A fixation/transfer device for control of dye waste in a dye sublimation process. The device comprises a textile inlet, a textile outlet, a heat press or calender, an endless belt for driving the textile from the textile inlet to the textile outlet through the heat press, the heat press being held at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the printing dye, and a cleaning station for cleaning the endless belt, the cleaning station being located downstream of the textile outlet and upstream of the textile outlet. The feed belt may be heated at the cleaning station so that sublimation may assist cleaning.

A thread-coating system includes: a thread-coating module having a droplet ejector assembly; a thread gatherer positioned upstream of the thread-coating module and configured for arranging a plurality of threads in a thread wall; a thread expander positioned downstream of the thread-coating module for receiving a coated thread wall and expanding the coated thread wall into individual threads. The thread gatherer is configured for adjusting a spacing of threads in the thread wall and an overall height of the thread wall via a pivoting motion.

A fixation/transfer device for control of dye waste in a dye sublimation process. The device comprises a textile inlet, a textile outlet, a heat press or calender, an endless belt for driving the textile from the textile inlet to the textile outlet through the heat press, the heat press being held at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the printing dye, and a cleaning station for cleaning the endless belt, the cleaning station being located downstream of the textile outlet and upstream of the textile outlet. The feed belt may be heated at the cleaning station so that sublimation may assist cleaning.

A thread-coating module includes: a coating chamber having a thread entrance at one end and a thread exit at an opposite end thereof; and an inkjet printhead positioned in a printhead opening of the coating chamber for ejecting ink onto thread fed through the coating chamber. The coating chamber has an ink management system positioned opposite the printhead for managing excess ink. The ink management system includes: an inner ink-collection slot in fluid communication with a drain port for recycling excess ink and an outer aerosol-collection chamber fluidically connected to a vacuum port.

A thread-coating module includes: a base plate having a printhead opening; an inkjet printhead received in the printhead opening; and a chamber unit having a mouth for engagement with the base plate and an ink-collection slot opposing the printhead. The chamber unit and the base plate are movable relative to each other for opening and closing a coating chamber comprising the base plate and the chamber unit, with the ink-collection slot being positioned opposite the printhead in the coating chamber.

A thread-coating module includes: a base plate having a printhead opening; an inkjet printhead received in the printhead opening; and a chamber unit having a mouth for engagement with the base plate and an ink-collection slot opposing the printhead. The chamber unit and the base plate are movable relative to each other for opening and closing a coating chamber comprising the base plate and the chamber unit, with the ink-collection slot being positioned opposite the printhead in the coating chamber.

A fixation/transfer device for control of dye waste in a dye sublimation process. The device comprises a textile inlet, a textile outlet, a heat press or calender, an endless belt for driving the textile from the textile inlet to the textile outlet through the heat press, the heat press being held at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the printing dye, and a cleaning station for cleaning the endless belt, the cleaning station being located downstream of the textile outlet and upstream of the textile outlet. The feed belt may be heated at the cleaning station so that sublimation may assist cleaning.

A thread-coating module includes: a base plate having a printhead opening; an inkjet printhead received in the printhead opening; and a chamber unit having a mouth for engagement with the base plate and an ink-collection slot opposing the printhead. The chamber unit and the base plate are movable relative to each other for opening and closing a coating chamber comprising the base plate and the chamber unit, with the ink-collection slot being positioned opposite the printhead in the coating chamber.

A thread-coating module includes: a base plate having a printhead opening; an inkjet printhead received in the printhead opening; and a chamber unit having a mouth for engagement with the base plate and an ink-collection slot opposing the printhead. The chamber unit and the base plate are movable relative to each other for opening and closing a coating chamber comprising the base plate and the chamber unit, with the ink-collection slot being positioned opposite the printhead in the coating chamber.

A method of producing sizing agent-applied carbon fiber bundles includes a sizing agent application process of immersing a plurality of carbon fiber bundles running side by side in a sizing agent bath, followed by a dry process performed to obtain sizing agent-applied carbon fiber bundles and, to address issues of wrapping of a carbon fiber bundle caused by sticking of a sizing agent solution to a guide roller, the first guide roller for the carbon fiber bundles after being immersed in the sizing agent bath and coming out of a liquid surface of the sizing agent bath is set to have a surface adhesive force of 0.2 N/cm.sup.2 or less.