Textile Substrate Digital Printing for In-Register Pattern Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing textile substrate printing technologies struggle to achieve in-register printing due to issues like substrate bow and skew during manufacturing, shrinking, and alignment loss during cutting, limiting the creation of unique and complex patterns.
Innovation Solution
A digital printing process that utilizes a digital printing machine to apply printing ink in predetermined locations on textile substrates based on detected physical cues such as tufted yarn patterns, yarn height, and color, ensuring precise alignment and registration of designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional printing processes are used on textile substrates, then printing can be performed, but alignment and registration precision deteriorates due to substrate bow, skew, and shrinking during manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by embedding registration markers or physical cues into the textile substrate during the tufting or weaving process, before the printing operation. These pre-established markers serve as reference points that guide the printing process, allowing the printing system to compensate for subsequent substrate movement, bow, or skew without losing registration accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using detection systems (such as cameras or sensors) to monitor the actual position and orientation of the textile substrate in real-time during the printing process. This feedback information is fed back to the printing system, which then adjusts the print head positioning or pattern placement dynamically to maintain precise alignment despite substrate dimensional changes.
2Manufacturing precision
If digital printing technology is implemented to achieve precise registration, then alignment accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses registration markers or physical cues as intermediaries between the substrate and the printing system. These markers serve as a common language that both the substrate preparation process and the digital printing system can understand and reference, simplifying the coordination between different manufacturing stages without requiring complex real-time communication systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs copying by creating a digital representation or map of the substrate's physical patterns and registration markers before printing. This digital copy is used to guide the printing process, allowing the system to reference the substrate's features without requiring complex physical sensing and adjustment mechanisms during actual printing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple printing passes are performed to create complex patterns, then design versatility improves, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by utilizing the third dimension (depth/layering) of the textile substrate. By printing on areas with different pile heights or using varying print pressures to create different ink penetration depths, the system can create complex multi-layer patterns in a single pass, eliminating the need for multiple sequential printing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the printing process adaptive and flexible. The digital printing system can dynamically adjust print parameters (such as ink quantity, print head speed, or activation of specific nozzles) based on real-time detection of substrate features, allowing complex patterns to be created as efficiently as simple ones without requiring multiple fixed passes.
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a printed textile substrate, such as a floorcovering article, and a process for making a printed textile substrate. This invention provides the process and steps to print color patterns in-register with physical patterns, such as varying yarn pile heights, yarn luster, yarn color, and the like. This process provides many unique aesthetics on a textile substrate that cannot be created another way.