Rotary Drum Textile Printer Axial Nozzle Groove Mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard textile printers struggle to print continuous images or patterns on seamless textile tubes, as they are not designed for tubular shapes, leading to discontinuities and unsightly seams, especially in garments like socks and underwear.
Innovation Solution
A rotary drum-based printing device with a series of nozzles aligned along the axial direction of the drum allows for continuous printing around tubes of varying sizes, using interchangeable drums and a groove mechanism to securely hold non-tubular garments for printing, along with pretreatment and post-treatment nozzles for enhanced printing quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flat tray printer is used to print on textile tubes, then printing can be performed on one side at a time, but continuous printing around the tube is not possible, resulting in discontinuities in the image or pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the flat printing tray with a rotary drum that has a curved surface matching the tubular shape of the textile. This curvature allows the textile tube to be wrapped around the drum, enabling continuous printing around the entire tube without discontinuities, while maintaining proper contact between the print head and the textile surface throughout the rotation.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rotary drum printer is used to print continuous images on tubes, then continuous printing around the tube is achieved, but non-tubular garments cannot be properly mounted on the drum for printing
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary drum is designed with a universal mounting mechanism that can accommodate both tubular and non-tubular garments. The drum surface and mounting system are configured to adapt to different garment shapes, allowing continuous printing on tubes while also providing a platform for printing on flat or irregularly shaped garments through alternative mounting methods.
3Adaptability or versatility
If drums of different sizes are used to accommodate various tube garment sizes, then all sizes from toddler's sock to adult's bodysuit can be printed, but the printing system becomes more complex with multiple interchangeable drums
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs adjustable and flexible mounting mechanisms on the rotary drum that can adapt to different drum sizes without requiring complete drum replacement. The mounting system includes adjustable components that can be reconfigured for various tube diameters, allowing a single drum or limited set of drums to handle multiple garment sizes through dynamic adjustment rather than static fixed-size drums.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing machine for printing fabrics on a rotary drum, comprises one or more drums rotatable about a drum axis, that receive tubes of fabric thereon, and a print head placed in proximity to the drum, to print onto the fabric fitted onto the drum. The print head comprises multiple printing nozzles or linear arrays of printing nozzles which are aligned linearly along the axial direction of the drum, which are all at a predefined printing distance from the drum surface or the fabric surface. Also, a rotary drum for a textile printer comprises a groove extending along the length of the drum, and a catch mechanism built into the groove for catching on to a garment or backing for a garment as the drum rotates. The rotation of the drum pulls the caught edge and wraps the garment around the drum ready for rotary drum printing.