KR-20260062418-A - Digital Textile Printing System For Knit

KR20260062418AKR 20260062418 AKR20260062418 AKR 20260062418AKR-20260062418-A

Abstract

A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics comprises: a conveying device including a conveying belt that receives a knit fabric at a supply position and conveys the received knit fabric along a conveying path while supporting it through an upper surface; a Webster guide that receives the knit fabric from the outside, unfolds the received knit fabric, and supplies it to the conveying belt; and a press roller positioned at the supply position and guiding the knit fabric supplied from the Webster guide to the upper surface of the conveying belt. The Webster guide includes an unwinder unit that unfolds the knit fabric supplied from the outside; a fabric supply unit that supplies the knit fabric unfolded by the unwinder unit to the conveying belt; and a control unit that controls the operation of the fabric supply unit. The Webster guide can supply the knit fabric to the supply position at a position higher than the press roller.

Inventors

최동호
윤신용

Assignees

주식회사 디지아이

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241029

Claims (17)

In a digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, A conveying device comprising a conveying belt that receives a knitted fabric at a supply location and conveys the knitted fabric received through an upper surface while supporting it along a conveying path; A Webster guide that receives the knit fabric from the outside, unfolds the received knit fabric, and supplies it to the conveyor belt; and It includes a press roller positioned at the above supply location and guiding the knit fabric supplied from the Webster guide to the upper surface of the conveyor belt, The above Webster Guide is, An unwinder unit for unfolding knit fabric supplied from the outside; A fabric supply unit that supplies the knit fabric unfolded by the above unwinder unit to the above conveyor belt; and It includes a control unit that controls the operation of the fabric supply unit described above, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, wherein the above Webster guide feeds the knit fabric to the feed position at a position higher than the press roller.
In Article 1, The above unwinder unit is, A pair of support rollers that each rotate freely around a rotation axis parallel to one another and support the lower side of the knit fabric; and A digital textile printing system for knit fabric, comprising a first spreading roller that rotates around a rotation axis parallel to the pair of support rollers, contacts the portion of the knit fabric supported by the pair of support rollers, and spreads the knit fabric.
In Article 2, The above-mentioned first spreading roller is, A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, positioned between the above-mentioned pair of support rollers and configured so that the surface contacts the knit fabric on the upper side of the knit fabric portion.
In Article 2, The above-mentioned first spreading roller is, A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, wherein a screw-shaped pattern extending from the center toward both ends of the rotation axis of the first expansion roller is formed on the surface.
In Paragraph 3, A digital textile printing system for knit fabric, further comprising a second spreading roller positioned adjacent to the press roller, rotating about a rotation axis parallel to the first spreading roller, spreading out the portion of the knit fabric supplied to the supply position and transferring it to the press roller.
In Article 5, The above second spreading roller is, A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics configured such that a surface contacts the knit fabric at the lower side of the knit fabric portion supplied to the above supply position.
In Article 1, The above fabric supply unit is, A drive roller that rotates around a drive shaft and has a rubber member mounted on its surface; and It includes a drive motor that rotates the above drive roller, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabric, wherein the above-described drive roller supports the lower side of the knit fabric and is configured to transfer the knit fabric to the transfer device through a rotational movement.
In Article 7, A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, wherein the above-described drive roller is movable in both directions along the drive shaft.
In Article 8, The above fabric supply unit is, A moving part that moves the above-mentioned drive roller along the drive shaft; and It further includes a guide sensor for detecting the position of the knit fabric relative to the drive roller on the drive shaft, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the moving unit based on detection information of the guide sensor.
In Article 1, It further includes a fabric detection unit disposed between the press roller and the fabric supply unit, which detects whether the knit fabric is located at a detection position lower than the conveyor belt. A digital textile printing system for knit fabric, wherein the control unit is configured to stop the operation of the fabric supply unit when it is determined that the knit fabric is located at the detection position, and to resume the operation of the fabric supply unit when it is determined that the knit fabric is not located at the detection position.
In Article 10, The fabric sensing unit above is, An optical laser that irradiates light; and It includes a light detector that receives light irradiated by the optical laser, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabric, wherein the control unit determines that the knit fabric is located at a detection position if light is not received by the light detection unit.
In Article 10, It further includes a support frame that supports the lower side of the above Webster guide, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, wherein the fabric sensing unit is installed on the support frame.
In Article 10, It further includes an additional fabric sensing unit located above the fabric sensing unit, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabric, wherein the control unit is configured to stop the operation of the fabric supply unit when it is determined that the knit fabric is not located at the detection position of the additional fabric detection unit, and to resume the operation of the fabric supply unit when it is determined that the knit fabric is located at the detection position of the additional fabric detection unit.
In Article 10, A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, further comprising a limit sensor at the bottom of the fabric detection unit to perform the role of the fabric detection unit when the fabric detection unit is not operating normally.
In Article 1, The above press roller is movable in the up and down direction, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics configured to supply the knit fabric in close contact with the upper surface of the conveyor belt.
In Article 1, A digital textile printing system for knit fabric, further comprising a textile printing device for printing on the knit fabric at a printing position located on the upper part of the conveyor belt and on the conveyor path.
In Article 1, The above conveyor belt forms a closed loop and rotates along the conveyor path, and A digital textile printing system for knit fabrics, wherein an adhesive material to which the knit fabric is adhered is applied to the surface of the above-mentioned conveyor belt.

Description

Digital Textile Printing System for Knit Fabrics The present invention relates to a digital textile printing system, and in particular to a digital textile printing system comprising a Webster guide capable of unfolding and transporting a knitted fabric. Fabric refers to a material that serves as a raw material for clothing. It is used not only as a fabric for forming human clothing but also for interior decoration, medical, transportation, and industrial materials. In order to enhance the aesthetic appeal according to the intended use, various types of patterns, logos, characters, and other images are printed on the surface of the fabric. A representative fabric printing technique is screen printing, an analog method. In this process, the design to be printed is separated into individual colors, and ink is applied to the prepared color plates. The ink then penetrates the plates and transfers to the surface of the fabric. While this method allows for consistent print quality control and is suitable for mass production, it inevitably incurs initial costs and requires setup time due to the production of individual color plates, making it difficult to efficiently meet the demand for small-batch printing. In particular, the wastewater generated during the plate-making process contains a large amount of pollutants. Furthermore, significant amounts of wastewater are produced during post-processing steps (washing, steaming) performed to improve dye adhesion and ensure colorfastness, necessitating separate purification facilities. As an alternative to overcome the economic and environmental limitations of such analog printing techniques, Digital Textile Printers (DTP) using inkjet printing technology have been introduced and are being used for printing on fabrics in the clothing sector, starting with sportswear, and in the home textile sector, such as curtains and rugs. In order for DTP to print an image on the surface of a fabric using inkjet printing technology, a series of fabric transport processes is required to evenly spread out the fabric, which is rolled up or stacked on a cart, and supply it to the printing device. This transport process needs to satisfy various requirements depending on the weave structure of the fabric, the thickness of the yarn, and the type of yarn material. In the case of a woven fabric with a structure in which weft threads (horizontal threads) and warp threads (vertical threads) are interwoven, the allowable tensile strength is determined by the yarn material and the thickness of the threads (number of threads, denier number). When the fabric is transported by a conventional DTP roll-to-roll transport device, the tension applied to the fabric does not exceed the allowable tensile strength, and since the shrinkage rate of the woven fabric is typically managed within a maximum of 3%, there are no major difficulties in fabric transport and inkjet printing, and it can be easily implemented if one has general knowledge regarding roll-to-roll transport. However, in the case of knit fabrics with a structure in which stitches are woven one by one using a single thread, the main characteristic is that they have excellent elasticity depending on the weaving structure. When knit fabrics are transported using conventional DTP roll-to-roll transport technology, the fabric is supplied to the printing device in an elongated state due to the tension applied to it, and an image is printed. When printing is finished and the tension applied to the fabric is released, the fabric returns to its original state, causing the image to shrink in the longitudinal direction (the direction of fabric transport). Additionally, if the tension applied during fabric transport is excessive, there is a possibility that permanent deformation may occur in some cases. Furthermore, due to their structural characteristics, knit fabrics exhibit a curling phenomenon where the edges curl in a direction perpendicular to the direction of applied tension. If supplied to a printing device without countermeasures against this curling, there is a risk of printhead damage caused by head friction and poor print quality. In this regard, Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2286068 discloses an invention regarding a water-based coating system for an oil-based ink printed fabric. The aforementioned background technology is one that the inventor possessed or acquired in the process of deriving the contents of the disclosure of the present application, and it cannot be considered as prior art disclosed to the general public prior to the filing of this application. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a digital textile printing system for knit fabric according to one embodiment. FIG. 2a is an exemplary perspective view of a fabric supply unit illustrating a first spreading roller according to one embodiment. FIG. 2b is a partial perspective view of a digital textile printing system for knit fabrics illustrating a second spreading roller accord