Rotary screen and ink-jet composite printing machine

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of textile printing, and discloses a rotary screen and ink jet composite printing machine which comprises two side frames, a guide belt, a guide belt driving mechanism, a rotary screen printing roller and at least one digital direct injection mechanism. The digital direct injection mechanism comprises a portal frame, a printing assembly and a lifting assembly. And a spray head on the printing assembly faces the guide belt downwards. According to the rotary screen and ink-jet composite printing machine, part of a rotary screen structure of an original rotary screen printing machine is removed, a vacant position is replaced with a digital direct injection mechanism, original side frames, guide belts, guide belt driving mechanisms and other core components are fully utilized, a whole set of transmission system does not need to be redesigned or purchased, and the equipment upgrading cost is remarkably reduced; in addition, the portal frame of the digital direct injection mechanism is placed on the ground, can be rapidly installed through hoisting, is not in complex mechanical connection with an original machine structure, and is short in transformation period and convenient to operate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of textile printing technology, and in particular to a rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine. Background Technology

[0002] Rotary screen printing machines, widely used in the textile industry as continuous printing equipment, work by using a rotating, perforated nickel screen and a squeegee to precisely transfer ink through the screen openings (only the perforated areas of the pattern allow ink to pass through) onto the fabric surface. Multiple rotary screen units sequentially print different colors, ultimately superimposing to form a multi-color pattern. This technology is widely used in the printing of conventional textiles such as cotton, polyester, and blended fabrics due to its advantages of high production efficiency, suitability for large-scale multi-color pattern printing, and uniform ink transfer.

[0003] However, with the diversification and personalization of modern textile design needs, the limitations of traditional rotary screen printing machines have gradually become apparent. On the one hand, rotary screen printing relies on pre-made stencils, which are insufficient for high-precision gradients, fine lines, or small-batch personalized patterns. On the other hand, for complex designs that require the integration of digital inkjet technology to achieve special effects (such as localized highlights or three-dimensional textures), companies typically need to purchase separate digital inkjet printing equipment, resulting in two production lines operating in parallel. This independent production line model has significant drawbacks: firstly, high equipment investment costs; secondly, fragmented production processes, requiring fabrics to be transferred multiple times between the two production lines, increasing production time and the risk of fabric damage; and thirdly, large equipment footprint, which does not meet the needs of modern textile companies for cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

[0004] Therefore, it is urgent to improve the existing rotary screen printing machine and integrate inkjet function to form a composite equipment design, while also meeting the requirements of low cost and easy modification. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine, which aims to combine the advantages of large-scale production of rotary screen printing with the personalized processing advantages of digital inkjet printing, reduce the equipment upgrade costs of enterprises, and improve production flexibility.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine includes two symmetrically arranged side frames extending from front to back, a guide belt disposed between the two side frames, a guide belt drive mechanism for driving the guide belt to circulate and move backward, and at least one digital direct-to-garment unit arranged around the side frames and the guide belt. A rotary screen printing roller is disposed upstream and / or downstream of the digital direct-to-garment unit. The rotary screen printing roller is horizontally mounted on top of the two side frames. The digital direct-to-garment unit includes a gantry frame placed on the ground and spanning the side frames and the guide belt, a printing assembly disposed within the gantry frame, and a lifting assembly installed within the gantry frame for driving the printing assembly to move up and down. The printhead on the printing assembly faces downward toward the guide belt.

[0008] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the gantry includes a crossbeam, two vertical beams respectively set on the left and right sides of the crossbeam, and feet set at the bottom of the vertical beams.

[0009] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the lifting assembly includes two guide rails vertically arranged on the inner side of the vertical beam, a slide block slidably connected to the two guide rails, a lead screw nut mounted on the slide block, a lead screw extending vertically and cooperating with the lead screw nut, and a lifting drive motor driven by the lead screw.

[0010] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the gantry frame is equipped with lifting rings.

[0011] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the digital direct injection mechanism is provided in multiple ways and arranged side by side from front to back.

[0012] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, a maintenance ladder is provided in front of and / or behind the digital direct injection mechanism.

[0013] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the maintenance ladder includes a horizontal step frame and two side ladders respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the horizontal step frame, and the horizontal step frame is covered with a tread.

[0014] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, a handrail is provided on the side ladder.

[0015] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the gantry frame is equipped with protective plates located on the front and rear sides of the printing assembly.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine provided by this utility model removes part of the rotary screen structure of the original rotary screen printing machine and replaces it with a digital direct-to-garment (DG) mechanism. It fully utilizes the original side frame, guide belt, and guide belt drive mechanism, eliminating the need to redesign or purchase the entire transmission system, significantly reducing equipment upgrade costs. Furthermore, the gantry frame of the DG mechanism is ground-mounted and can be quickly installed via hoisting, without complex mechanical connections to the original machine structure, resulting in a short modification cycle and convenient operation. Integrating rotary screen printing and digital inkjet functions into the same machine, the fabric only needs one continuous transport to complete the composite processing of the two processes. This avoids the multiple transfers of fabric between the rotary screen and inkjet equipment in the traditional independent production line mode, reducing production time and the risk of fabric damage due to repeated handling. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 A perspective view of the rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine provided by this utility model.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a 3D view of the digital direct injection mechanism.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a 3D diagram of the maintenance ladder.

[0020] Key component symbols: 1-Side frame, 2-Guide belt, 3-Rotary screen printing roller, 4-Digital direct inkjet printing mechanism, 41-Gantry frame, 411-Horizontal beam, 412-Vertical beam, 413-Foot, 42-Printing assembly, 421-Print head, 43-Lifting assembly, 431-Guide rail, 432-Slide, 433-Screw nut, 434-Screw, 435-Lifting drive motor, 44-Lifting ring, 45-Safety plate, 5-Maintenance ladder, 51-Horizontal step, 52-Side ladder, 53-Step, 54-Handrail, 6-Ink supply assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0021] This utility model provides a rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine. To make the purpose, technical solution, and effects of this utility model clearer and more explicit, the following describes this utility model in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0022] Please see Figures 1 to 3This utility model provides a rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine, including two symmetrically arranged side frames 1 extending from front to back, a guide belt 2 disposed between the two side frames 1, a guide belt drive mechanism for driving the guide belt 2 to circulate and transmit backward, and at least one digital direct-to-garment mechanism 4 arranged around the side frames 1 and the guide belt 2. A rotary screen printing roller 3 is disposed upstream and / or downstream of the digital direct-to-garment mechanism 4. The rotary screen printing roller 3 is horizontally mounted on the top of the two side frames 1. The digital direct-to-garment mechanism 4 includes a gantry frame 41 placed on the ground and spanning the side frames 1 and the guide belt 2, a printing component 42 disposed within the gantry frame 41, and a lifting component 43 installed within the gantry frame 41 for driving the printing component 42 to move up and down. The printhead 421 on the printing component 42 faces downward toward the guide belt 2.

[0023] The working process of the rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine is as follows: The guide belt 2 is driven by the guide belt drive mechanism, and the fabric is transported backward with the guide belt 2; taking the rotary screen printing roller 3 set upstream of the digital direct-to-garment mechanism 4 as an example, the fabric first passes through the rotary screen printing roller 3 (or multiple sets of rotary screen units). After the ink paste is injected into the interior of the rotary screen printing roller 3, through the synergistic action of the squeegee and the rotary screen (the squeegee is close to the inner wall of the rotary screen at a certain angle and rotates synchronously with the rotary screen), the ink paste is squeezed through the mesh (only the pattern cutout part) onto the fabric surface above the guide belt 2, completing the large-scale multi-color pattern printing of rotary screen printing; then the digital direct-to-garment mechanism 4 performs inkjet printing. The printing component 42 adjusts the height through the lifting component 43 so that the printhead 421 is precisely aligned downward with the fabric surface on the guide belt 2; when the guide belt 2 transports the fabric past the printhead 421, the printing component 42 controls the printhead 421 to spray ink according to the preset pattern, and completes the digital inkjet personalized pattern superposition (such as fine gradient, local highlight or three-dimensional texture, etc.) on the fabric surface. By using the sequential synergy (or alternation) of rotary screen printing and digital inkjet printing, the composite pattern is ultimately printed in the same transmission process.

[0024] Although digital inkjet technology can achieve fine patterns, it is limited by the color gamut of ink. When a rotary screen printing roller 3 is set downstream of the digital direct inkjet unit 4, the downstream rotary screen printing roller 3 can directly superimpose special colors on the digital printing pattern through high-concentration pigment paste or special particulate pigments (such as gold and silver powder, pearlescent powder), thereby expanding the overall color expression range.

[0025] The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine provided by this utility model removes part of the rotary screen structure of the original rotary screen printing machine and replaces it with a digital direct-to-garment (DGG) mechanism 4. It fully utilizes the original side frame 1, guide belt 2, and guide belt drive mechanism, eliminating the need to redesign or purchase the entire transmission system, significantly reducing equipment upgrade costs. Furthermore, the gantry frame 41 of the DGG mechanism 4 is ground-mounted and can be quickly installed via hoisting, without complex mechanical connections to the original machine structure, resulting in a short modification cycle and convenient operation. Integrating rotary screen printing and digital inkjet functions into the same machine, the fabric only needs one continuous transport to complete the composite processing of the two processes. This avoids the multiple transfers of fabric between the rotary screen and inkjet equipment in the traditional independent production line mode, reducing production time and the risk of fabric damage due to repeated handling.

[0026] The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine retains the advantages of high-efficiency and large-scale production of rotary screen printing (suitable for multi-color, large-batch conventional patterns), while the digital direct-to-garment mechanism 4 adds the processing capabilities for high-precision gradients, fine lines, and small-batch personalized patterns, meeting the needs of modern textile design for complex effects (such as local highlights and three-dimensional textures) and expanding the application scenarios of the equipment.

[0027] Understandably, the number of digital direct-injection units 4 can be flexibly set according to actual production needs (such as pattern complexity and order size). The digital direct-injection units 4 do not increase the length of the equipment, and the overall footprint of the equipment is small, which meets the needs of enterprises to reduce costs, increase efficiency and make space more efficient.

[0028] For details, see Figure 2 As shown, the gantry frame 41 includes a crossbeam 411, two vertical beams 412 respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the crossbeam 411, and feet 413 disposed at the bottom of the vertical beams 412. The gantry frame 41 can effectively distribute the weight of the printing component 42 and the vibration load during operation, avoiding the offset of the distance between the printhead 421 and the fabric caused by the shaking of the gantry frame 41 during printing, and ensuring the accuracy of the inkjet position. The crossbeam 411, vertical beams 412 and feet 413 of the gantry frame 41 can be pre-assembled and quickly assembled on-site by hoisting and placed on the ground next to the original rotary screen printing machine side frame 1, without the need for drilling, welding or other destructive modifications to the original machine side frame 1, guide belt 2 and other core structures. The setting of the feet 413 avoids the mechanical connection between the gantry frame 41 and the original machine side frame 1 (only the position of the guide belt 2 needs to be aligned), greatly reducing the difficulty and time cost of modification, which meets the design goal of low cost and easy modification.

[0029] The vertical beam 412, serving as the load-bearing structure of the gantry 41, has a large usable hollow space within its cavity. Integrating the electrical control room into the cavity of the vertical beam 412 eliminates the need for a separate electrical control cabinet or control box, significantly reducing the overall footprint of the equipment. Especially for retrofitting projects, this design maximizes the use of the vertical beam 412's own structural space, meeting the textile industry's demand for compact and integrated equipment.

[0030] Preferably, the gantry 41 is equipped with lifting rings 44, which can be directly connected to the hooks of workshop cranes, forklifts, or hoisting equipment (such as electric hoists) to achieve rapid lifting, horizontal movement, and precise positioning of the gantry 41. The lifting rings 44 can be fine-tuned using the hoisting equipment to ensure the gantry 41 accurately fits the installation position next to the original machine side frame 1, avoiding positional deviations caused by manual handling, ensuring the alignment accuracy of the printhead 421 and the guide belt 2, and laying the foundation for the quality of subsequent inkjet printing patterns.

[0031] In this embodiment, the lifting assembly 43 includes two guide rails 431 vertically arranged on the inner side of the vertical beam 412, a slide block 432 slidably connected to the two guide rails 431, a lead screw nut 433 mounted on the slide block 432, a lead screw 434 extending vertically and cooperating with the lead screw nut 433, and a lifting drive motor 435 drivenly connected to the lead screw 434; the slide block 432 is fixedly connected to the printing assembly 42. When it is necessary to adjust the distance between the printhead 421 of the printing assembly 42 and the fabric on the guide belt 2, the lifting drive motor 435 starts and outputs rotational power, which drives the lead screw 434 to rotate around its axis through a coupling or direct connection. Since the lead screw nut 433 and the lead screw 434 form a helical pair and the lead screw nut 433 is fixedly installed on the slide 432, and the slide 432 is slidably connected to the guide rail 431 on the inner side of the vertical beam 412 through a slider, the rotational motion of the lead screw 434 is converted into the linear lifting motion of the slide 432 along the guide rail 431. The lifting of the slide 432 synchronously drives the printing assembly 42 to move up and down, ultimately achieving precise adjustment of the distance between the printhead 421 and the fabric surface (for example, controlling the distance between the printhead 421 and the fabric within the optimal range of 1-3mm according to the fabric thickness or inkjet process requirements).

[0032] The digital direct-to-garment printing unit 4 has multiple units arranged side-by-side from front to back. Each unit can be configured with different colors or functional inks to achieve multi-color overlay, gradient transitions, or layered printing. Simultaneously, the upstream rotary screen printing roller 3 can pre-print a uniform base color (such as a white base to enhance the inkjet color saturation of dark fabrics) or large-area base color blocks (such as a background color), providing a stable base for digital inkjet printing. The downstream rotary screen printing roller 3 can supplement the uniform ink coverage unique to rotary screen printing (such as edge contour reinforcement) or post-processing (such as a transparent protective coating), forming a composite process chain that supports the printing of complex patterns such as high-precision gradients, fine lines, and localized three-dimensional textures, breaking through the limitations of traditional rotary screen printing on personalized designs.

[0033] In this embodiment, four digital direct-to-garment (DGG) units 4 are provided, and rotary screen printing rollers 3 are provided upstream and downstream of the DGG units 4. By controlling the number of DGG units 4 that are turned on (e.g., 1-4 units) or adjusting their inkjet parameters (e.g., the spraying frequency and ink volume of the printhead 421), different order types can be flexibly adapted: (1) For small-batch personalized orders, only some DGG units (e.g., 2 units) are activated to cooperate with the basic printing of the upstream and downstream rotary screens to quickly complete the customized production of local fine patterns;

[0034] (2) For large-volume regular orders, the direct printing mechanism is shut down, and efficient large-scale printing is carried out only through upstream and downstream rotary screen rollers, thus preserving the capacity advantage of rotary screen;

[0035] (3) For complex composite orders, use both direct injection mechanisms and combine the base color and color fixing processes of the upstream and downstream rotary screens to meet the design requirements of high precision and multiple effects superposition.

[0036] The gantry 41 of the digital direct spraying mechanism 4 is typically of a certain height. Without a maintenance ladder 5, operators must use temporary ladders or climb the vertical beams 412 of the gantry 41 for maintenance, posing a risk of slipping, falling, or contact with live components. Therefore, it is necessary to install a maintenance ladder 5 in front of and / or behind the digital direct spraying mechanism 4. As a fixed facility, the maintenance ladder 5 allows operators to quickly walk to the ladder entrance and climb to the maintenance height (such as the installation position of the nozzle 421 or lifting assembly 43) without needing to move or adjust temporary ladders or find auxiliary supports, thus shortening the time required for each maintenance session and reducing equipment downtime losses.

[0037] For details, see Figure 3As shown, the maintenance ladder 5 includes a horizontal step 51 and two side ladders 52 respectively located on the left and right sides of the horizontal step 51. A footboard 53 is laid on the horizontal step 51, providing a flat and continuous standing surface for the operator. The lateral span of the horizontal step 51 matches the width of the digital direct-injection mechanism 4 (e.g., covering the left and right range of the gantry 41 crossbeam 411). The large area design of the footboard 53 allows the operator to move or turn freely on it, simultaneously accessing maintenance points at different locations such as the printing components 42 (e.g., printhead 421, ink supply tube), the lifting components 43, and the electrical control room inside the vertical beam 412.

[0038] Preferably, the side ladder 52 is equipped with a handrail 54. In the printing workshop environment, the floor is often slippery due to ink drips, equipment cleaning, or steam condensation. If operators rely solely on their feet for support when climbing the side ladder 52, they are prone to slipping due to slippery shoes or a shift in their center of gravity, leading to a fall. The handrail 54 serves as a direct hand support point, providing a stable grip and effectively balancing the body's center of gravity.

[0039] In the printing workshop, a large amount of short fiber debris (such as cotton lint and polyester staple fiber) is generated during fabric transport. This debris easily floats and adheres to the surface of the printhead 421 or clogs the nozzles (especially when the distance between the printhead 421 and the fabric is only 1-3mm), causing ink interruption or ink droplet misalignment. The protective plate 45 covers the front and rear sides of the printing assembly 42, forming a physical barrier that can effectively prevent fiber debris from entering the printing area and reduce the risk of printhead 421 clogging.

[0040] The internal structure of the printing assembly 42 contains numerous electronic control modules. These modules are highly sensitive to fiber debris and ink dust; accumulation of contaminants can lead to short circuits or signal interference. Therefore, the gantry 41 is equipped with protective plates 45 located on the front and rear sides of the printing assembly 42. These plates form a semi-enclosed space, effectively preventing fiber debris, ink droplets, and dust from the workshop environment from entering the internal structure. This reduces the corrosive effects of contaminants on electronic components, piping, and transmission components, significantly extending the lifespan of the internal core components.

[0041] The specific structure of the printing component 42 is existing technology and will not be described in detail here. The ink supply component 6 can be set on the side of the rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine, and simultaneously supply ink to multiple digital direct inkjet units 4.

[0042] The guide belt drive mechanism specifically consists of a drive roller, a driven roller, a support roller, and a guide belt drive motor connected to the drive roller. The guide belt 2 is wound around the drive roller and the driven roller, and the support roller supports the guide belt 2.

[0043] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.

[0044] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows for communication; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0045] It is understood that those skilled in the art can make equivalent substitutions or changes based on the technical solution and inventive concept of this utility model, and all such substitutions or changes should fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine, characterized in that, The device includes two symmetrically arranged side frames extending from front to back, a guide belt disposed between the two side frames, a guide belt drive mechanism for driving the guide belt to circulate and transmit data backwards, and at least one digital direct-to-garment (DGG) mechanism surrounding the side frames and the guide belt. A rotary screen printing roller is disposed upstream and / or downstream of the DGG mechanism. The rotary screen printing roller is horizontally mounted on top of the two side frames. The DGG mechanism includes a gantry placed on the ground and spanning the side frames and the guide belt, a printing assembly disposed within the gantry, and a lifting assembly installed within the gantry for driving the printing assembly to move up and down. The printhead on the printing assembly points downward toward the guide belt.

2. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gantry frame includes a crossbeam, two vertical beams respectively set on the left and right sides of the crossbeam, and base plates set at the bottom of the vertical beams.

3. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting assembly includes two guide rails vertically arranged on the inner side of the vertical beam, a slide block slidably connected to the two guide rails, a lead screw nut mounted on the slide block, a lead screw extending vertically and cooperating with the lead screw nut, and a lifting drive motor driven by the lead screw.

4. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gantry frame is equipped with lifting rings.

5. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The digital direct injection mechanism is provided in multiple units and arranged side by side from front to back.

6. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, A maintenance ladder is provided in front of and / or behind the digital direct injection mechanism.

7. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The maintenance ladder includes a horizontal step frame and two side ladders respectively located on the left and right sides of the horizontal step frame, with a footboard laid on the horizontal step frame.

8. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The side ladder is equipped with a handrail.

9. The rotary screen and inkjet composite printing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gantry frame is equipped with protective plates located on the front and rear sides of the printing assembly.

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