Patent Application
20220195648
The present technology generally relates to a spray device for applying a liquid in a controlled manner to a substrate. More particularly, the present technology relates to a spray device facilitating application of a pretreatment liquid to a fabric material or other substrate.
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing processes often require a pretreatment liquid to be applied to fabrics prior to use thereof. The pretreatment liquid is used to facilitate adherence of inks used in the DTG printing processes to the fabrics. In doing so, the pretreatment liquid provides a base that prevents the inks from soaking into the fabrics. The pretreatment liquid also provides increased wash durability for the inks applied to the fabrics by the DTG printing processes. Application of the pretreatment liquid has been accomplished using brushes, rollers, or sprayers. However, smooth, even, and uniform application of the pretreatment liquid to the fabrics is required to provide optimal printing surfaces for the DTG printing processes. Hand application using brushes, rollers, and hand sprayers typically fails to provide the desired smooth, even, and uniform application of the pretreatment liquid. Consequently, relatively large automated mechanical sprayers have been developed to apply the pretreatment liquid. Using these automated mechanical sprayers, either spray head(s) move relative to the fabric, or the fabric is provided over a substrate, and the substrate and the fabric are moved relative to spray head(s). The size and expense of these automated mechanical sprayers can preclude their use in at-home businesses. Therefore, there is a need for a compact spray device for that can be used to provide smooth, even, and uniform application of a pretreatment liquid to fabrics.
In one aspect, the present disclosure contemplates a method of applying pretreatment liquid to an area of a fabric material, the method including positioning the fabric material on and/or over a substrate; positioning a spray device, for spraying the pretreatment liquid, on portions of the fabric material and/or the substrate; activating the spray device; after activation of the spray device, moving the spray device from a first position on the fabric material and/or the substrate to a second position on the fabric material and/or the substrate; and during activation of the spray device from the first position to the second position, spraying the pretreatment liquid onto the fabric material.
In one aspect, the present disclosure contemplates a method of applying pretreatment liquid to an area of a fabric material, the method including positioning the fabric material on and/or over a substrate; positioning a spray device, for spraying the pretreatment liquid, on portions of the fabric material and/or the substrate; activating the spray device to supply the pretreatment liquid to one or more sprayers attached to the spray device from a reservoir using a pump, to spray the pretreatment liquid from the one or more sprayers onto the fabric material, and to move the spray device from a first position to a second position on the fabric material and/or the substrate as the pretreatment liquid is pumped and sprayed, and adjusting an application rate of the pretreatment liquid by adjusting height(s) of the one or more sprayers attached to the spray device relative to the fabric material and/or the substrate, adjusting a velocity of the spray device during movement thereof from the first position to the second position, and/or adjusting a pressure of the pretreatment liquid from the pump to the one or more sprayers.
In one aspect, the present disclosure contemplates a method of applying pretreatment liquid to an area of a fabric material, the method including positioning a spray device, for spraying the pretreatment liquid, on portions of a fabric material and/or a substrate supporting the fabric material; activating the spray device to spray the pretreatment liquid from one or more onto the fabric material, and to move the spray device from a first position to a second position on the fabric material and/or the substrate as the pretreatment liquid is sprayed, and adjusting an application rate of the pretreatment liquid by adjusting height(s) of the one or more sprayers attached to the spray device relative to the fabric material and/or the substrate, and/or adjusting a velocity of the spray device during movement thereof from the first position to the second position.
The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
As depicted in
The housing portion 12 includes a door D on which the rear surface 22 is provided, and the housing portion 12 includes an interior cavity 28 (
An activation button switch 30 can be provided on the top end surface 14, and a handle portion 32 can be extend outwardly from the front surface 20. As discussed below, the activation button switch 30 is used to communicate with the controller C to facilitate activation and deactivation of the spray device 10, and the handle portion 32 can be used to manipulate the position of the spray device 10. To facilitate actuation thereof, the activation button switch 30, for example, can be depressed, tripped, or otherwise engaged. And, although the activation button switch 30 and the handle portion 32 are depicted in
As depicted in
Furthermore, as depicted in
As discussed below, increasing the speeds of the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors) can increase the velocity of the spray device 10, and decreasing the speeds of the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors) can decrease the velocity of the spray device 10. Additional wheels or different arrangements of wheels also can be used, so long as the wheels stably support the spray device 10, and at least one of the wheels is driven to facilitate travel of the spray device 10. In place of or in addition to use of wheels, tracks (not shown) can be used to facilitate travel of the spray device 10. The travel of the spray device 10 can be forward, rearward, side-to-side, or other directions, but will typically be forward as defined relative to the front surface 20 and the rear surface 22.
A sprayer S is attached relative to the rear surface 22. As depicted in
As depicted in
One or more of the spray nozzle(s) 62 can be used to facilitate application of the pretreatment. The spray nozzle(s) 62 can include fixed sizes and fixed shapes, or can be adjustable to increase or decrease the focus of a corresponding area of the spray pattern. The spray nozzle(s) 62 having fixed sizes and fixed shapes could be interchangeable with other nozzle(s) having different fixed sizes and fixed shapes to provide different spray patterns. Furthermore, if more than one of the spray nozzle(s) 62 are provided, the spray nozzle(s) can be arranged in an array to increase the corresponding area of the spray pattern and corresponding application of the pretreatment liquid. Also, the angles of the spray nozzle(s) 62 can be altered to adjust the application of the pretreatment liquid.
As depicted in
As depicted in
A fluid reservoir (not shown) filled with pretreatment fluid can be fluidly connected to the pump P. The fluid reservoir can be provided inside or outside of the housing portion 12. The fluid reservoir can be connected to the pump P via tube(s) 74 extending through and out of the interior cavity 28, and the pump P can be connected to the fluid connection 66 via tube(s) 76 extending through and out of the interior cavity 28. As depicted in
After actuation of the button switch 30, the controller C can be used to active the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors) to rotate the wheel 42 or the wheels 46 to facilitate travel of the spray device 10, activate the motor 82 of the pump P to pump the pretreatment liquid from the fluid reservoir to the sprayer S, and to activate the solenoid valve of the sprayer S to release the pretreatment to the nozzle(s).
In one preferred embodiment, for example, the spray device 10 can be set in an operational mode where it is necessary to hold down the button switch 30 in an actuated position in order to activate, via the controller C, the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors) and the motor 82 at predetermined speeds (to provide selected velocities of the spray device 10 and selected pressures of the pretreatment liquid), and opening of the solenoid valve of the sprayer S. Once the button switch 30 is released for this preferred embodiment, the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors) and the motor 82 stop, and the solenoid valve of the sprayer S closes.
In another preferred embodiment, for example, the spray device 10 can be set in an operational mode where actuation of the button switch 30 (without the need to hold it down) causes the controller C to activate the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors) and the motor 82 at predetermined speeds (to provide selected velocities of the spray device 10 and selected pressures of the pretreatment liquid) and for predetermined times, and to activate opening of the solenoid valve of the sprayer S for a predetermined time.
The controller C can include a display 90 and a keypad 92 for selecting between the above-discussed operational modes, and for adjusting the desired velocity of the spray device 10 and the desired pressure of the pretreatment liquid during these operational modes by controlling the speeds of the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors) and the motor 82. Furthermore, as discussed above, the sizes, shapes, number, arrangement, and adjustability of the spray nozzle(s) 62, and the height(s) of the spray nozzle(s) 62 can be adjusted. The sizes, shapes, number, arrangement, and adjustability of the spray nozzle(s) 62 and the corresponding spray pattern of the spray nozzle(s) 62, the height(s) of the spray nozzle(s) 62 from the medium, the velocity of the spray device 10 controlled by the speed of the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors), the pressure of the pretreatment liquid controlled by the speed of the motor 82, and the activation times of the motor 82, the motor 40 (and/or other motor or motors), and the solenoid of the sprayer S determine an application rate of the pretreatment liquid to the medium. In other words, these variables determine the amount of the pretreatment liquid applied to an area of the medium during a given time period.
The application rate can be increased by decreasing the size of the spray pattern of the spray nozzle(s) 62, decreasing the height of the spray nozzle(s) 62, increasing the pressure of the pretreatment liquid exiting the pump P by increasing the speed of the motor 82, and decreasing the velocity of the spray device 10 by decreasing the speed of the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors). Furthermore, the application rate can be decreased by increasing the size of the spray pattern of the spray nozzle(s) 62, increasing the height of the spray nozzle(s), decreasing the pressure of the pretreatment liquid exiting the pump P by decreasing the speed of the motor 82, and increasing the velocity of the spray device 10 by increasing the speed of the motor 40 (and/or the other motor or motors). By optimizing these variables, a desired amount of pretreatment liquid can be applied to a desired area of the medium during a given time period, while simultaneously limiting overspray, splatter, and bounce-back of the pretreatment liquid. Typically, an amount of the pretreatment liquid ranging from 10 g to 40 g will be applied over a spray area on a fabric material, but the amount of pretreatment liquid can be lower or higher as deemed necessary.
Use of the spray device 10 affords application of the pretreatment liquid to the medium in a controlled and predictable manner that serves in maximizing wetting of the medium for the desired amount of pretreatment. The spray device 10, for example, can be used to apply the pretreatment liquid to the fabric material such as a t-shirt T. The t-shirt T can be positioned over a substrate (not shown), and the substrate and t-shirt positioned thereon can be placed on another substrate such as a table/platen (not shown). The spray device 10 can then be positioned directly on the t-shirt T (
Placement of the spray device 10 by the user affords accurate positioning of the spray nozzle(s) 62 relative to the fabric of the t-shirt T. The user can manipulate the keypad 92 to select the mode of operation. The desired rate of application can be determined, and the size of the spray pattern of the spray nozzle(s) 62, the height of the spray nozzle(s) 62, the velocity of the spray device 10, and the pressure of the pretreatment liquid can be adjusted to provide the desired rate of application. As discussed above, the controller C can be configured to adjust the velocity of the spray device 10 and the pressure of the pretreatment liquid according to input from the user. Thereafter, as depicted in
While the spray device 10 has been described above as being used to spray a pretreatment liquid, the spray device 10 is not limited thereto. Other liquids requiring application in the manner of the pretreatment liquid can be used with the spray device 10.
It should be understood that various aspects disclosed herein may be combined in different combinations than the combinations specifically presented in the description and the accompanying drawings. It should also be understood that, depending on the example, certain acts or events of any of the processes of methods described herein may be performed in a different sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., all described acts or events may not be necessary to carry out the techniques).
