Apparatus and method for printing print objects with independently movable printheads

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. A printing device for printing on print workpieces comprising textile surfaces, comprising: a machine base body having a lateral side and a longitudinal side, for accommodating at least one print workpiece, a guiding means above the machine base body and extending across the print workpiece and across the width of the machine base body, a printing means for printing on the print workpiece and movably arranged on the guiding means, wherein the printing means has at least one first printhead unit and one second printhead unit, which are able to move on the guiding means independently of and in relation to one another, wherein each printhead unit has at least one printhead for printing at least one color of a print ink on the print workpiece, wherein the machine base body has at least one first translating means upon which a first print workpiece is arranged, for changing the position of the first print workpiece with respect to the machine base body, wherein the machine base body has at least one second translating means upon which a second print workpiece is arranged, for changing the position of the second print workpiece with respect to the machine base body, wherein the first print workpiece and the second print workpiece are movable independently of one another beneath the guiding means with the at least two printhead units in a longitudinal direction, wherein the at least two printhead units are movable along separate guide paths on the guiding means, wherein the first printhead unit is movably supported on a front side of a crossbar and the second printhead unit is movably supported on a rear side of the crossbar, wherein the guiding means is a portal guide having the crossbar which extends in a lateral direction, and the portal guide is movably supported with respect to the machine base body, wherein the portal guide is for moving each of the printhead units of the printing means individually and independently along the lateral side and the longitudinal side of the machine base body to any part of any printing-relevant area on a surface of the machine base body upon which print ink is intended to be printed on the at least one print workpiece, wherein each of the printhead units of the printing means is for the parallel printing of a plurality of adjacent print workpieces, wherein the number of printhead units in operation corresponds to the number of print workpieces to be printed on in parallel, wherein the printhead units of the printing means are for printing an image on the least one print workpiece both collectively and independently of one another, and wherein the printing device is configured to be controlled to simultaneously move at least one of the first and second translating means and the first printhead unit, second printhead unit, and portal guide relative to each other such that the first and second printhead units are each moved between any two respective parts of the printing-relevant areas at a velocity greater than a velocity at which the first and second printhead units could be moved between the any two respective parts of the printing-relevant areas by moving only the first printhead unit, second printhead unit, and portal guide.

2. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 1, wherein the translating means has a conveyor belt for conveying 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.

3. The printing device for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 1, wherein the guiding means approximately parallel to the lateral side of the machine base body.

4. A printing method for printing on print workpieces using a printing device according to claim 1, comprising printing the printed image on the print workpiece using the printhead units collectively.

5. The printing method for printing on textile surfaces according to claim 4, wherein the first printhead unit is movable along a first longitudinal side of the guiding means, and the at least second printhead unit is movable along a second longitudinal side of the guiding means.

Description

(1) The invention will be explained hereinafter in greater detail with the aid of the schematic drawing appended. In the drawing shows:

(2) FIG. 1: a schematic representation of a preferential embodiment of the printing device according to the invention.

(3) 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 respective 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.

(4) 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.

(5) 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.

(6) 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 movement—but also while the print workpiece is resting on a arbitrary point on the surface of the machine base body—it 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.