APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRINTING PRINT OBJECTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing print objects, comprising a machine base body which has a width side and a longitudinal side and is designed to accommodate at least one print object, a guide device which is arranged above the machine base body and extends over the print object over the width of the machine base body, and a printing device which is designed to print the print object and is moveably arranged on the guide device over the width of the machine base body. The printing device comprises at least one first print head unit and a second print head unit, which can be independently moved relative to each other over the width of the machine base body on the guide device, wherein each print head unit has at least one print head which is designed to print the print object with at least one printing ink. In addition, the invention relates to a print method for printing textile surfaces, in particular with the apparatus, according to the invention, in which at least one print object is held on a machine base body and a printing device is delivered to the at least one print object. The first print head unit and at least one second print head unit of the printing device are independently moved over the width of the holding base body relative to each other along a guide device and print the at least one print object with a printed image.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A printing device for printing on textile surfaces as print workpieces having: a machine base body, which features a lateral side and a longitudinal side and is designed to accommodate at least one print workpiece, a guiding means, which is arranged above the machine base body and extends across the print workpiece across the width of the machine base body, a printing means, which is designed for printing on the print workpiece and is movably arranged on the guiding means across the width of the machine base body, wherein the printing means featuring at least one first printhead unit and one second printhead unit, which are able to move on the guiding means across the width of the machine base body independently of and in relation to one another, wherein each printhead unit featuring at least one printhead, which is designed to print at least one color of a print ink on the print workpiece, wherein the machine base body featuring at least one translating means, upon which the print workpiece being accommodated is arranged and which is designed to change the position of the at least one print workpiece with respect to the machine base body, wherein at least one first translating means being provided for a first print workpiece, and at least one second translating means being provided for a second print workpiece, wherein the first print workpiece and the second print workpiece are able to move independently of one another beneath the guiding means with the at least two printhead units, and wherein the at least two printhead units being able to move along separate guide paths on the guiding means, wherein the print workpieces are each able to be printed on individually or collectively by means of the printhead units, and that the translating means is designed to bring print workpieces for printing on to a first area of the printing device at a variable speed while in a second area of the printing device print workpieces that have been printed on can be continuously removed.

12. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 11, wherein the translating means features a conveyor belt which is designed to convey the at least one print workpiece on the machine base body at least in a direction along the longitudinal side of the machine base body.

13. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 11, wherein the guiding means is arranged to be approximately parallel to the lateral side of the machine base body.

14. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 11, wherein the guiding means is designed as a portal guide having a crossbar which extends in a lateral direction, and that the first printhead unit is movably supported on a front side of the crossbar and the second printhead unit is movably supported on a rear side of the crossbar.

15. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 11, wherein the portal guide is movably supported with respect to the machine base body.

16. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 11, wherein each of the printhead units of the printing means is designed for the parallel printing of a plurality of adjacent print workpieces that have been provided.

17. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 11, wherein the printhead units of the printing means are designed to print an image on the least one print workpiece both collectively and independently of one another.

18. A printing method for printing on print workpieces using a printing device according to claim 11, in which at least one print workpiece is accommodated on a machine base body, and a printing means is brought to the at least one print workpiece, with at least one first translating means being provided for a first print workpiece, and at least one second translating means being provided for a second print workpiece, wherein the first print workpiece being moved using the first translating means, and the second print workpiece being moved using the second translating means, with said print workpieces being moved independently of one another beneath the guiding means having the at least two printhead units, and wherein the at least two printhead units being moved along separate guide paths on the guiding means, wherein the print workpieces are each printed on individually or collectively by means of the printhead units, and the translating means brings print workpieces for printing on to a first area on the printing device at a variable speed while in a second area print workpieces that have been printed on are continuously removed.

19. The printing method for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 18, wherein the first printhead unit is moved along a first longitudinal side of the guiding means, and the at least second printhead unit is moved along a second longitudinal side of the guiding means.

20. The printing method for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 18, wherein the printhead units print the printed image on the print workpiece collectively or independently of one another according to need.

Description

[0026] The invention will be explained hereinafter in greater detail with the aid of the schematic drawing appended. In the drawing shows:

[0027] FIG. 1: a schematic representation of a preferential embodiment of the printing device according to the invention.

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a printing device 10. The printing device 10 features a machine base body 20 having a longitudinal side 21 and a lateral side 22. The longitudinal side and lateral side 21/22 can in particular provided to be approximately rectangular with respect to one another. Arranged on the machine base body 20 can be a translating device 30, which can feature one or multiple carriages 31. At least one conveyor belt can be provided as part of the translating means 30 instead of the carriage or carriages. The at least one carriage 31 can be movably supported on the machine base body 20 in a longitudinal direction along the longitudinal side 21 by way of a conveying means 32. In this context, related to the carriage in particular can be a carriage guide, in particular one having a guide chain or a ribbed belt for moving or displacing the translating means 30. A guiding means 40, which can in particular be configured as a portal guide, can be arranged above the machine base body 20. The guiding means, in particular the portal guide, can feature a crossbar 43, on the front side of which a first printhead means 41 can be arranged and a second printhead means 42 can be arranged on a rear side of the crossbar 43. The number of printhead units on the guiding means 40 can be adjusted according to need, in which case even more than two printhead units can be provided. The printhead units can collectively form the printing means. The first printhead unit 41 and the second printhead unit 42 in particular can be movably supported along their re-spective sides of the crossbar 43 parallel to the lateral side 22 of the machine base body 20. As a result, the printhead units can be brought individually and independently in a lateral direction on the guiding means 40 to printing-relevant areas on the machine base body. Printing-relevant can in particular mean those areas on the surface of the machine base body upon which a print ink droplet or a partial image is intended to be printed on a print workpiece 1 located under the printing means.

[0029] If, for example, a single print workpiece 1 is provided on the translating means 30 of the printing device 10, the separate printhead units, in particular the first printhead unit 41 and the second printhead unit 42, can collectively create the printed image on the print workpiece 1 by printing line-by-line or by separately printing the individual image dots. It is also possible for each printhead unit to assign a separate printing area or printed image which printhead unit prints on then a printed image.

[0030] If more than one print workpiece is provided on the translating unit 30, the printhead units can both print on the print workpieces separately, hence a first printhead unit for the first print workpiece and the additional printhead units each for an additional print workpiece. The printhead units can also print collectively on the print workpieces, in which case the print workpieces to be printed on can be arranged adjacent to one another parallel to the lateral side 22 and in particular parallel to the guiding means 40, and the printheads can be moved above the print workpieces on the guiding means 40 in order to print on said workpieces. Printed images can be formed in this way on the individual print workpieces, for example collectively by means of the printhead units available on the printing means, in which case a printing line can be applied to the one or the multiple print workpieces by means of a (line) movement of a printhead unit along the guiding means.

[0031] In order to speed up the process of bringing the printhead unit(s) between various printing areas and/or partial image areas on the machine base body 20, the guiding means 30, in particular the portal guide on the machine base body 20, can be movably supported, for example along the longitudinal side 21 of the machine base body 20. As a result, a print workpiece 1 can, for example, be moved from a first position on a front end of the machine base body (as illustrated in FIG. 1) to a second position, for example on the opposite end of the machine base body 20, and, during said movementbut also while the print workpiece is resting on a arbitrary point on the surface of the machine base bodyit can be reached by way of the guiding means and printed on with printing ink by way of the printing means. Thus, by way of moving the guiding means, the position of the printing means or rather the printhead means can be changed, in a direction longitudinal to the machine base body, with respect to the machine base body, the translating means, or the at least one print workpiece.