Title of Invention

PLANT FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF A PRINTED TEXTILE TAPE, IN PARTICULAR A LABEL TAPE

Abstract

The inventive installation for continuously producing and imprinted textile strip contains a print station that is connected to an electronic control device. In order to achieve a cost savings and an efficient production of the imprinted textile strip, the inventive installation is configured in such a manner that a print head of the print station imprints a first strip side of the textile strip. Alternatively, the second strip side of the textile strip can be additionally imprinted during a working operation involving the use the same print head and the same printing station.

Full Text

figure 5 shows a side view of a further plant for the continuous production of a printed textile tape, in particular a label tape, from a textile web of larger width; figure 6 shows a plan view of a detail of a printed textile tape; figure 7 shows a diagrammatic illustration of a detail of the plant of figures 1 to 3 with modified turning station. Ways of implementing the invention Figures 1 to 3 show a first plant for the continuous production of a printed textile tape, in particular a label tape. The plant has a delivery device 2, in which a stock roll 6 of a textile web 8 is arranged on a shaft 4, The textile web 8 is led via a straightening device 10 to a printing station 12. The straightening device 10 contains two rollers 14, 16, over which the textile web 8 is led in a meander-shaped manner. The straightening device 10 serves for holding the textile web 8 constantly in an exact position with respect to the printing station 12. Arranged upstream of the printing station 12 is a first longitudinal-cutting station 18 which subdivides the textile web 8 into two textile tapes 24, 26 by means of a cutting element 20, for example in the form of an electrically heated fuse wire 22. These textile tapes run with a first tape side 27 through a common printing station 12 with a printing head 2 8 which is moveable back and forth transversely to the textile tapes 24, 26 along a bearer 29. The printing head 28 is designed preferably as an ink-jet printer which prints the textile tapes 24, 26 with a polymerizable ink. The printing station 12 is followed by a fixing station 3 0 which fixes the print by polymerization by means of UV light. The textile tapes 24, 26 are supplied to 'turning stations 34A, 34B by means of deflecting rollers 32A, 32B. The turning stations contain turning members 36, 38, for example bars or rollers, which are arranged crosswise. At the first turning member 36, the textile tapes 24 or 26 are first deflected through 90° toward the second turning member 3 8 and are led back at the latter, again through 90°, parallel to the textile web 8 of the printing station 12, so that the textile tapes 24 or 26 run through the printing station 12 with a second tape side 40 in the opposite direction to the first tape side 27. The second tape side 40 is then printed in one operation at the same printing station 12 by means of the same printing head 28, the print of the second tape side 40 being phase-shifted with respect to the print of the first tape side 27. The second tape side 40 is.,, then likewise supplied to the same fixing station 3 0 which also serves for fixing the print of the first tape side. After the printing of the first tape side 27 and second tape side 40 of the textile tapes 24, 26, these can be further processed as desired. In the simplest instance, the textile tapes 24, 2 6 can be rolled up on stock rolls or be subdivided into portions in a way not illustrated. Figures 1 to 3 show further processing possibilities, thus, downstream of the fixing device 3 0, the textile tape 24 is once again subdivided at a second longitudinal-cutting station 42 into textile tapes 24A, 24B, 24C of smaller width which are subdivided into textile tape portions 46 at a cross-cutting station 44 and stacked in a stacking device 48. The longitudinal-cutting station 42 contains cutting elements 20 designed as fuse wires 22. The cross-cutting station 44 is equipped with a cutting knife 50 moveable transversely to the running direction. The textile tape 26 on the other side of the plant is likewise supplied to a longitudinal-cutting station 52, at which it is subdivided into two textile tapes 2 6A, 2 6B by means of a cutting element 2 0 in the form of an electrically heated fuse wire 22. The longitudinal-cutting station 52 is followed by a folding station 54, at which the edge regions 56 of the textile tapes 26A, 2 6B are folded against one another. In a following tape fixing station 58, the form of the folded tapes is fixed. For this purpose, the fixing station has a heating roller 60 and two press rollers 62 which press the folded tapes against the heating roller 60. In a following cross-cutting station 44, the textile tapes 25A, 2 6B thus folded are cut once more into textile tape portions 64 which are stacked in a stacking device 48. For controlling the plant, there is an electronic control device 66 which, in particular, controls the printing station 12 together with the printing head 28 and also coordinates the remaining components of the plant with one another. Figure 4 shows the plant of figures 1 to 3, but, here, the right part of the plant downstream of the printing station 12 is displaced transversely to the running direction of the textile tape in such a way that the textile tape 2 6 no longer runs through the turning station 34B, but is supplied directly to the longitudinal-cutting station 52, the following folding station 54, the tape fixing station 58 and the cross-cutting station 44 and stacking device 48. In this case, only the first tape side 27 of the textile tape 26 is printed. Figure 5 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a plant for the continuous production of a printed textile tape, in particular a label tape. This plant has a delivery device 68 for a textile web 70 which is wound on a stock roll 72. The width of the textile web 70 amounts to a multiple of the width of the printed textile tape 74. The textile web 70, coming from the stock roll 72, runs through a straightening device 76 and then arrives at the longitudinal-cutting station 78, at which a cutting element 80 in the form of a fuse wire 82 separates a textile tape 74 of the desired width from the textile web 70. The textile tape 74 then arrives at the printing station 84, at which a printing head 86 has printing units 88A, 88B, 88C arranged one behind the other for different colors. In this case, too, this is an ink-jet printer which first prints the first tape side 90 of the textile tape 74. The printing station is followed by a check sensor 92 which monitors the printing image for faults. The printing station 84 and the check sensor 92 are followed by a fixing station 94 which has a UV region 94A and an IR region 94B. In the UV region 94A, the print is treated by UV light, for example polymerized. Fixing by means of heat treatment takes place in the IR region 94B. The fixing station 94 is followed by a turning station 96 which contains a deflecting roller 98 which is arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the textile tape and which leads the textile tape 74 back to the printing station 84. The textile tape 74 passes with its second tape side 100 under the printing head 86 of the printing station 84, travels through the latter in the opposite direction to the first tape side 90 of the textile tape 74 and is thus printed in a phase-shifted manner in the same operation and with the same printing station 84 by means of the same printing head 86. The textile tape 74, then printed on two sides, passes over a further deflecting roller 102 into the fixing station 94 and subsequently arrives at a draw-off device 104 which may be designed at the same time as a further tape fixing station 106. For this purpose, a roller 108 is heated. The tape fixing station 106 is followed by a cross-cutting station 110, at which the printed tape is cut by means of a cutting device 112, transversely to the running direction, into textile tape portions 114, preferably labels, which are stacked in a stacking device 116. The textile web part 118 not used is supplied via a deflecting roller 120 to a reception device 122 and is preteraiDly wound up into a stocK roil 1^4. Figure 6 shows successive printed textile web portions 114 which are separated from one another by a separation region 126. At this separation region 126, all the nozzles of the printing head 86 operate simultaneously in order to clean these. A suction-extraction device 128, indicated by dashes and dots, discharges superfluous printing ink which is released. The plant of figure 5 again contains an electronic control device 130 which controls not only the printing station 84, but all the components of the plant, and coordinates their functions with one another. Figure 7 shows a detail of the plant of figures 1 to 3 with modified turning stations 132A, 132B. The textile tapes 24, 26 are led over first deflecting rollers 134A, 134B which are inclined at a small angle to the transverse direction of the textile tapes and thereby deflect the textile tapes 24, 26 from the original oncoming direction until they reach second deflecting rollers 136A, 136B outside the original oncoming direction of the textile tapes. Said second deflecting rollers are arranged in a similar way at an inclination such that the textile tapes 24, 26 are again deflected and oriented parallel to and in the running direction of the original oncoming textile tapes. Between the first deflecting rollers 134A, 134B and the second deflecting rollers 136A, 136B, the textile tapes are twisted about their longitudinal axis, so that, downstream of the second deflecting rollers 136A, 136B, they lie with their second tape side 40 on top. Instead of or in addition to the straightening device, the plant may be equipped, upstream of the printing station, with a sensor which senses the edge of the textile tape, in order to determine the position of the edge and accordingly determine the lateral print start on the textile tape. The print start in the longitudinal direction of the textile tape may be determined by means of markings in the textile tape, particularly when the textile tape is not neutral, but is already provided with a, for example, woven-in ground pattern. Numerous further exemplary embodiments may be envisaged, and, in particular, part versions of the exemplary embodiments may also be combined with one another. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 2 Delivery device 3 8 Turning member 4 Shaft 40 Second tape side 6 Stock roll 42 Longitudinal- cutting station 8 Textile web 44 Cross-cutting station 10 Straightening 46 Textile tape device portion 12 Printing station 48 Stacking device 14 Roller 50 Cutting knife 16 Roller 52 Longitudinal cutting station 18 Longitudinal- 54 Folding station cutting station 20 Cutting element 56 Edge region 22 Fuse wire 58 Tape fixing station 24 Textile tape 60 Heating roller 24A Textile tape 62 Press roller 24B Textile tape 64 Textile tape portion 24C Textile tape 66 Control device 26 Textile tape 68 Delivery device 26A Textile tape 70 Textile web 26B Textile tape 72 Stock roll 27 First tape side 74 Textile tape 2 8 Printing head 7 6 Straightening device 29 Bearer 7 8 Longitudinal cutting station 30 Fixing station 80 Cutting element 32A Deflecting roller 82 Fuse wire 32B Deflecting roller 84 Printing station 34A Turning station 86 Printing head 34B Turning station 88A Printing unit 3 6 Turning member 88B Printing unit 88C Printing unit 90 First tape side 92 Check sensor 94 Fixing station 94A UV region 94B IR region 96 Turning station 98 Deflecting roller 100 Second tape side 102 Deflecting roller 104 Draw-off device 106 Tape fixing station 108 Roller 110 Cross-cutting station 112 Cutting device 114 Textile tape portions 116 Tacking device 118 Textile web part 120 Deflecting roller 122 Reception device 124 Stock roll 125 Print 12 6 Separation region 12 8 Suction-extraction device 13 0 Control device 132A Turning station 132B Turning station 134A First deflecting roller 134B First deflecting roller 166A Second deflecting roller 136B Second deflecting roller WE CLAIM: 1. A plant for the continuous production of a printed textile tape, in particular a label tape, with a printing station (28, 86) connected to an electronic control device (66, 130) and having a printing head (28, 86), characterized in that the printing head is provided to print a first tape side (27, 90) of the textile tape (74) and selectively, in addition, a second tape side (40, 100) of the textile tape in one operation by means of the same printing head (28, 86) and with the same printing side as the first tape; said printing station (12, 84) being an ink-jet printer with a printing head (28) provided to move back and forth transversely over the textile tape (24, 26). 2. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printing head (86) is assigned a check sensor (92). 3. The plant as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second tape sides (27, 40, 90, 100) of the textile tape can be printed in a phase-shifted manner. 4. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second tape side of the textile tape can be moved past the printing head in the same running direction as the first tape side. 5. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second tape side (40, 100) of the textile tape can be moved past the printing head (28, 86) in the opposite running direction to the first tape side (27, 90). 6. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the turning station (132A, 132B) has a device (134A, 134B, 136A, 136B) for tuming the textile tape (24, 26) about its longitudinal axis. 7. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tuming station (96) has a tuming member (98) which is arranged transversely to the running direction and which supplies the textile tape (74) with its second tape side (100) to the printing head (86) of the printing station (84). 8. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tuming station (34A, 34B) has tuming members (36, 38) which are arranged crosswise. 9. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ink-jet printer is designed for the processing of water-based printing ink. 10. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ink-jet printer is provided for the processing of printing ink polymerizing by UV light. 11. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printing station (12, 84) is configured as a multicolor printer and has preferably a plurality of printing units (88A, 88B, 88C) arranged one behind the other for different colors. 12. The plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein it has at least one fixing station (30, 94) for the print, which follows the printing station (12, 84) and which is preferably based on UV light. 13. The plant as claimed in claim 12, wherein it has, downstream of the print fixing station (94), a press station (106) for the textile tape (74). 14. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein it has a tape fixing station (58, 106) for the printed textile tape (26A, 26B, 74). 15. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein it has a coating station following the printing station, in order to provide the printed textile tape with a protective layer. 16. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein it has a delivery device (2, 68) for a textile web (8, 70), the width of which corresponds at least to double the width of the textile tape (24, 26, 74) to be printed, a longitudinal-cutting station (18, 78) being arranged upstream of the printing station (12, 84), in order to cut off a textile tape (24,26, 74) to be printed from the textile web (8, 70). 17. The plant as claimed in claim 16, wherein the textile web (8) has double the width of a textile tape (24, 26) to be printed, in order to cut the textile web (8) into two identical textile tapes (24, 26) of the longitudinal-cutting station (18), the printing station (12) having, downstream of the longitudinal-cutting station (18), devices which are duplicated mirror-symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane passing through the cutting line of the textile web (8). 18. The plant as claimed in claim 17, wherein a textile tape (74) to be printed can be cut off at the longitudinal-cutting station (78) from the textile web (70) to be supplied, and the remaining residue (118) of the textile web can be supplied via a deflecting device (120) to a reception device (122), preferably a reception roll (124). 19. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the printing station (12) is provided to print at least two longitudinal strips on the textile tape (24, 26), the printing station (12) being followed by a longitudinal-cutting station (42, 52), in order to cut the textile tape (24, 26) into textile tapes (24A, 24B, 24C, 26A, 26B) corresponding to the printed longitudinal strips. 20. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein it has a folding station (54), in order to fold the edge regions (56) of the printed textile tape (26A, 26B) against one another, the folding station (56) preferably being followed by a tape fixing station (58). 21. The plant as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein it has a cross-cutting station (44, 110), in order to subdivide the printed textile tape (24A, 24B, 24C, 26A, 26B, 74) into portions (46, 64, 114), the cross-cutting station (44, 110) preferably being followed by a stacking device (48,116).

Documents:

042-chenp-2003-abstract.pdf

042-chenp-2003-claims.pdf

042-chenp-2003-correspondnece-others.pdf

042-chenp-2003-correspondnece-po.pdf

042-chenp-2003-description(complete).pdf

042-chenp-2003-drawings.pdf

042-chenp-2003-form 1.pdf

042-chenp-2003-form 18.pdf

042-chenp-2003-form 26.pdf

042-chenp-2003-form 3.pdf

042-chenp-2003-form 5.pdf

042-chenp-2003-pct.pdf

42-chenp-2003 claims duplicate.pdf

42-chenp-2003 description (complete) duplicate.pdf

42-chenp-2003 drawings duplicate.pdf