Digital Printing Apparatus with Pre-Treatment for Garment Ink Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printing methods, such as screen printing, face limitations in achieving high-quality, high-resolution prints on substrates like garments due to ink penetration and smearing issues, requiring complex setups and low resolution.
Innovation Solution
A digital printing system with a rigid frame, linear motion stages, inkjet nozzles, a curing unit, and an ironing unit, along with a pre-printing wetting system using a wetting composition to manage ink engagement on the substrate, allowing for precise control over ink placement and curing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If liquid ink is applied to absorbing substrates or substrates with high surface tension, then the ink is deposited onto the substrate, but the ink smears through or over the substrate creating poor image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is pre-treated with a chemical composition before ink application to modify its surface properties. This preliminary action prevents ink smearing by creating a surface that allows controlled ink deposition without excessive absorption or spreading, thereby improving image quality before the actual printing occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
A chemical composition acts as an intermediary between the liquid ink and the substrate. This intermediary layer modifies the substrate surface to control ink interaction, preventing harmful smearing effects while allowing proper ink adhesion and image formation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If screen printing press systems are used for garment printing, then printing can be performed, but the systems are complex and require specific setup for each different print and color
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical screen printing system with a digital printing system that uses chemical surface modification. Instead of requiring physical screens, mechanical pressing, and complex setup procedures, the invention uses a simplified system that applies chemical compositions and deposits ink digitally, eliminating the need for mechanical screen changing and setup for different print designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameters of the printing process by replacing mechanical screen printing with a chemical-based approach. By modifying substrate surface chemistry rather than using mechanical screens, the system achieves versatility for different print designs without the complexity of changing physical screens and reconfiguring mechanical press stations.
3Manufacturing precision
If ink is applied to fabric substrates, then the substrate is covered with color, but the ink penetrates into the depth of the fabric causing dull coloring
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric substrate is pre-treated with a chemical composition before ink application to create a surface layer that controls ink penetration. This preliminary modification of the substrate surface prevents ink from penetrating too deeply into the fabric, thereby maintaining color brightness and vibrancy while still achieving proper adhesion.
Solution Approach 2:
A chemical composition serves as an intermediary between the ink and the fabric substrate. This intermediary layer controls the interaction between ink and fabric, allowing the ink to adhere to the surface without penetrating deeply into the fabric fibers, thus preserving color brightness and preventing dull coloring.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate, high-resolution, multi-color printing directly on substrates with reduced ink penetration, improving print quality and flexibility, eliminating the need for complex setups and transfer processes.
Implementation Method 1
a pre-printing wetting system using a wetting composition to manage ink engagement on the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a curing unit located above each printing table assembly and arranged to cure ink on media on the printing table assembly
Implementation Method 3
an ironing unit located above each printing table assembly and arranged to iron media on the printing table assembly before printing thereon
Data Source
AI summary
A digital printing machine includes a rigid frame, a first linear motion X axis stage mounted on the frame, a printing table assembly movable on each linear X axis stage, a linear motion Y axis stage mounted on the frame perpendicular to the linear X axis stages, above the printing table assemblies, and an array of inkjet nozzles mounted on the linear Y axis stage for linear motion perpendicular to the X axis stage, also a second linear motion X axis stage mounted on the frame parallel to the first axis stage and arranged for operation independently of the first axis stage, and/or a curing unit located above the printing table assembly and/or a pre-printing wetting assembly, for printing over garments, by applying wetting composition on the printed material, prior to printing.