Printing machine and method for printing textiles

Abstract

The invention relates to a printing machine and a method for printing textiles with a machine bed, at least one conveying means arranged on the machine bed for conveying at least one textile along a processing path, at least one priming means arranged on the machine bed for applying a primer in a planar manner on a motif region of the textile, on which a print motif is to be provided, and at least one printing means arranged on the machine bed and having at least one digital print head for printing the print motif. In accordance with the invention provision is made in that along the processing path between the priming means and the printing means at least one pressing means is arranged which is designed for pressing the motif region with the applied primer.

Claims

1. A printing machine for printing textiles that have a basic color, comprising a machine bed, at least one conveyor arranged on the machine bed for conveying at least one textile along a processing path, at least one priming applicator arranged on the machine bed for applying a primer in a planar manner on a motif region of the textile, on which a print motif is to be provided, wherein the primer covers the basic color of the textile, and at least one printer arranged on the machine bed and having at least one digital print head for printing the print motif, wherein the priming applicator is configured to apply the primer with a layer thickness ranging between 10 m and 500 m, along the processing path between the priming applicator and the printer, at least one pressing station is arranged for pressing the motif region and thus, together with the priming applicator, is configured for leveling out and evening out the three-dimensional structure of the textile with the applied primer and a previous pressing, thereby covering primer pores and mesh openings of the textile and forming a closed area of the motif region, and in that the at least one conveyor transports the textile between the priming applicator and the pressing station and between the pressing station and the printer.

2. The printing machine according to claim 1, wherein the pressing station has at least one press plate which can be heated.

3. The printing machine according to claim 1, wherein the priming applicator has at least one application nozzle for applying the primer.

4. The printing machine according to claim 1, wherein at least two parallel, adjacent conveyors are provided and for each conveyor, the at least one priming applicator and/or the at least one printer have a same position in relation to the respective processing path.

5. The printing machine according to claim 4, wherein above the conveyor, the adjacent priming applicator and/or printer each have a joint guide beam, along which application nozzles for the primer and/or print heads of the printer are displaceably supported in a direction transverse to the processing path.

6. The printing machine according to claim 1, wherein the priming applicator and the printer are designed in one station.

7. A method for printing textiles that have a basic color with a printing machine according to claim 1, comprising conveying at least one textile on at least one conveyor on a machine bed along a processing path, applying a primer in a planar manner along the processing path with at least one priming applicator onto a motif region of the textile, onto which a print motif is to be applied, wherein the primer covers the basic color of the textile, and printing the print motif on the primed motif region with at least one digital print head of at least one printer along the processing path, wherein the primer is applied to the motif region with a layer thickness ranging between 10 m and 500 m, after application of the primer and before printing of the print motif, the motif region of the textile is evened out by pressing at least one pressing station onto the motif region to level out and even out the three-dimensional structure of the textile through the applied primer and a previous pressing so that the print motif can be applied onto the evened out motif region, and the pressing station is arranged between the priming applicator and the at least one printer, thereby covering primer pores and mesh openings of the textile and forming a closed area of the motif region.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the primer is white.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein during pressing onto the motif region of the textile, the applied primer forms a continuous planar base area.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein more than one printing inks are printed, of which one printing ink is white.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the pressing is performed with a press plate which is heated to a defined temperature range.

12. The printing machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one press plate has a plane contact area that is provided with a coating against the adhesion of ink.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the press plate has a plane contact area that is provided with a coating against the adhesion of ink.

14. The printing machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one press plate is configured to be electrically heated to a temperature range of between 60 C. and 150 C.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the press plate is configured to be electrically heated to a temperature range of between 60 C. and 150 C.

Description

(1) A preferred embodiment of the invention resides in the fact that the priming means and the printing means are designed in one station. Thus, the priming means and the printing means can be designed at the same location, while the pressing means is spaced apart therefrom. Initially, the textile is provided with a primer by the priming means, with the textile thus processed being conveyed by the conveying means to the pressing means. Afterwards, the textile is conveyed back to the first processing location where the textile is then printed by the printing means. The primer can be applied by the same print heads that are also provided for the printing inks.

(2) With regard to the method the invention is characterized in that before printing of the print motif the primed motif region of the textile is pressed by means of at least one pressing station which is arranged between the at least one priming means and the at least one printing means.

(3) The method can in particular be carried out by the previously described printing machine according to the invention. The advantages set out beforehand with regard to the application of the print motif at a high quality level can be achieved thereby.

(4) Basically, the primer can be selected depending on a basic color of the textile to be printed. The priming serves the purpose that an intense basic color of the textile does not affect the colors of the print motif that is to be printed. A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention resides in the fact that the primer is white. In this way, a basic color of the textile, even a black color, can be covered reliably.

(5) According to the method pursuant to the invention the primer is applied with a layer thickness that can range between 10 m and 500 m. In particular, through a primer filaments protruding from the fibers are covered and embedded in the applied primer layer at least during the subsequent pressing. The primer can only extend on an upper side of the fibers and threads of the motif region of the textile. In the case of a corresponding application quantity the primer can also cover the pores or mesh openings of the textile as a whole so that a largely closed area is then formed. All in all, after pressing the motif region can thus form a plane area that is free of mesh openings or still has exposed mesh openings.

(6) In any case, an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention resides in the fact that during pressing onto the motif region of the textile the applied primer forms a continuous base area which preferably is plane. The base area has a plane surface that is printed.

(7) Furthermore, according to an embodiment variant of the method according to the invention it is advantageous that before application of the primer the motif region is pretreated with a treatment medium to a lesser extent than the extent of a pretreatment for the direct application of a printing ink. The textile is preferably pretreated with a pretreatment fluid, in which case only about a third to a half of the pretreatment fluid is required as compared to a regular textile printing process. A reason for this can be seen in the fact that the primer also contributes to the sealing of the individual fibers and therefore a bleeding of the printing inks through the fiber structure is counteracted. Basically, in the case of a corresponding application of the primer it is also possible that a pretreatment with a pretreatment fluid is dispensed with altogether.

(8) Moreover, it is preferred that several printing inks are printed, of which one printing ink is white. In the method according to the invention a white primer can thus be applied by the priming means. After pressing a white printing ink can be applied subsequently which ensures a so-called highlighting in the motif region.

(9) The pressing of the motif region of the textile after priming and before the actual printing can basically take place in any chosen way, for instance by means of pressing rolls. According to a further development of the invention it is especially preferred that the pressing takes place with a press plate which is heated to a defined temperature range. The press plate has a plane contact area that is preferably provided with a corresponding coating against the adhesion of ink. Below the textile a corresponding counter-bearing or base plate can be provided that is not heated or is also heated. The press plate applied from above onto the print motif is preferably heated electrically to a temperature range between 60 C. and 150 C. In this way, not only is a good smoothing of the applied primer layer but also a rapid drying and curing of the primer achieved.

(10) The invention is explained further hereinafter by way of a preferred embodiment illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawing. The drawing shows a schematic plan view of a printing machine according to the invention.

(11) In the single FIGURE a printing machine 10 according to the invention with a machine bed 12 that is rectangular in plan view is illustrated. On the machine bed 12 in a longitudinal direction thereof two adjacent, belt-shaped conveying means 20a, 20b are arranged parallel to each other. To transport a textile, for example a T-shirt, the conveying means 20 are movable from a front infeed region in a movement or processing direction, which is indicated by an arrow in each case, to an end or removal region. Along the processing path the textiles to be processed and located on the conveying means 20 initially reach a priming means 30. The priming means 30 has a portal-like guide beam 34 that is arranged above the conveying means 20 on the machine bed 12. On an underside of the guide beam 34 a first application head 32 for the first conveying means 20a and a second application head 32 for the second conveying means 20b are arranged for applying a primer onto a motif region of the textile.

(12) The application heads 32 are designed with one or several application nozzles that are directed downwards to the textile. The application heads 32 are displaceably supported along the guide beam 34 in a direction transverse to the conveying direction or the processing path of the textile. The application heads 32 can thus cover the entire width of the conveying means 20 and apply the primer in this region. In addition, the application head 32 of the first conveying means 20a can be displaced as far as over the second conveying means 20b to replace or assist, where necessary, the application head 32 provided there.

(13) After application of a primer the textile with the primed motif region is conveyed further in the conveying direction to a pressing means 50. On the pressing means 50 a height-adjustable press plate 52 is arranged for each conveying means 20, which can preferably be pushed by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder from an upper retracted position into a lower processing position, in which the press plate 52 is pressed onto an upper side of the textile on the conveying means 20. The press plates 52 can also be supported on a portal-like guide beam 54 above the conveying means 20 on the machine bed 12. By preference, the press plates 52 are heated electrically so that the motif region on the textile provided with the primer can be pressed and dried at the same time. Before priming the motif region can be pressed and additionally smoothed by the pressing means 50 or another pressing means connected upstream.

(14) According to the invention, in the pressing station 50 a particularly plane motif region can also be produced on a coarsely woven textile. Afterwards, the textile is conveyed onwards by means of the conveying means 20 to one or several printing means 40. In the illustrated embodiment the printing machine 10 only has a single printing means with a portal-like guide beam 44 supported above the conveying means 20 on the machine bed 12.

(15) Similar to the design of the priming means 30, on an underside of the guide beam 44 of the printing means 40 two print heads 42 with printing nozzles are arranged, through which a print motif can be applied in a generally known manner onto the motif region of the textile through digital activation of the printing nozzles. The print heads 42 are also adjustable along the guide beam 44 in a direction transverse to the processing path of the textile so that a print head 42 for the first conveying means 20a can replace the print head 42 for the second conveying means 20b. Conversely, the print head 42 of the second conveying means 20b can also replace or assist the print head 42 of the first conveying means 20a.