METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL TEXTURE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of producing a defined three-dimensional texture on a textile, in which the texture is provided on a textile with a defined area and a defined height, the texture is formed with at least one texture layer, wherein the height and the area of the texture are adjusted by at least one defined height and at least one defined area of the at least one texture layer, at least one variable-volume ink is applied to the textile in the form of individual ink droplets, wherein a plurality of ink droplets are provided on the textile according to the area of the texture, and the applied ink droplets are activated, whereby a predefined volume increase of the ink droplets is produced and the at least one texture layer is formed on the textile. To provide the defined height of the at least one texture layer at least one defined distance between the applied ink droplets for the texture layer is adjusted, which distance is smaller than and/or equal to a diameter of activated ink droplets of the texture layer. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a three-dimensional texture for a textile with an area and a height, and at least one texture layer which is formed from at least one variable-volume ink in the form of individual ink droplets and which can be applied to the textile and can be activated for a defined volume increase. The ink droplets of the at least one texture layer are provided with at least a distance from each other that is smaller than or equal to the diameter of activated ink droplets.

Claims

1. A method of producing a defined three-dimensional texture on a textile, in which the texture is provided on the textile with a defined area and a defined height, the texture is formed with at least one texture layer, wherein the height and the area of the texture are adjusted by at least one defined height and at least one defined area of the at least one texture layer, at least one variable-volume ink is applied to the textile in the form of individual ink droplets, wherein a plurality of ink droplets are provided on the textile according to the area of the texture, and the applied ink droplets are activated, whereby a predefined volume increase of the ink droplets is produced and the at least one texture layer is formed on the textile, wherein to provide the defined height of the at least one texture layer at least one defined distance between the applied ink droplets for the texture layer is adjusted, which distance is smaller than and/or equal to a diameter of activated ink droplets of the texture layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the individual applied non-activated ink droplets for the texture layer is greater than a diameter of the non-activated ink droplets.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the individual applied ink droplets for the texture layer is variably adjusted, whereby the height within the texture layer is varied.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a print pattern for the texture is stored digitally in a programmable control unit and at least one digital print head is used for applying the ink droplets, which is connected to the programmable control unit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein to form at least a second texture layer the variable-volume ink droplets are each applied to an underlying texture layer and activated.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distance between ink droplets within a texture layer is varied between superimposed regions of different texture layers.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein to establish a depression in a texture layer ink droplets of the texture layer in the region of the depression are arranged at a distance from each other that is greater than the distance between ink droplets of the texture layer outside the depression.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least a second variable-volume ink for the texture is provided, which exhibits a predefined volume increase when activated and which differs from the first variable-volume ink.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two variable-volume inks are provided in order to provide ink droplets in the same and/or in different texture layers of the texture.

10. A three-dimensional texture for a textile having an area and a height, at least one texture layer, which is formed from at least one variable-volume ink in the form of individual ink droplets, which can be applied to the textile and can be activated for a defined volume increase, wherein the ink droplets for the at least one texture layer are provided with at least a distance from each other that is smaller than or equal to the diameter of activated ink droplets.

11. The three-dimensional texture according to claim 10, wherein the distance between the ink droplets for the at least one texture layer is greater than a diameter of non-activated ink droplets.

12. The three-dimensional texture according to claim 10, wherein the texture has at least a second variable-volume ink, which exhibits a predefined volume increase when activated and which differs from the first volume-variable ink.

13. The three-dimensional texture according to claim 10, wherein the at least two variable-volume inks are provided in the same and/or in different texture layers of the texture.

Description

[0034] In the drawings, the invention is further explained below. The figures show the following:

[0035] FIG. 1: a side view of an applied ink droplet and an expanded ink droplet,

[0036] FIG. 2: a side view of an arrangement of ink droplets and activated ink droplets, which form a texture layer with a height H.sub.1,

[0037] FIG. 3: a side view of an arrangement of ink droplets and an arrangement of activated ink droplets, which form a texture layer with a height H.sub.2, and

[0038] FIG. 4: an arrangement of ink droplets on an underlying texture layer, formed from activated ink droplets.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows an ink droplet 10 with a diameter D.sub.1. Such ink droplets can be provided on a textile so as jointly to form at least one texture layer of a three-dimensional texture after activation. The texture layer here is formed from a plurality of activated ink droplets 20 with a diameter D.sub.2, wherein D.sub.2>D.sub.1. The three-dimensional texture according to the invention can preferably be formed from one layer. Particularly preferably, multiple texture layers are arranged one on top of another and jointly form the three-dimensional texture according to the invention. As a result of activation the volume of the ink droplet 10 increases. As a result of the volume increase the diameter D.sub.1 of the ink droplet changes to the diameter D.sub.2, wherein D.sub.2 can be greater than or equal to D.sub.1.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows an arrangement of ink droplets 10 arranged adjacent to each other. The plane 11 indicated below the ink droplets 10 can be e.g. a textile or a subjacent texture layer on which the ink droplets 10 are provided. The ink droplets 10 can be provided on the surface 11 at a distance A.sub.1 from each other. This distance can be greater than and/or equal to the diameter of the non-activated ink droplet, i.e. greater than or equal to D.sub.1 but also D.sub.2. The illustration according to FIG. 2 is a schematic side view. Both behind and in front of the plane of the image, further ink droplets 10 for the texture layer can be arranged, whereby each ink droplet within the plane of application is surrounded by a plurality of ink droplets, preferably at least four, particularly preferably eight ink droplets. After application of the ink droplets 10 these can be activated to form the texture layer 21. The activation can take place e.g. chemically or thermally. Since the distance between the activated ink droplets of the texture plane 21 according to FIG. 2 can be smaller than the diameter D.sub.2 of an expanded activated ink droplet, whereby the space available within the plane is smaller than would be needed for an ideal spherical expansion of the ink droplet, the texture plane 21 can be formed with a height that is greater than the diameter D.sub.2 of the expanded ink droplet 20 according to FIG. 1. By activation and expansion of the ink droplets 10, the texture layer 21 can be formed.

[0041] The volume increase of the ink droplet can preferably be provided in the form of a predefined volume increase. This can result in the fact that the ink droplet, which is preferably provided with the same volume, always undergoes the same volume increase.

[0042] Particularly preferably, the volume increase can additionally be influenced by the duration of the activation, in particular the duration of a chemical or thermal treatment.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows an arrangement of ink droplets 10 on a plane 11, wherein the ink droplets are arranged at a distance A.sub.2 from each other. As also stated with reference to FIG. 2, the illustration according to FIG. 3 is a side view in which a section through the plane of application 11, in particular through a textile, with the applied droplets 10 is present. In the arrangement according to the invention as in FIG. 3 the individual ink droplets are in principle surrounded by a plurality of ink droplets 10 within the plane 11. Preferably the individual ink droplets are surrounded by at least four, particularly preferably eight, further ink droplets within the plane. The individual ink droplets within the texture layer 22 to be formed are provided at a distance A.sub.2 from each other, wherein the distance A.sub.2 is smaller than the distance A.sub.1 according to FIG. 2.

[0044] After activation, a texture layer 22 is formed from the droplets 10, which have a height H.sub.2. Owing to the reduced distance A.sub.2 compared to A.sub.1, the height of the texture layer H.sub.2 is greater than H.sub.1. Consequently, the height of the texture layer to be formed can be influenced by the adjustment of a spacing between the individual applied ink droplets. The smaller the distance between the ink droplets, the higher will be the texture layer formed after activation of the individual applied ink droplets.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a first texture layer 21, which can be formed from the ink droplets 10 according to FIG. 2 with the distance A.sub.1. Accordingly, this has the height H.sub.1. The texture layer 21 that is formed forms the plane 11 according to FIGS. 2 and 3, on which a second texture layer can be provided. For this purpose, ink droplets 10 can be provided on a surface/plane of the texture layer 21 e.g. at a distance A.sub.2 from each other. The ink droplets 10 on the first texture layer 21 can be provided at an arbitrary distance from each other. The first texture layer 21 can also be formed from ink droplets that are at an arbitrary and/or varying distance from each other. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the distance between the ink droplets in the first texture layer 21 can differ from that between the ink droplets 10 applied on the texture layer 21 for a second texture layer 23. The ink droplets for the second texture layer 23 can be provided above the position of the ink droplets for the texture layer 21. As a result, the ink droplets of the individual planes are arranged approximately coaxially to each other. Alternatively, the ink droplets 10 for a second texture plane 23 can also be provided such that they are offset from the position of the ink droplets 10 for a first texture plane 21. These are shown in FIG. 4 in the form of grey circles 12. After activation of the ink droplets 10 and/or 12 on the first texture layer 21, a second texture layer 23 is formed on the texture layer 21.

[0046] When all the provided layers have been activated, the texture can be formed.

[0047] The distance between ink droplets can also vary within the individual texture layers. As a result, texture layers of different heights or individual texture layers with a height profile can be formed. By means of appropriate, e.g. alternating, arrangement of ink droplets with increased and reduced distances from each other, an unevenness or roughness of the respective texture layer can be formed.