Printing and selective drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drying of textile substrates after digital printing is challenging, especially with dark-colored fabrics, as light energy drying methods can cause burning of non-printed areas, while alternative methods result in inefficient and larger systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that analyze a print job to identify imaged, image-adjacent, and remote segments, applying a cooling liquid to adjacent segments and controlling illumination to selectively dry only the imaged and adjacent areas, avoiding exposure to remote segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If light energy emission sources (UV, visible light, or IR) are used to dry the textile substrate, then drying efficiency is improved, but the dark non-printed areas absorb radiation and the temperature rises quickly causing fabric burning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating treatment between printed and non-printed areas. The system selectively applies cooling liquid only to non-printed areas adjacent to printed regions, while illuminated areas receive full drying illumination. This creates spatially varying properties (cooling application, illumination intensity) to prevent fabric burning in vulnerable areas while maintaining efficient drying where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary anti-action by applying cooling liquid to non-printed areas before they are exposed to drying illumination. This pre-cooling措施 prevents the temperature from rising to burning levels when the illumination is subsequently applied, counteracting the harmful thermal effect before it can cause damage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hot air or non-radiation drying methods are used to avoid fabric burning, then fabric damage is prevented, but the drying system becomes larger and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two previously separate functions into a single integrated system: light-based drying illumination and cooling liquid application. By combining these functions in one system, the patent avoids the need for separate large-scale hot air drying systems while preventing fabric burning through coordinated illumination and cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling liquid acts as an intermediary substance that mediates between the drying illumination and the fabric. It absorbs excess heat in non-printed areas, preventing direct thermal damage to the fabric while allowing the drying process to continue efficiently in printed areas.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If cooling liquid is applied to all areas of the substrate, then fabric burning is prevented, but drying time increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies cooling liquid selectively only to non-printed areas adjacent to printed regions, rather than uniformly to the entire substrate. This localized application prevents fabric burning in vulnerable areas while minimizing interference with the drying process in printed areas, thus maintaining drying efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies cooling liquid partially - only to the extent necessary to prevent fabric burning in non-printed areas, rather than applying it excessively across the entire substrate. This partial action is sufficient to prevent damage while avoiding unnecessary delays in the drying process.
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 efficient and high-quality drying of textile substrates without burning non-printed areas, enhancing customer satisfaction and printer installations by optimizing the printing and drying process.
Implementation Method 1
The array of illumination elements is controlled to apply a drying illumination to the imaged areas and the image-adjacent areas of the printed print job, without providing the drying illumination to the non-printed areas
Implementation Method 2
A cooling liquid is applied to the image-adjacent areas of the printed print job utilizing a second set of printheads downstream from the first set of printheads
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
In an example of the disclosure, a print job is received. The print job includes an image to be printed upon a substrate utilizing printheads. The print job is analyzed to determine a set of imaged segments, a set of image-adjacent segments, and a set of remote segments. The print job is printed upon the substrate utilizing a first set of printheads. A cooling liquid is applied to the set of image-adjacent segments of the printed print job utilizing a second set of printheads downstream from the first set of printheads. The printed job is exposed to an array of controllable illumination elements. The array of illumination elements is controlled to apply a drying illumination to the imaged segments and the image-adjacent segments of the printed print job, without providing the drying illumination to the remote segments.