Belt-like fabric having pattern printed by ink jet printing

Abstract

To provide a belt-like fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.SOLUTION: In a belt-like fabric having a pattern printed by ink jet printing, a printed surface is of twill weave. Further, a pitch of weft yarns in a region where the pattern is inkjet-printed is denser than a pitch of weft yarns in a region where the pattern is not printed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a belt-shaped fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing. [Background technology]

[0002] Belts and tubes, which have a woven structure made of warp and weft threads, are widely used. Belts are often colored to create designs. The belt is immersed in a dye tank to soak the dye into the belt, then dried, heat is used to drive the dye into the fibers, and the belt is then washed with water or hot water. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] When the belt is immersed in a dye tank, it can only be dyed one color, which is unsatisfactory in terms of design. Also, when the belt is immersed in a dye tank, even after drying and heating, too much dye adheres to the belt, so it is necessary to rinse it with water at the end, which requires large-scale facilities to treat the contaminated wastewater. This requires a large amount of land, water, and facilities, which is a major problem in terms of cost. Furthermore, insufficiently treated wastewater can also contribute to environmental pollution.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a belt-shaped fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The belt-shaped fabric of the present invention is It has a pattern printed by inkjet printing. It is characterized by:

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, The printed surface is twill weave It is preferable.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, The belt-shaped fabric has two or more layers, including a first layer having a printing surface and a second layer having no printing, The first layer is twill woven, The second layer is plain woven. It is preferable.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, The pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is denser than the pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is not printed. It is preferable.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, The belt-shaped fabric has two or more layers, including a first layer having a printing surface and a second layer having no printing, The average pick density of the weft yarns of the first layer is higher than the pick density of the weft yarns of the second layer. It is preferable.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing, The diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is smaller than the diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is not printed. It is preferable.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, The diameter of the weft yarn in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is smaller than the diameter of the weft yarn in the area where the pattern is not printed, and The pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is denser than the pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is not printed. It is preferable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a belt-shaped fabric printed with an inkjet printer. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a belt-shaped fabric printed with an inkjet printer. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of printing a pattern on a belt using an inkjet printer. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the belt-shaped fabric in the longitudinal direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be illustrated and described with reference to the reference numerals attached to the various elements in the drawings. (First embodiment) Figures 1 and 2 are external views of the belt-shaped fabric printed with an inkjet printer. The belt-shaped fabric is a narrow belt suitable for use as, for example, a lanyard, a harness belt, a waist belt, a seat belt, a lashing belt, and the like. For example, in FIG. 2, a pattern is printed on the printing surface of the belt-shaped fabric 10. Here, within one length unit L, printing is performed in the following order from left to right: printed pattern area Ra, blank area Rb with no printing, printed pattern area Rc, and printed pattern area Rd. In more detail, within one length unit L, from the left, there is printed a fine pattern area (first fine pattern area) Ra with detailed information printed on it, a blank area Rb with no printing, a coarse pattern area Rc with a coarse (coarse) pattern that is not fine, such as a logo design, and a fine pattern area (second fine pattern area) Rd with detailed information printed on it. The patterns printed in the fine pattern areas (first and second fine pattern areas) Ra and Rd include, for example, character information containing information such as the lot number, manufacturing date, and product specifications (standard durability, strength), or a one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional QR code (registered trademark) (two-dimensional code), where the width of the dots or bars (horizontal or vertical bars) is 2 mm or less, and if one or several of these dots or bars are missing, the printed (important) information becomes unreadable. In the prototypes shown in Figures 1 and 2, each dot of the two-dimensional QR Code (registered trademark) printed in the fine pattern areas (first and second fine pattern areas) Ra and Rd is a rectangle with sides of 1 mm. Therefore, any information printing area that includes dots or bars of 1 mm or less can be considered a fine pattern area. The fine pattern areas (first and second fine pattern areas) Ra and Rd may be referred to as information printing areas. The other areas may be blank or coarse pattern areas, and may be collectively referred to as coarse pattern areas.

[0014] Here is a brief explanation of the process of printing a pattern onto textiles using an inkjet printer. 3, it is assumed that the belt-shaped fabric 10 is prepared in advance (the belt-shaped fabric 10 will be described later), and that the belt-shaped fabric 10 is fed from right to left by a conveying roller 501. The belt-shaped fabric 10 may be pre-treated by applying a primer beforehand. The printing device 500 includes a printing device main body 510 , a controller 540 , and a host computer 550 . The printing device main body 510 includes a print head unit 520 and a heat processing unit 530 . The print head unit 520 ejects ink onto the belt 10, which is conveyed by the conveying rollers 501, to apply the ink to the belt 10. The print head unit 520 has head nozzles that eject three or four color inks as needed, and a drive unit that moves the head nozzles back and forth (e.g., perpendicular to the paper surface) and ejects the ink at controlled timing. Ink is supplied to the head nozzles from an ink tank. While the type of ink is not particularly limited, we assume that a so-called sublimation ink will be used here, assuming that a pattern will be printed on a belt woven from polyethylene, polyester, or other synthetic resin fibers. Of course, various inks, such as pigment, dye, and UV ink, can also be used.

[0015] The heat treatment section 530, which is a post-treatment step, applies heat to the ink-adhered belt 10 to dry it and cause the ink to develop color. Here, the process is divided into several stages, with multiple heat sets of different temperatures, air speeds, and times arranged in multiple tiers, and low-temperature heat treatment, simple drying, high-temperature heat treatment, etc. are performed. This causes the ink to fix to the belt 10 and develop color.

[0016] A single roll of a woven belt may be, for example, 100 meters, 1,000 meters, or 10,000 meters long, and a pattern is printed for each predetermined length unit according to the printing data. The printed patterns may be the same for all length units, or may be different for each length unit. For example, a product's serial number (lot number) or a code representing the number (one-dimensional or two-dimensional code) counting up in sequence may be printed on each length unit. Alternatively, an individual's name may be printed on each length unit according to their individual preference. The belt thus inkjet-printed is then cut with a cutter into predetermined lengths, and each piece undergoes post-processing to become a finished belt.

[0017] The control computer unit 550 has a print control program that controls the operation of the printing device main body unit 510. The control computer unit 550 may be a so-called personal computer composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The control computer unit 550 stores data (print data) of a pattern to be printed on the belt 10 in a predetermined memory. Such print data may be created by a belt manufacturer (or a printing company) in response to a request from a client and stored in the memory of the control computer unit 550. Alternatively, the print data may be a design or logo created by a client himself / herself, which is transmitted from the client's terminal 560 via a communication line such as the Internet and stored in the memory of the control computer unit 550.

[0018] The belt-shaped fabric 10 will be described. That is, the belt-shaped fabric 10 suitable for printing a pattern using an inkjet printer will be described.

[0019] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the belt-shaped fabric 10 in the longitudinal direction. The belt-shaped fabric 10 has two or more layers, namely, a first layer 100 and a second layer 200. Here, the layer on the front side is referred to as the first layer, and the layer on the back side is referred to as the second layer. The belt-shaped fabric may have three or more layers, with one or more intermediate layers between the first layer on the front side and the second layer on the back side.

[0020] The second layer 200 on the back side of the belt-shaped fabric is the side that comes into direct or indirect contact with the human body or luggage, and the first layer 100 on the front side is printed with a pattern such as color, design, or text by inkjet printing. (In other words, the surface of the first layer is the printed side.) The pattern may include a lot number, a one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional QR code (registered trademark), a company name, or a person's name. The one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional QR code (registered trademark) may be embedded with the date of manufacture, product specifications (standard durability, strength), etc. Of course, the date of manufacture and product specifications (standard durability, strength) may also be printed as text information.

[0021] In one embodiment, the warp threads 110 of the first layer 100 are, for example, 1100T polyester fibers. In one embodiment, the number of warp threads 110 of the first layer 100 is 186. The warp threads 110 of the first layer 100 alone do not provide the strength required for a safety belt, seat belt, etc., and therefore do not require high strength. The fibers do not need to be extremely thick or extremely hard, but rather can be relatively thin fibers. Since the first layer 100 constitutes the front side of the belt-shaped fabric 10, taking into consideration abrasion resistance and texture, the warp threads 110 of the first layer 100 can be, for example, polyester, nylon, or polypropylene, with 1100T to 1670T fibers.

[0022] The warp threads 210 of the second layer 200 are fibers having the strength required for safety belt lanyards and seat belts, and are made of high-strength Vectran (registered trademark) yarns with a thickness of 1670T. (Vectran (registered trademark) is a polyarylate fiber, an aromatic polyester, produced by polycondensation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid. However, other fibers selected from polyarylate fibers or aromatic polyester fibers can also be used.) Other examples include aramid fiber, polyethylene, or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers with a thickness of 1100T to 1670T. As an example, the number of warp threads 210 of the second layer 200 is assumed to be 186.

[0023] The weave structure and weft density (weft pitch) of the first layer 100 and the second layer 200 will be described. The wefts woven into the first layer 100 and the second layer 200 are connected, but for convenience of explanation, they will be designated by reference numerals such as weft 120 of the first layer 100 and weft 220 of the second layer 200. The wefts 120 and 220 are woven into the warp threads 110 and 210 of the first layer 100 and the second layer 200 as a hollow weave. When weaving such a two-layer (multi-layer) fabric, the pitches of the wefts 120 and 220 of all layers (first layer 100, second layer 200) are normally the same. However, in this example, the weave structure of the first layer 100 and the second layer 200 is changed so that the pitch of the weft 120 of the first layer 100 (density of the weft 120) is different from the pitch of the weft 220 of the second layer 200 (density of the weft 220).

[0024] As an example, the pitch of the weft yarns 120 in the first layer 100 is closer than the pitch of the weft yarns 220 in the second layer 200. In other words, the number of weft yarns 120 per unit length in the first layer 100 is greater than the number of weft yarns 220 per unit length in the second layer 200. In other words, the average pick density of the weft yarns in the first layer 100 is higher than the average pick density of the weft yarns in the second layer 200 over the entire length or per predetermined unit length.

[0025] The weave of the first layer 100 is a twill weave, typically a 2 / 2 twill weave. Alternatively, a 4 / 4 twill weave may be used. The pitch of the warp yarns 210 and weft yarns 220 in the first layer 200 may be wider, for example, 3 / 3 to 6 / 6, but it is preferable to keep the pitch as close as possible. The pitch of the weft yarns 120 is 8 picks / 10 mm to 15 picks / 10 mm.

[0026] Since the surface of the first layer 100 is inkjet-printed to create patterns, it is preferable that the surface be as flat (or smooth) as possible to ensure that even small patterns can be printed precisely without chips or discontinuities. Furthermore, it is also preferable that the surface be as flat (or smooth) as possible to ensure that the inkjet-printed pattern is firmly fixed and to increase durability. (If the weave is coarse, the raised areas of the weave will rub, making the printed color more likely to fade or chip.) Therefore, it is better to place the weft threads 120 densely, creating a finer weave than a coarser weave. Furthermore, with a twill weave, the grid points are arranged diagonally, and are not aligned across the width as in plain weave, for example. This is suitable for one-dimensional barcodes, kanji, and katakana, which have many vertical lines, and is ideal for producing clear printed patterns.

[0027] Next, since the second layer 200 is a layer that is intended to provide strength, it is preferable to set the pitch of the warp yarns 210 and the weft yarns 220 at a relatively coarse pitch. This is because if the weft yarns 220 are densely packed and the pitch of the warp yarns 210 and the weft yarns 220 becomes too close, the yarns are more likely to break when pulled. Also, if the weft yarns 220 are too dense, the yarns become stiff and do not conform well to the body or luggage. A certain degree of flexibility is also required for the layer that comes into direct or indirect contact with the human body or luggage (here, the second layer). Therefore, the weft pitch of the second layer 200 is, for example, 5 pic / cm to 10 pic / cm. The second layer 200 may be plain woven, for example.

[0028] In this way, the weft pitch and weave design are changed between the first layer 100 and the second layer 200 to provide properties suited to each purpose.

[0029] In one embodiment, the density of the weft threads 120 in the first layer 100 may be varied depending on the region. For example, the pitch of the weft threads 120 in the region where a pattern is printed in the first layer 100 may be made denser than in other regions. Also, the pitch of the weft threads 120 in the region where a fine pattern is printed in the first layer 100 may be made denser than in other regions. For example, the pitch of the weft threads 120 in the region where a two-dimensional QR code (registered trademark) is printed in the first layer 100 may be made denser than in other regions. In the first layer 100, the pitch of the weft threads in the fine pattern regions (first and second fine pattern regions) Ra and Rd may be made denser than the pitch of the weft threads in the coarse pattern region.

[0030] A denser weft pitch creates a flatter surface, making it more suitable for inkjet printing. However, if the weft pitch is densely packed along the entire length of the first layer, even if the first layer does not come into contact with the human body, the belt itself becomes hard and the product's purpose is compromised. Therefore, it is advisable to make the weft pitch of the weft threads 120 denser in the area where the pattern will be printed (or in the area where a specific intricate pattern will be printed) than in other areas. For example, the weft pitch in the area where the (intricate) pattern will be printed is 1.5 times that of the other areas. Of course, this is merely an example; it could be 1.2-1.4 times, or even 1.6-2.0 times. The weft pitch in the area where the pattern will be printed (or in the area where a specific intricate pattern will be printed) is 15 pic / cm, while the other areas are 10 pic / cm.

[0031] Furthermore, areas where specific fine patterns containing important information are printed (fine pattern areas Ra, Rd) are thought to be designed to be printed near the edges of a belt product rather than in the central area, and in the case of belt products such as seat belts, safety belts, or lashings, the edges do not come into direct contact with people or objects, so even if the belt is a little stiff, it is thought that there will be little impact on the use of the belt. On the other hand, by giving specific areas on the surface of the first layer properties that are suitable for printing, it becomes possible to print fine information that was previously not possible to print, and this is an advantage that outweighs the disadvantages.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. In the above description, the belt-shaped fabric 10 has two or more layers, but the belt-shaped fabric 10 may be configured with only one layer (first layer) without the second layer. Even in this case, the belt-shaped fabric can be made suitable for inkjet printing by varying the density of the weft yarns 120 depending on the region in the first layer 100 or by using a twill weave.

[0033] Furthermore, the diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is inkjet-printed is preferably thinner than the diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is not printed. (Alternatively, the diameter of the weft thread in the fine pattern area is preferably thinner than the diameter of the weft thread in the coarse pattern area.) If the diameter of the weft thread is thinner in the area where the pattern is printed and the weft pitch is also dense, the surface will be flatter (or smoother). Two types of weft threads of different thicknesses are used, and the thinner thread (fiber) is woven into the warp threads in the area where the pattern (or fine pattern) is printed, while the thicker thread (fiber) is woven into the warp threads in the area where the pattern is not printed (where the coarse pattern is printed). For example, the ratio of the diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is printed to the diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is not printed is set to 1:1.5. Of course, this is just an example, and the ratio may be 1.2-1.4 times or 1.6-2.0 times.

[0034] The belt-like fabric may be, for example, in the form of a tube. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Belt 100 First layer 110 warp threads 120 weft thread 200 Second layer 210 warp threads 220 weft

Claims

1. A belt-shaped fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.

2. The belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing according to claim 1, The printed surface is twill weave A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.

3. The belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing according to claim 1, The belt-shaped fabric has two or more layers, including a first layer having a printing surface and a second layer having no printing, The first layer is twill woven, The second layer is plain woven. A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.

4. The belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing according to claim 1, The pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is denser than the pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is not printed. A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.

5. The belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing according to claim 1, The belt-shaped fabric has two or more layers, including a first layer having a printing surface and a second layer having no printing, The average pick density of the weft yarns of the first layer is higher than the pick density of the weft yarns of the second layer. A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.

6. A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing, The diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is smaller than the diameter of the weft thread in the area where the pattern is not printed. A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.

7. A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing, The diameter of the weft yarn in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is smaller than the diameter of the weft yarn in the area where the pattern is not printed, and The pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is inkjet printed is denser than the pitch of the weft threads in the area where the pattern is not printed. A belt-shaped woven fabric having a pattern printed by inkjet printing.

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