Digital Textile Coating With Large Droplets for Mesh Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional textile coating techniques are inefficient and environmentally impactful, particularly when dealing with fibrous textiles, as they require large quantities of chemicals and water, and existing inkjet printing methods are unsuitable for high-speed, high-width textile coating due to issues with droplet size and surface finish.
Innovation Solution
A method and device using static nozzles with outlet diameters greater than 70 microns for continuous inkjet coating, allowing for larger droplets to cover multiple mesh openings and provide a stable coating, combined with a second row of nozzles for finer pixel definition, enabling efficient and precise coating of textiles up to 2.5 meters wide at speeds over 25 meters per minute.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional inkjet printing methods are used for textile coating, then fine pixel definition can be achieved, but the process is too slow for practical textile production speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts droplet size and spacing based on the textile mesh structure and desired coating density. The inkjet system varies droplet parameters in real-time to maintain precision at high speeds, resolving the contradiction between fine pixel definition and production speed by making the system adaptive rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters including droplet size (from conventional small droplets to larger droplets suitable for textile mesh), droplet spacing, and ejection frequency to optimize both precision and speed. By adjusting these parameters, the system achieves practical production speeds while maintaining adequate coating quality for textile applications.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional coating techniques are used, then complete coverage can be achieved, but large quantities of chemicals and water are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and applies only the necessary amount of coating material directly to the textile surface through precisely controlled inkjet droplets. This eliminates the need for bulk application and subsequent scraping or rinsing operations, dramatically reducing chemical and water consumption while maintaining complete coverage where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The textile substrate serves its own function of defining where coating is needed - the inkjet system deposits material only on the textile surface following the mesh pattern, eliminating the need for separate masking, scraping, or rinsing steps that consume additional chemicals and water.
3Manufacturing precision
If small droplets are used for fine detail, then pixel definition is improved, but droplets pass through mesh openings without adequate surface finish
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different droplet sizes to different regions or contexts - smaller droplets for areas requiring fine detail and larger droplets for areas where adequate surface coverage is the priority. This local adaptation of droplet quality resolves the contradiction by matching droplet characteristics to the specific requirements of each coating location on the textile.
Solution Approach 2:
The system sometimes applies slightly larger or more numerous droplets than the minimum required for pixel definition, ensuring adequate coverage and surface finish. This partial excess action guarantees that droplets reliably bridge mesh openings and create acceptable surface quality without compromising overall precision.
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
This approach significantly reduces water and chemical consumption, minimizes environmental impact, and achieves high-definition coating with improved surface finish and bond formation, while allowing for efficient production with reduced energy and mechanical handling.
Implementation Method 1
The nozzles are supplied with a supply of a coating substance and are individually controlled to generate a stream of droplets which can be electrically charged or discharged and deflected by deflection means such that the droplets are selectively directed to impinge on the textile
Implementation Method 2
individually controlling the nozzles to generate a stream of droplets of the coating substance and selectively directing the individual droplets to impinge on the textile to form a coating of pixels
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed for digitally forming a coating on a fibrous textile having mesh openings between adjacent fibers. According to the method, textile is fed continuously along a treatment path having a row of static coating nozzles arranged generally transversely across the path. The coating nozzles have outlet diameters of greater than about 70 microns and are supplied with a supply of a coating substance. By individually controlling the nozzles, a substantially continuous stream of droplets of the coating substance is produced and selectively directed onto the textile to form a coating of pixels. Each pixel covers at least four mesh openings and has a diameter of more than 100 microns.