Plant for printing a fibrous material and process of printing said fibrous material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printing technologies for fibrous materials, such as fabrics and non-woven fabrics, face challenges in achieving high printing resolution and efficiency due to the wetting and impregnation processes, which can lead to reduced printing quality and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A printing plant and process that uses a conveyor belt system with a treating station to apply treatment compositions directly to the fibrous material, allowing for controlled and efficient treatment, minimizing the use of pre-treatment substances and reducing processing time, while enabling high-resolution digital printing by positioning printing heads close to the material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional dipping pre-treatment is used, then the fibrous material is adequately prepared for printing, but the material becomes wet and requires additional drying time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful wetting effect from the pre-treatment process by applying treatment composition only to the surface of the fibrous material rather than immersing the entire material in liquid. This is achieved through a coating head that deposits a controlled layer of pre-treatment substance on the material surface as it passes through the treatment zone, eliminating the need for subsequent drying operations while maintaining printing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a conveyor belt as an intermediary carrier that transports the fibrous material through the treatment zone. The coating head applies the treatment composition onto the conveyor belt surface, which then transfers it to the fibrous material. This intermediary system enables precise control of the treatment application and prevents excessive wetting that would require drying time.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional dipping pre-treatment is used, then the fibrous material is adequately prepared for printing, but the amount of pre-treatment substance used increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pre-treatment composition locally and selectively only to the surface areas of the fibrous material that will be printed, rather than treating the entire bulk material. The coating head deposits a precise thin layer of treatment substance on the material surface as it passes through the treatment zone, minimizing the quantity of pre-treatment substance required while ensuring adequate preparation for high-resolution printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial action by applying only the necessary amount of pre-treatment substance needed for surface preparation rather than saturating the material. The controlled coating process delivers exactly the required thickness of treatment layer on the material surface, avoiding excessive application that would increase substance consumption without adding printing quality benefits.
3Manufacturing precision
If digital printing heads are positioned close to the material for high resolution, then printing resolution improves, but the risk of ink contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pre-treatment composition to the fibrous material surface before the digital printing process. This preliminary surface preparation creates a controlled interface between the material and ink, allowing the printing heads to operate at close proximity for high-resolution printing without excessive risk of contamination. The pre-treated surface ensures proper ink adhesion and prevents uncontrolled spreading.
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
The solution enables efficient treatment and high-resolution digital printing of fibrous materials with reduced processing time and costs, minimizing the environmental impact by using less pre-treatment substance, and improving the overall productivity of the printing process.
Implementation Method 1
a conveyor belt (2) movable along a closed path
Implementation Method 2
The treating station (4) is configured for treating the fibrous material with a treatment composition by applying the composition on the conveyor belt upstream the operative section
Implementation Method 3
The printing station (6) operates on the conveyor belt and is configured for printing the fibrous material placed on the operative section (3) of the conveyor belt
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
The present invention refers to a plant (1) for printing a fibrous material (T). The printing plant (1) comprises: a station (14) for supplying a fibrous material configured for supplying the fibrous material along a predetermined operative path, a treating station (10) configured for treating the fibrous material with a treatment composition by applying the composition itself on a first side (T1) of the fibrous material (T); and a printing station (6) configured for ink-printing at least part of a second side (T2) of the fibrous material (T) opposite to the first side (T1). Moreover, the present invention refers to a process of printing a fibrous material.