Method and apparatus for printing on rigid panels and other contoured or textured surfaces

Abstract

Ink jet printing is provided onto rigid panels (15) such as office clapboard which may have contoured, textured surface (16) made from three-dimensional material, or other surfaces having variable interval from rigid panels, the distance between printing elements (30, 130, 130a-130d) and position which surface will printing on thereof is not alaways or exactly predicted. Panels (15) are printed using ultraviolet light curable ink, first at least part of ink are cured by UV light, and maybe more completely cure and dry the ink to remove by using heating step, thereby removing uncured monomer through evaporating, furtherly curing or other maners. The surface (16) of rigid panels have contoured shape via sewing or moulding technics. Printhead to panel spacing is adjustable to maintain a predetermined constant distance from the printing element to the surface of the panel. Each of printheads (130a-130d) independently moveable to control the spacing of the printheads from the substrate. Sensors (40, 138) set on printhead carriage (129) measure the distance from the printhead to the surface of the substrate. Positions or focus of UV curing heads (23, 123) are variable to keep UV light focus on ink on contoured surface of substrate. UV curing heads may be located on the printhead carriage, every side of printhead has a light curing head, so that alternating work when the carriage reciprocating, spot curing and coagulating ink points immediately after ink deposited on the substrate. Cold UV sources may be used to prevent heat deformation of flat or contoured substrates, thereby making spot curing on heat-sensitive substrates.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to US Patent Application Serial No. 09 / 650,596, filed August 30, 2000, and US Patent Application Serial No. 09 / 822,795, filed March 30, 2001, which are hereby incorporated by reference. technical field [0002] The present invention relates to printing on rigid substrates, as well as printing on textured, contoured or other three-dimensional substrates. In particular, the invention relates to printing on, for example, substrates having a fabric surface, molded articles, rigid panels such as office partitions, automotive interior panels or other contoured articles, and to the use of jet printing techniques for such printing. system. Background technique [0003] Applying ink to a substrate by inkjet printing requires proper spacing between the ink nozzles and the surface of the substrate to be printed on. Typically, this spacing must be set within 1 or 2 millimeters to maintain efficient printing by the inkjet process. If the distance...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, even temporary deformation can adversely affect print quality if it occurs while the ink is being sprayed onto the substrate

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