Method and apparatus for ink jet printing on textiles

• US 6,702,438 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2001
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Inventors: Collan, William W., Codos, Richard N., Comerford, Robert B., Quattrociocchi, Angelo, Badovinac, Milan
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAH, MANISH S
• Application Number:
  US09/824,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20020005870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 347/100, 347/101, 347/96, 347/55, 101/106, 101/129, 137/58, 137/53
• US Class Current: 347/106
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0021 using irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00214 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0022 using convection means, e.g. by using a fan for blowing or sucking air
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0024 using conduction means, e.g. by using a heated platen
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4078 Printing on textile
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0047 by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0064 on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 7/0081 using electromagnetic radiation or waves, e.g. ultraviolet radiation, electron beams
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 7/009 using thermal means, e.g. infrared radiation, heat
• CPC Class Codes: D05B 11/00 Machines for sewing quilts or mattresses control of workpiece-holding frames, or of sewing machines, in order to obtain particular seam configuration D05B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: D05B 33/00 Devices incorporated in sewing machines for supplying or removing the work
• CPC Class Codes: D05D 2305/12 transversally
• CPC Class Codes: D05D 2305/22 Physico-chemical treatments
• CPC Class Codes: D06P 5/2005 Treatments with alpha, beta, gamma or other rays, e.g. stimulated rays
• CPC Class Codes: D06P 5/30 Ink jet printing

Abstract

Ink jet printing is provided on large area substrates such as wide width textile webs. The printheads are driven by linear servo motors across a bridge that extends across the substrate. The timing of the jetting of the ink is coordinated with the motion of the printheads, so that the heads can be rapidly moved and the ink can be jetted while the printheads are accelerating or decelerating as they move on the bridge. Preferably, ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink is jetted and first partially cured with UV light and then subjected to heating to more completely reduce uncured monomers of the ink on the substrate.

Claims

1. A digital printing method comprising:

providing a printhead in a printing apparatus configured to digitally print an image on a substrate by scanning a progressively indexed series of lines across the substrate while selectively depositing, simultaneously from a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of drops of ink, on demand, on the substrate, under programmed control, to form the image on the substrate;

driving the printhead across the substrate with a linear servo motor having a stator extending parallel to and transverse the support and an armature moveable on the stator; and

digitally printing the image on the substrate with the printhead by so driving the printhead with the armature across the support on the stator of the linear servo motor parallel to the support and directed toward the support while selectively depositing drops of ink on demand as the linear servo motor moves the printhead relative to the support.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the printing includes jetting ink from the printhead onto the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

controlling the jetting of the ink by advancing the timing thereof in relation to the speed of the printhead across the substrate.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

controlling the jetting of the ink by advancing the timing thereof in relation to the speed of the printhead across the substrate to compensate for transverse displacement of the ink due to the velocity of the printheads parallel to the substrate.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

controlling the jelling of the ink by advancing the timing thereof in relation to the speed of the printhead across the substrate to compensate for transverse displacement of jetting ink due to the velocity of the printheads parallel to the substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the driving of the printhead includes accelerating and decelerating the printhead while driving it across a substrate with the linear servo motor; and

the printing includes printing on the substrate while the head is accelerating or decelerating.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the printing includes jetting ink from the printhead onto the substrate while the head is accelerating or decelerating.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

controlling the jetting of the ink by advancing the timing thereof in relation to the speed of the printhead across the substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the substrate is a textile; and

the printing includes jetting ink from the printheads onto the surface of the textile.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the digitally printing of the image on the substrate includes printing the image directly from information in an electronic file; and

the image is printed by controlling the linear servo to drive the printhead in response to the information from the electronic file.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the printhead includes a plurality of nozzles and the printing is performed in a scanning motion on the substrate by selectively and simultaneously depositing drops of ink of a plurality of different colors onto the substrate.

12. A digital printing apparatus comprising:

a substrate support;

a linear servo motor having a stator extending parallel to and transverse the support and an armature moveable on the stator;

a digital printhead moveable with the armature across the support on the stator of the linear servo motor parallel to the support and directed toward the support and operable to selectively deposit drops of ink on demand as the linear servo motor moves the printhead relative to the support;

a controller operable to drive the linear servo motor parallel to the support and to operate the printhead in synchronism with the movement of the servo motor to print an image on a substrate on the support in accordance with data from an electronic source file.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

the printhead is an ink jet printhead.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the controller is operable to time the jetting of the ink from the printhead in relation to the speed of the linear servo motor.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the controller is operable to time the jetting of the ink from the printhead in relation to the speed of the linear servo motor by advancing or retarding the timing of the jetting of the ink from the printhead in relation to the speed of the printhead across the substrate to compensate for transverse displacement of the ink due to the velocity of the printhead parallel to a substrate on the support.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

the controller is operable to control the printing of the printhead so as to accurately produce an image from the electronic source file when the servo motor is accelerating or decelerating.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

the printhead includes a plurality of nozzles operable to print in a scanning motion on the substrate by selectively and simultaneously depositing drops of ink of a plurality of different colors onto the substrate.

18. A textile printing apparatus comprising:

a textile-substrate support;

a bridge extending transversely across the support that is mounted for longitudinal movement between the bridge and a substrate on the support;

an ink jet printhead moveable across the bridge and positioned to deposit a dot pattern of ink onto a textile substrate on the support by scanning in transverse lines across the substrate progressively along a substrate on the support; and

a computer controlled linear servo motor positioned to move the printhead across the bridge, the servo motor having a stator extending parallel to and transverse the support and an armature moveable on the stator;

the printhead being moveable with the armature across the support on the stator of the linear servo motor parallel to the support and directed toward the support and operable to selectively deposit drops of ink on demand as the linear servo motor moves the printhead relative tot he support.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein:

the printhead includes a plurality of nozzles operable to print in a scanning motion on the substrate by selectively and simultaneously depositing drops of ink of a plurality of different colors onto the substrate.

20. An ink jet printing method comprising:

driving a printhead across a substrate with a linear servo motor having a stator extending parallel to and transverse the support and an armature moveable on the stator, the printhead being moveable with the armature across the support on the stator of the linear servo motor parallel to the support and directed toward the support and operable to selectively deposit drops of ink on demand as the linear servo motor moves the printhead relative to the support; and

jetting drops of ink on demand on the substrate with the printhead at a controlled dot density while so driving the printhead across the substrate;

controlling the jetting of the ink by advancing the timing thereof in relation to the speed of the printhead across the substrate to compensate for transverse displacement of the ink due to changes in the velocity of the printheads parallel to the substrate.