Jet printing is a non-contact application system originally developed
for printing carpets, but now increasingly used in the textile sector.
The first commercial jet printing machine for carpets was the Elektrocolor, followed by the first Millitron machine. In the Millitron printing system, the injection of the dye into the substrate is accomplished by switching on and off a dye jet by means of a controlled air stream. As the carpet moves along, no parts of the machine are in contact with the face of the substrate. Air streams are used to keep continuously flowing dye jets, deflected into a catcher or drain tray. This dye is drained back to the surge tank, filtered and re-circulated. When a jet is requested to fire, the air jet is momentarily switched off, allowing the correct amount of dye to be injected into thetextile substrate. The dye is supplied in continuous mode to the main storage tank to compensate for the amount of dye consumed
Spray printing systems and first generation jet printing methods cannot be controlled to produce a pre-specified pattern. Thus the equipment must first be employed to produce a wide range of effects and only then can selections be made from these by the designer or marketing staff.
An early improvement was made by the first digital carpet printers (Chromotronic and Titan by Zimmer and Tybar Engineering, respectively). These machines are based on the so-called «drop on demand principle», namely the use of switchable electromagnetic valves placed in the dye liquor feed tubes to allow the jetting of discrete drops of dye liquor in a predetermined sequence according to the desired pattern.
In these machines, although the amount of dye applied can be digitally controlled at each point of the substrate, further penetration of the dye into the substrate is still dependent on capillary action of the fiber and fiber surface wetting forces. This can lead to problems of reproducibility (e.g. when the substrate is too wet) and means that it is still necessary to use thickeners to control the rheology of the dye liquor.
The latest improvement in jet printing of carpet and bulky fabrics is now represented by machines in which the color is injected with surgical precision deep into the face ofthe fabric without any machine parts touching the substrate. Here, the control of the quantity of liquor applied to the substrate (which may vary for example from lightweight articles to heavy quality fabrics) is achieved by varying not only the firing time but also the
pumping pressure.
This system can be likened to an injection dyeing process. The name «injection dyeing» is used as a commercial name to define the technology applied on the latest Milliken's Millitron machine. Another digital jetprinting machine commercially available is Zimmer's Chromojet. In the Chromojet system, the printing head is equipped with 512 nozzles. These are magnetically controlled and can open and close up to 400 times a second.
The carpet is accumulated into a J-box, and is then steamed and brushed. When it reaches the printing table it is stopped. The jets are mounted on a sliding frame that can itself be moved in the direction of the warp while the carpet remains stationary during the printing process.
The first commercial jet printing machine for carpets was the Elektrocolor, followed by the first Millitron machine. In the Millitron printing system, the injection of the dye into the substrate is accomplished by switching on and off a dye jet by means of a controlled air stream. As the carpet moves along, no parts of the machine are in contact with the face of the substrate. Air streams are used to keep continuously flowing dye jets, deflected into a catcher or drain tray. This dye is drained back to the surge tank, filtered and re-circulated. When a jet is requested to fire, the air jet is momentarily switched off, allowing the correct amount of dye to be injected into thetextile substrate. The dye is supplied in continuous mode to the main storage tank to compensate for the amount of dye consumed
Spray printing systems and first generation jet printing methods cannot be controlled to produce a pre-specified pattern. Thus the equipment must first be employed to produce a wide range of effects and only then can selections be made from these by the designer or marketing staff.
An early improvement was made by the first digital carpet printers (Chromotronic and Titan by Zimmer and Tybar Engineering, respectively). These machines are based on the so-called «drop on demand principle», namely the use of switchable electromagnetic valves placed in the dye liquor feed tubes to allow the jetting of discrete drops of dye liquor in a predetermined sequence according to the desired pattern.
In these machines, although the amount of dye applied can be digitally controlled at each point of the substrate, further penetration of the dye into the substrate is still dependent on capillary action of the fiber and fiber surface wetting forces. This can lead to problems of reproducibility (e.g. when the substrate is too wet) and means that it is still necessary to use thickeners to control the rheology of the dye liquor.
The latest improvement in jet printing of carpet and bulky fabrics is now represented by machines in which the color is injected with surgical precision deep into the face ofthe fabric without any machine parts touching the substrate. Here, the control of the quantity of liquor applied to the substrate (which may vary for example from lightweight articles to heavy quality fabrics) is achieved by varying not only the firing time but also the
pumping pressure.
This system can be likened to an injection dyeing process. The name «injection dyeing» is used as a commercial name to define the technology applied on the latest Milliken's Millitron machine. Another digital jetprinting machine commercially available is Zimmer's Chromojet. In the Chromojet system, the printing head is equipped with 512 nozzles. These are magnetically controlled and can open and close up to 400 times a second.
The carpet is accumulated into a J-box, and is then steamed and brushed. When it reaches the printing table it is stopped. The jets are mounted on a sliding frame that can itself be moved in the direction of the warp while the carpet remains stationary during the printing process.