Fabric Printing on Nested Patterns to Reduce Waste and Improve Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fabric printing methods result in substantial waste and poor cutting yields due to the lack of knowledge about fabric element geometries and their matching prints, leading to inefficient nesting and redundant printing.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves direct printing on nested fabric elements instead of the entire textile sheet, starting with a blank roll and optimizing fabric cutting by aligning cut patterns without constraints between pattern geometries and the textile sheet, allowing for efficient nesting and reduced waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If fabric is pre-printed with designs before cutting, then the print design can be matched to the fabric texture, but substantial waste occurs because there is no prior knowledge of fabric element geometries and how they match the prints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs nesting of fabric elements and determination of their geometries before the printing step. This preliminary action allows the system to know exactly where and how to print designs on the nested fabric elements, eliminating waste by avoiding printing on areas that will be cut away. The workflow reverses the conventional approach by nesting first, then printing only on the final nested layout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies printing only to specific local areas where fabric elements are nested, rather than printing on the entire fabric sheet. The print data is generated specifically for the nested geometry areas, ensuring that printing resources are not wasted on areas that will be discarded during cutting.
2Manufacturing precision
If specific nesting of fabric pattern elements is mandated to match the textile texture print, then the required print design can be achieved, but poor cutting yields occur due to high level of constraints between pattern geometries and the textile sheet print
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional workflow by performing nesting and geometry determination before printing, rather than mandating specific nesting to match pre-printed patterns. This inversion allows the system to optimize cutting yield first, then generate print data that precisely matches the nested geometry, eliminating the constraints that previously reduced productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the entire textile sheet is printed before cutting, then the print design is complete, but redundant printing occurs on areas that will be cut away
Solution Approach 1:
The patent avoids the conventional approach of printing on the entire sheet and then cutting. Instead, it determines the nested geometry areas first, then prints only on those specific areas. This recovers printing resources by eliminating redundant printing on areas that will be discarded during cutting.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are methods that couple effective nesting of fabric, as part of a textile cutting process, in which designs and/or graphic elements are directly printed on the nested elements, instead of on the entire textile sheet. Embodiments of the invention can address issues of waste and redundant printing, such as by starting with a blank textile roll, and printing only in the geometry areas of the patterns. Embodiments of the invention can increase fabric yield, because there are no constraints between the pattern geometries and the textile sheet print.