, red, etc. ⑵ Two-color ballpoint pen: usually red and blue. ⑶ Three-color ballpoint pen: red, blue and black. ⑷ Four-color ballpoint pen: red, blue, black and green. In addition to these four kinds, there are also six-color, eight-color, and even twelve-color ballpoint pens.

2. Divided by structure: ⑴ For disposable ballpoint pens, the pen barrel is the refill. You can neither add ink nor replace the refill. When the ink is used up, it can only be discarded. ⑵ A refillable ballpoint pen with buttons, springs, locking, recovery and other functions. ⑶ The pen barrel can be rotated to extend or retract the pen core.

⑷ There are new ballpoint pens that combine ballpoint pens and fountain pens, ballpoint pens and pencils, ballpoint pens and test pens, ballpoint pens and tiny light bulbs, etc.

Evaluation

It has the advantages of simple structure, easy portability, smooth writing, and suitable for copying. People from all walks of life, from school students to office workers, are happy to use it. Ballpoint pens are different from fountain pens because they use dry-thick ink, and the ink is brought out and transferred to the paper by the freely rotating steel ball on the pen head. Therefore, it does not leak or be affected by climate, and the writing time is longer. It saves you the trouble of frequent filling of ink.

Usage

This pen is stronger and more durable than ordinary fountain pens, but if it is used and stored improperly, it is often impossible to write. This is mainly due to the dry ink bonding around the steel balls. It blocks the flow of ink. Ink is a viscous oil, which is prepared from linseed oil, synthetic pine nut oil (mainly containing terpene alcohols), mineral oil (oil obtained by fractionating minerals such as petroleum), hard glue and oil smoke. .

When using a ballpoint pen, do not write on paper with oil or wax. Otherwise, the oil and wax will be embedded in the copper bowl along the edge of the steel ball, affecting the oil and making it impossible to write. Also, avoid the pen from getting damaged. Avoid impact and exposure to the sun, and keep the pen cap on when not in use to prevent damage to the pen tip, deformation of the pen barrel, and oil leakage from the pen core to prevent contamination. In case of cold weather or if it has been left unused for a long time. When the pen does not produce oil, you can soak the pen tip in warm water for a while and then stroke the pen tip on the paper to write.

Materials for manufacturing ballpoint pen ink

The main ingredients in the ballpoint pen ink formula include dyes, film-forming agents, solvents, dispersants and other additives.

Basic ingredients of the formula: dye 5%-25%, film-forming agent 5%-15%, solvent 30%-60%, dispersant 5%-20%, other additives 2%-10%

1. Dyes

The function of dyes is to give the ink sufficient color depth. The dyes used in ballpoint pen inks can be divided into oil-soluble dyes and alcohol-soluble dyes. The dyes used in this test are phthalocyanine dyes. , the dye is insoluble in solvents, has good dispersion in the ink, and has strong adhesion to the film-forming agent, so that it does not penetrate into the inside of the paper, and the color should be bright and have good weather resistance.

2. Film-forming agent

Film-forming agent is an important component of erasable ballpoint pen ink. Its main function is to form a film evenly on the surface of the paper and serve as a carrier for dyes. . It is required to have certain adhesion to the paper, not easy to peel off, but can be gently wiped off with an eraser, strong adhesion to colorants, good solubility in solvents, mutual stability with other ingredients, and long-term storage . Rubber film-forming agents were used in this experiment.

3. Solvent

In erasable ballpoint pen inks, the role of the solvent is to dissolve dyes, film-forming agents and be compatible with various additives to provide a certain fluidity , it also needs to have just the right volatility to effectively control the drying speed during the writing process. Tests have shown that using a multi-solvent is better than a single solvent. This experiment used a multi-solvent system of solvent A: solvent B = 1:1.5~2.5, which has the best effect.

4. Dispersant

An appropriate amount of dispersant can reduce the adhesion between the ink and the paper surface, making the ink erasable and dispersed within a certain period of time when written on the paper surface. The agent also maintains the writing fluency and long-term stability of the ink. The substance used in this experiment is a mixture of phthalate esters and ethylene glycol esters prepared in a certain proportion.

5. Other additives

(1) Lubricants and corrosion inhibitors

Fatty acids are usually used as lubricants in ink components, and lubricants are also The functions of co-solvents and lubricants include: A. Lubricating the balls to provide fluent writing; B. Preventing the drying of ink so that the ballpoint pen has stable and good initial writing performance; C.

Increase the dye dissolution depth , improve the dye color. The introduction of fatty acids is corrosive to some pen tip metals (such as copper alloys), causing a non-homogeneous crystalline substance in the ink to block the channel, thus shortening the service life of the ballpoint pen. The use of fatty acids combined with corrosion inhibitors can solve corrosion problems while meeting lubrication requirements. The corrosion inhibitor used in the experiment is saturated and dissolved in fatty acids, which can achieve anti-corrosion purposes.

(2) Antioxidant, anti-desiccant

Another reason for the agglomeration blockage and crystal crown in ballpoint pen ink is that oxidation occurs at the interface between brass and the solution. Caused by the production of copper and zinc compounds. Antioxidants contain substances that can adsorb and absorb surrounding oxygen, so they can effectively prevent oxidation. The combination of antioxidants and corrosion inhibitors can more effectively prevent or inhibit the corrosion of copper alloys. Experiments have shown that the antioxidant effect we use good. In the experiment, we also used an anti-desiccant. Its main function is to prevent the oxidation and drying of the ink surface or ink marks, so that the ink and ink marks have better visual effects, while extending their service life and retention period. It can also improve the performance of the ballpoint pen during application. Performance, anti-desiccant is also an antioxidant.

History

Judging from the available information, the first time the name ballpoint pen appeared was in 1888. At that time, an American named John Lauder designed He invented a pen that used a ball as a pen tip, but he failed to make it into a commercial product that was easy for people to use.

In 1895, a commercial non-writing ballpoint pen was also sold on the British market, but it failed to become popular due to its narrow use. In 1916, someone in Germany also designed and produced a new type of ballpoint pen. Its structure was relatively close to today's ballpoint pens, but its performance was poor and it failed to attract widespread attention.

In 1936, Biro in Hungary was responsible for text proofreading in a news printing factory. When correcting proofs with a pen, wetting and blurring often occurred. For this reason, Biro began to wonder whether he could trial-produce an other type of printer. writing instrument instead of a pen. After a period of experimentation, he filled a steel round tube with quick-drying ink and installed a steel ball on one end as a pen tip. Then, he conducted writing experiments on various writing materials and found that they could leave indelible marks, and the ink in the pen tube was not easy to spill. The experiment was successful. In 1940, he improved his invention and applied for a patent on July 10, 1943. It was put into the market in 1945.

A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument that uses the rotation of steel balls to write ink onto paper. After World War II, ballpoint pens were introduced to China. Smart businessmen advertised "atom pens" in a big way, taking advantage of the aftereffects of the atomic bomb that exploded in Japan not long ago to expand sales. In fact, "ballpoint pen" has nothing to do with atoms, it just has a similar pronunciation.

Ballpoint pens are different from fountain pens because they use dry-thick ink, and the ink is brought out and transferred to the paper by the freely rotating steel ball on the pen head, so it does not leak and is not affected by the weather. , and the writing time is longer, eliminating the trouble of frequent filling of ink. It quickly became popular around the world. Currently, Japan alone consumes 400 million ballpoint pens a year.

[An interesting story about the improvement of ballpoint pens]

The reason why ballpoint pens can write is because when the steel ball in the pen tip rolls, it can bring out the quick-drying ink and transfer it to the paper. . It is said that the dry ink in the Japanese ballpoint pen refill is enough to write 20,000 words. However, after writing more words, the gap between the steel ball and the steel tube will gradually become larger, so the ink will leak out from the gap, often staining clothes, etc., which is very unpleasant.

In order to solve the problem of oil leakage, experts have used their brains a lot. Some study the improvement of ink formula; some study the hardness of steel balls and steel round tubes. But none of them had any effect.

Just when there was no progress in this research, a small business owner in Japan came up with a trick: Isn't it because the dry ink in it is enough to write 20,000 words? Isn’t it because the oil will leak by then? Then I will put less dry ink in it so that the ink in the refill can only be used up after writing more than 10,000 words. In this way, the problem of ballpoint pen refill leakage will be solved. So, he applied for a patent to specialize in the production of a short ballpoint pen refill and ballpoint pen, which was welcomed by customers, and soon he became a big entrepreneur.

This method of solving problems may seem like cutting corners, but in fact it is an innovation, an innovation in ideas and methods to solve problems that people at that time could not solve.