Wet-on-Wet Textile Digital Printing for Ink Adhesion and Image Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital printing technologies for synthetic resin textiles face issues such as ink penetration degrading image quality, weak ink adhesion leading to poor washability, and high costs due to labor-intensive image transfer systems, especially for small production runs.
Innovation Solution
A digital printing system using a base application composition comprising aqueous acrylic latex, acrylic resins, coalescing agents, and optional pigments or aziridine compounds, applied without intermediate drying, allowing for inkjet printing and curing without excessive heat, which enhances ink adhesion and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If digital printing inks are applied directly to synthetic resin textiles, then printing efficiency is improved, but ink penetration into fibers degrades image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a base composition as an intermediary layer between the digital printing ink and the synthetic resin textile. This base composition, applied first to the textile, creates a receptive surface that prevents the subsequent ink from penetrating deeply into the fibers while still allowing for effective image transfer and curing.
2Reliability
If elevated temperatures are used to cure the ink image, then ink adhesion is improved, but textile dye degrades and weeps into the printed image
Solution Approach 1:
The base composition is applied to the textile before the digital printing ink, performing a preliminary protective action. This pre-applied layer acts as a barrier that protects the textile's dye system from degradation during the subsequent curing process, while still allowing the ink to adhere effectively and cure at lower temperatures.
3Reliability
If intermediate drying cycles are implemented, then ink adhesion is improved, but production time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the base composition application and the digital printing steps into a single continuous process without an intermediate drying cycle. The base composition remains wet during ink application, and both layers are cured together in a single subsequent curing step, eliminating the need for separate drying cycles and reducing overall production time and energy consumption.
4Manufacturing precision
If image transfer systems are used, then image quality is improved, but labor and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the intermediate transfer substrate step from traditional image transfer systems. By applying the base composition directly to the textile and then printing the ink directly onto this base layer, the system achieves effective image transfer without requiring separate transfer papers or additional substrates, thereby reducing labor and material costs while maintaining image quality.
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 system enables efficient, economical, and high-quality image printing on synthetic resin textiles with improved washfastness and color retention, reducing production costs and energy consumption by eliminating the need for intermediate drying cycles.
Implementation Method 1
a base application composition which includes an aqueous acrylic latex material, one or more acrylic resins different from the latex material, and one or more coalescing agents
Implementation Method 2
The ink image is caused to cure upon the textile material thereby forming an imprinted textile article
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
Compositions for and methods of digitally printing an ink image onto a woven textile material are provided. A base application is applied to the surface of a woven textile material, especially one comprising synthetic resin fibers prior to application of an ink image layer. The base application comprises an acrylic latex material that is formulated to be printed on with a digital ink while still wet, thereby eliminating the need for an intermediate drying cycle in between base application deposit and printing of the ink image.