Digital printing machines may include platens, or pallets, on which items to be printed, such as garments, are positioned for printing.
The conventional platens used in known digital printing machines are formed as substantially flat beds, i.e., having a substantially horizontal upper surface area. Conventional platens for garments are sized and shaped to hold a single garment and to present a single surface of the garment (such as a shirt front, a shirt back, or a shirt sleeve) to the printing head(s) of the printing machine. Thus, conventional platens only allow printing on a single surface of a single garment during a given printing operation.
The limitation of printing on a single surface of a single garment results in printing inefficiencies. In order to print on multiple garments, each garment must be positioned on a platen and printed one at a time. In order to print on multiple surfaces of a single garment, the garment must undergo multiple printing operations, and must be repositioned on a platen or placed on a different platen for each printing operation. These constraints can result in excessively long printing times and require a greater amount of manual labor than desired.
In view of the above, it is desirable to provide a digital printing machine having a platen assembly that enables printing on multiple garment portions or surfaces in a single printing operation.
A digital printing machine and a platen assembly for a digital printing machine are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a platen assembly comprises multiple support members configured to support multiple garment portions so as to permit printing on multiple portions of the same garment in a single printing operation. In another embodiment, a platen assembly comprises multiple support members configured to support multiple garments so as to permit printing on the same portion or portions of multiple garments in a single printing operation. In yet another third embodiment, a digital printing machine includes a platen assembly configured to permit printing on multiple garment portions in a single printing operation. By “single printing operation,” we mean that the digital printing machine is programmed, and the platen assembly configured, to print on multiple garment portions without having to stop the digital printing machine to remove, reposition, or replace the garment portions.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon reference to the following description, appended drawings and claims.
As best shown in
As best shown in
An exemplary manner in which a garment support member 30 may be attached to the base 20 is best illustrated in
As shown in
The longitudinal positions of the garment support members 30 can easily be varied in order to accommodate dimensional requirements and printing head range-of-motion requirements of various digital printers. To adjust the longitudinal position of a garment support member 30, one can first loosen the respective male fastening members 37. Loosening the male fastening members 37 permits the female fastening member 38 to slide relatively freely in the longitudinal direction L within the interior channel portion 26b, and also allows the garment support member 30 to be moved in the longitudinal direction L without removing the fastening members 37, 38. Thereafter, one can move the garment support member 30 to the desired position in the longitudinal dimension L, and then tighten the fastening members 37 to secure the garment support member 30 in the desired position. To facilitate precise positioning of the garment support members 30, the top or sides 24 of the base member 20 may be marked off in units of length.
In the configuration shown in
In addition to being adjustable, the garment support members 30 are also easily removable by removing the male fastening members 37 from the female fastening members 38. Therefore, the garment support members 30 may be interchangeable with other, differently shaped and/or differently sized garment support members, as desired.
In operation, the platen assembly 10 is positioned relative to a print head array, wherein each of a plurality of garment portions is positioned on one of the garment support members 30. Thereafter, either the platen assembly or the print head array, or both, are moved so that each of the plurality of garment portions is printed in a single printing operation. In one exemplary process, the platen assembly 10 is positioned relative to a print head array 130 of a digital printing machine 100, wherein each of a plurality of garment portions is positioned on one of the garment support members 30. Thereafter, the platen assembly 10 is moved on a first axis 120, and the print head array 130 is moved on a second axis 140 so that each of the plurality of garment portions is printed in a single printing operation. As will be appreciated, the process may require that the platen assembly and/or the print head array move several times, or make more than one pass, to complete the printing operation.
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that this invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the present disclosure.
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