Digital garment printing machine augmented to apply additional materials

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current digital printing systems face challenges in accurately aligning and synchronizing inkjet printing with material deposition applicators (MD) due to differences in printing speeds and contamination risks, leading to low throughput and high costs when applying additional materials like glitters or 3D patterns, especially when using standalone systems.

Innovation Solution

Integrate a material deposition head with the digital printer on the same mechanical platform, allowing simultaneous operation on separate pallets or axes to minimize alignment time and prevent contamination, enabling synchronized and accurate application of materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a standalone material deposition system is used after printing, then additional materials can be applied to garments, but alignment accuracy between printed image and deposited materials deteriorates due to separate platforms

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to apply additional materialsVSAvoidalignment accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the material deposition system with the digital printing system by mounting the material deposition applicator on the same mechanical platform and motion system as the inkjet printheads. This integration ensures that both operations occur on a single coordinated platform, eliminating alignment errors between separate systems and enabling precise registration of deposited materials with printed images.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If material deposition is performed on a separate standalone system, then additional materials can be applied, but throughput decreases due to manual mount and remount operations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to apply additional materialsVSAvoidthroughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines material deposition and digital printing into a single integrated system that operates continuously on garments mounted on one platform. This eliminates the need for manual removal and remounting of garments between separate systems, thereby maintaining high throughput while enabling the application of additional materials such as glitters, sequins, or 3D elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If material deposition applicator is integrated on the same platform as digital printer, then throughput is maintained, but contamination risk increases to the digital print head

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovethroughputVSAvoidcontamination risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the printing and material deposition operations by assigning them to different sets of printheads or operational zones on the same platform. The system can selectively activate either the inkjet printheads for printing or the material deposition applicator for applying additional materials, preventing cross-contamination while maintaining continuous operation and high throughput.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of manufacture

If digital printing and material deposition are performed sequentially on separate systems, then each operation can be optimized, but alignment time increases due to separate platforms

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation optimizationVSAvoidalignment time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges both operations into a single coordinated system where the material deposition applicator and inkjet printheads share the same motion control and positioning system. This integration eliminates the need for separate alignment procedures between platforms, as both operations are automatically coordinated through a single control system, thereby reducing alignment time while maintaining operational optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20250353312A1Digital garment printing machine augmented to apply additional materials

Publication Date: 2025.11.20 KORNIT DIGITAL LTD

AI summary

A textile printer with decoration support comprises a track for a printing pallet extending along a first axis, the printing pallet being controllably mobile along the track, a rail for a print head, the rail along a second axis at right angles to the first axis, a digital print head mounted on the rail and controllably mobile along the second axis to scan across the printing pallet and print an image onto a garment on the printing pallet using textile printing inks, and a material deposition head also mounted to scan across the printing pallet to deposit material onto the garment in alignment with the image.