HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT

Thermochromic Ink

Thermochromic inks are pigments that change color to colorless at certain temperature. There are many different types of thermochromic pigments including textile inks for textile screen printing.

Usually you mix normal textile pigments with thermochromic inks so that it looks like the ink is changing from one color to the other. For example, if you mix yellow normal pigment with blue thermochromic ink, you will get green ink that changes from green (under reaction temperature) to yellow (over reaction temperature).

Zenit hantverk
http://www.zenit-konst.se/Servlet
The good thing about this company is that they have smaller quantity (100ml bottles) with affordable price (please ask directly to Zenit about the price list), but they have only 27 degrees reaction temperature inks. The colors come as concentrated pigments and you need to mix with textile binder to print.

B&G color change
http://www.colourchange.com/
They have wide variety of inks with reaction temperature and colors. The bad thing is that their minimum order is quite big quantity (4kg for BPA free ink). Please ask directly to B&G color change for the price list. The ink comes as 1:1 mix with binder.

SFXC

The B&G color/ LCR Hallcrest is now selling small quantity via SFXC (https://www.sfxc.co.uk/collections/thermochromatic-thermochromic-pigments-ink-paint).
LCR Hallcrest has also test kit from their website, but it is only 50g pack, and it is a bit too small for making projects. SFXC sells up to 5kg package (this includes 50/50 mix binder weight) with various colors and reaction temperature, and the price seems reasonable. (well, thermochromic ink is not a cheap ink. but if you do bulk order with industrial company, it is almost the same price) They even have small quantity liquid crystal!

8 Comments so far

Kit-of-No-Parts on March 7th, 2012

[…] Thermochromic, Liquid Crystal… more >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=3183 […]
Kit-of-No-Parts on March 7th, 2012

[…] Ingredients >> http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=734 HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=3183 […]
Joseph on June 8th, 2013

I would like to have some shirts made with the thermochromic ink. please have someone contact me via email or phone so I can discuss my ideas and hopefully your company can provide me with the right service. 847 777 9604

Joseph Carter
Jason Hiscox on September 4th, 2013

I’m looking for non-corrosive, non-conductive thermochromic dyes with a 30 deg. F non-color; to a 85 deg color-on range.

Much thanks,

jshiscox@yahoo.com
adi on November 14th, 2013

suggest any ink having 35C TO 45c
Shang-Fu Yang on November 3rd, 2014

Hello,

There is a question whether it can design the ink that can be light or transparent color at temperature from 25∘C to 120 ∘C and be black color at temperature higher than 150 ∘C.Thanks for your help.
Daisy on November 7th, 2014

Hi there,

Can these inks be used on leather? coated or a specific type of leather?

thanks
D.I.Y. Thermochromic Stickers | The future is interdisciplinary by Paola Guimerans on April 25th, 2015

[…] http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=3183 […]

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Since 2020, Hannah is guest professor of the Spiel&&Objekt Master's program at the University of Performing Arts Ernst Busch in Berlin

From 2013-2015 Mika was a guest professor at the eLab at Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weissensee

From July - December 2013 Hannah was a researcher at the UdK's Design Research Lab

From 2010-2012 Mika was a guest researcher in the Smart Textiles Design Lab at The Swedish School of Textiles

From 2009 - 2011 Hannah was a graduate student in the MIT Media Lab's High-Low Tech research group led by Leah Buechley

In 2009 Hannah and Mika were both research fellows at the Distance Lab

Between 2003 - 2009 Hannah and Mika were both students at Interface Cultures

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Thermochromic Ink

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