EP1169509B1

EP1169509B1 - Sewing apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP1169509B1
Application number: EP00901313A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yair Eilam; Mordechai Tamari
Original assignee: Neo-Stitch Ltd
Current assignee: Neo-Stitch Ltd
Priority date: 1999-01-28
Filing date: 2000-01-27
Publication date: 2003-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 2020-01-27
Also published as: JP2002535110A; IL128283A0; EP1169509A1; ATE248943T1; AU2126900A; WO2000044972A1; DE60004981D1

Abstract

The invention provides a novel sewing machine for carrying out in an improved manner sewing operations carried out by conventional sewing machines as well as operations that conventional sewing machines cannot perform, such as bonding fabrics without the use of threads and creating ornamental patterns in fabrics. The novel sewing machine comprises one or more containers (15) for one or more radiation curable polymer precursors, one or more injector (15-20, 28) devices for injecting the precursor(s) at selected targets, one or more sources (16) of curing radiation, dosing means for determining the volume of the precursor charge injected at each injection, and means (21) for synchronically activating the injector device and the radiation source. The polymer precursor(s) are injected in the fluid state at the selected target(s) and are then cured by polymerization or cross-linking to acquire a solid state. The novel sewing machine can also include one or more components of prior art sewing machines for the purpose of carrying out any desired operation that said components can carry out.

Description

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a novel apparatus for improving sewing operations carried out by conventional sewing machines, viz. bonding together fabrics and/or threads and/or threads and fabrics, and for additionally performing operations that conventional sewing machines cannot perform, such as bonding fabrics without the use of threads and creating ornamental patterns in fabrics.

Background of the Invention

Conventional sewing machines bond fabrics by use of threads, which are caused to form stitches. Two stitching procedures are widely used: "Chain-Stitch", in which a single or double thread is carried downwards and back upwards through fabrics, forming meshing loops; and "Lock-Stitch", in which threads are caused to form loops and the loops of one thread are interlocked with the loops of the other thread. For this purpose, conventional sewing machines include means, such bobbins, for supplying limited amounts of thread, needles for passing threads through a fabric or fabrics, and hooks for retaining the threads to form loops. Conventional sewing machines have not evolved substantially as to their basic structure and operation, and are defective particularly because of their limited productivity and lack of operational flexibility, and the products which they generate do not always have a desirable combination of strength and elasticity.

In EP-A-580260 A2 a sewing machine is described which comprises means for bonding a thread into fixed positioned relationship with the fabric stock to be sewn by applying an adhesive at the bonding points. Drops of liquid adhesive are produced and applied by the bubble-jet technique and the adhesive must be such as to solidify in the time in which a stitch is intended to be made. Said application, however, does not describe a sewing machine capable of producing satisfactory products and of operating reliably and with high productivity. For example, the technique it describes for applying the adhesive is not accurate nor fast enough.

Copending International Application WO 99/52710 discloses a sewing method, which comprises bonding sewing threads to themselves or to one another, or bonding fabric layers together, by the use of an adhesive having an elasticity measured by an elongation at break of at least 10-20% and preferably 50-150%.

The prior art does not comprise any apparatus that can carry out all the sewing procedures of a conventional sewing machine and sewing procedures improved by the use of an adhesive, which apparatus is efficient and reliable and has a high versatility, viz. can be controlled to carry out any one of a number of possible procedures.

It is therefore a purpose of this invention to provide such an apparatus, that can advantageously substitute conventional sewing machines, and can be called and will be called "novel sewing machine", although it is entirely new and different from what is commonly called "sewing machine", in its conception, structure and operation.

It is another purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine the performance of which greatly exceeds that of conventional sewing machines.

It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine which can provide sewing results comparable to those of the Lock-Stitch technique of conventional sewing machines, but with an improvement in elasticity.

It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine which can provide sewing results comparable to those of the Chain-Stitch technique of conventional sewing machines, but with an improvement in strength and stability.

It is a still further purpose of the invention to provide a novel sewing machine which does not need an under bobbin and can use large thread packages or endless threads.

It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine that can carry out fabric and thread bonding procedures comparable to the Lock-Stitch and the Chain-Stitch procedures, but is also suitable for other applications, including threadless fabric bonding and the formation of decorative patterns.

It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine that is capable of carrying out bonding operations, such as bonding an upper thread only to a fabric, bonding but not interlocking two endless threads, bonding fabric without the use of any thread, bonding a Chain-Stitch to improve its stability, forming decorative patterns, including multicolor patterns, and bonding and closing the needle penetration points.

It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine that has a much higher productivity than prior art machines, and is particularly, though not exclusively, suited to industrial use.

It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine which does not require mechanical synchronization between the sewing needle and the underlying mechanisms, and wherein, therefore, the sewing head can be increased in size without the substantial cost increase required by prior art machines.

It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide a novel sewing machine which can form, reinforce or otherwise process a plurality of stitches at the same time.

Other purposes and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

The novel sewing machine according to this invention comprises:

a) at least one container for containing at least one radiation-curable, polymer precursor in a fluid state;

b) at least one injector device, having an injector nozzle, for injecting said precursor at selected injection points;

c) at least one source of curing radiation;

d) preferably, at least one device for cleaning said nozzle to prevent its obstruction;

e) dosing means for determining the volume of the precursor charge injected at each injection;

f) means for synchronically actuating said injector device and said radiation source; and

g) preferably, means for displacing at least one fabric synchronically with said injector device and said radiation source.

The curing radiation should be chosen according to the polymer precursor used. While any radiation, capable of curing the polymer may be used, light radiation is generally used, preferably, but not exclusively, UV or near-UV radiation.

In various embodiments of the invention, the aforesaid components are combined with one or more components of prior art sewing machines or similar to such components, chosen from among:

a) a reservoir for at least one thread, such as bobbins or other packages or endless thread supplying means, and a mechanism for feeding said thread from said reservoir to the thread handling mechanisms of the machine;

b) needle devices for drawing at least one thread through at least one fabric;

c) needle and hook devices for meshing loops of at least two threads to form stitches;

d) needle and hook devices for meshing successive loops of one thread to form stitches;

e) power and mechanical drive means; and

f) mechanical synchronizing controls.

The polymer precursor, to be injected, should be in the fluid state, either because it is fluid at room temperature, or because it has been liquified prior to or during use. In any case, at the moment of use it must be adequately flowable. It may be a monomer or an oligomer or a polymer that is not cross-linked or is only partially cross-linked, and can therefore be cured by polymerization or cross-linking or completion of the cross-linking, to acquire a final stable and mechanically resistant state. Such a state can be called "solid", with the understanding that this term is used in the sense in which it is used in connection to synthetic polymers. The term "curing", as used herein, comprises any treatment that causing the polymer precursor to pass from its fluid to its solid state, as these states have been defined hereinbefore. The curable polymer precursors, to which this invention preferably refers, are those which can be polymerized or cross-linked by irradiation, particularly with UV light, and may, for instance, be acrylate-based photo-polymers, such as urethanes, epoxies, or acrylate base or epoxy based or vinyl based or hybrids of the mentioned polymers or any other liquid material that can be cured by radiation.

However, the polymer precursor and the solid polymer resulting from its cure, should have certain mechanical properties. As has been said, the precursor should be sufficiently flowable to be easily injected, and preferably, having a viscosity of between 10 to 50000 centipoise.

The cured, solid polymer should preferably have the elasticity defined in the aforesaid copending International Application WO 99/52710, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, viz. an elasticity measured by an elongation at break of at least 10-20%, and preferably between 50 and 150%.

The injector device comprises:

a) an injection nozzle;

b) means (generally a pump) for controlling the amount of polymer precursor (hereinafter also, briefly, "the charge" or "the drop") fed to the nozzle at each injection;

c) conduit means connecting the storage container to said amount controlling means or directly to the injection nozzle;

d) means (generally pressure means) for projecting the charge or drop onto the desired injection point or injection target (hereinafter, briefly, "the target"); and

e) means for aiming said injection nozzle at the target, viz. placing the nozzle in the vicinity of the target and at such an angle as to direct to it the charge or drop of fluid polymer precursor.

Since the drop of precursor is aimed at the injection target and projected onto it, it can be said that it is "shot" at the target. Since the pump or other means for controlling the amount of the charge must be fed from the polymer precursor reservoir, the precursor must be under a feed pressure, generally hydrostatic pressure, which, however, may be provided only by placing the precursor reservoir at a level above said pump said other means. One-way or no-return valves are preferably provided to prevent the precursor from flowing back opposite to the direction of feed, or into the reservoir. It can be said that the nozzle is the terminal point of an injector element and the direction in which the charge is shot from the nozzle is the axis of the injector element. It should be understood that the word "nozzle" is used herein sometimes to designate not only the nozzle proper, viz. the opening through which the polymer precursor issues, but also the entire injector element, comprising the structure which defines said opening and which aims the charge of fluid polymer precursor in such a direction that it will impinge on the target. In conclusion, the injector device, together with the reservoir and any external pressure generating means that may be provided, carries out three functions: dosing the charge, aiming the charge at the target, and shooting it.

The curing radiation preferably used is UV radiation, and the source of such radiation can be, for example but not exclusively, a UV laser, a gas discharge tube, such as an Argon, Krypton or Xenon tube, or a UV LED, and the radiation is pulsed and preferably the source of radiation itself is pulsed.

The means for synchronically actuating the injector device and the radiation source comprise mechanisms for actuating each one of them, and a synchronization, generally consisting in or comprising an electronic control, between said mechanisms.

It should be noted that, while the precursor is "injected" into the injection target, it is actually "ejected" from the nozzle: the expressions "to inject" and "injection" are used throughout only for simplicity's sake, and this is not intended to blur the distinction between "injection" and "ejection".

The device for cleaning the injection nozzle, to prevent clogging, preferably comprises a source of pressure for blowing air, or gas in general, through the nozzle, more preferably after each injection, to blow out any fluid polymer precursor that has remained in the nozzle proper or in parts of the injection element adjacent to it. If the source of pressure that is part of, or is combined with, the injector device is a source of compressed air, or gas in general, it will preferable provide the means for blowing said gas through the nozzle, although separate such means could be provided, if desired.

The mechanism for actuating the radiation source, which of course is provided with the necessary electrical feed to produce the radiation, comprises:

a) means for causing it to produce radiation by pulses, which could be an integral part of the radiation source itself;

b) optical conduit means, such as a bundle of optical fibers, having a proximate end connected to the radiation source and a distal end or radiation terminal from which the radiation can be directed onto the target; and

c) means for aiming said distal end, viz. alternately bringing it to a position in which it directs the radiation to the last injection target, or concurrently to a number of targets comprised in the last stitches, and away from said target or targets.

Electric motor or motors and transmissions will be provided to drive all the aforesaid mechanisms and other that may be part of the apparatus of the invention. The machine may include a power source or derive power from the power line.

The injector device and the radiation source must be actuated synchronically, and while this could theoretically be done by kinematic means, it is preferably done by an electronic control which will cause actuating current to be fed to the corresponding motors according to a predetermined program, electronically memorized and preferably stored in a microcircuit, which can be changed to change, modify or adapt the procedure of the apparatus.

If at least one fabric participates in any possible operation of the novel sewing machine, a conventional mechanism for driving the fabric through the machine, continuously or by increments, will be provided and will be controlled by the aforesaid electronic synchronization control. If, in addition to driving a fabric or fabrics through, a thread or more than one thread must also be drawn and guided by such means as needles and hooks or the like, the corresponding mechanisms will be synchronized by the same electronic synchronization control.

As stated hereinbefore, the aforesaid components of the apparatus, which are characteristic of the invention, may be combined with one or more components present, or similar to those present, in prior art sewing machines. Said prior art components are selected according to the purpose for which the apparatus of the invention is operated. If the purpose is reinforcing conventional stitches, the prior art means for forming stitches must be present, and they will include needles and hooks and mechanical controls, such as used in conventional sewing machines for the formation of Chain-Stitch or Lock-Stitch. If the purpose is to bond fabrics by a combination of threads and polymer, the prior art mechanical elements for driving threads through the fabrics and/or forming loops thereof, must be present. If the purpose is to bond fabrics without threads, it will be sufficient to provide the mechanical elements for advancing the fabric continuously or by increments, as the case may be. The same thing is true if the purpose is to form decorative patterns on a fabric. However, in this last case, it would be mechanically difficult to displace the fabric according to a pattern, and it is preferable to displace the fabric linearly, as in conventional sewing machines, and displace the injection device and radiation source according to a predetermined pattern. The mechanisms for displacing the injection nozzle and the terminal of the radiation source will displace the same perpendicularly of the direction of the fabric motion, in order to define two-dimensional patterns. If small pieces of decorated fabric are to be produced, it is possible, but not preferable, to keep the fabric still and impart a two-dimensional motion to the injection nozzle and the terminal of the radiation source. Once again, the appropriate mechanical drives will be controlled by the electronic synchronization control. Obviously, each particular pattern will be stored in a microcircuit. For generating decorative patterns, a number of polymers having different colors may be used, and in this case, there will be different injector devices and, possibly, but not necessarily, different radiation sources for the different colors. This particular embodiment of the invention does not require a separate description, because it merely amounts to the provision of a number of injector devices and, possibly, but not necessarily, of radiation sources, each corresponding to a color. Generally, the largest number of colors required would be four, but providing them would involve a substantial mechanical complication, and therefore, in many cases, it will be sufficient to provide means for generating patterns of one or two colors, which may be set off by a background fabric of second or third color.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising an injection device and needle mechanism and threads supply;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising an injection device but no needle mechanism nor thread supply;

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a differential injection pump;

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the injection and nozzle cleaning mechanism that are part of a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates the reinforcement of a Chain-Stitch by injection and curing of polymer, that can be carried out by a sewing machine according to the invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

For a better understanding of the various embodiments of the invention, it is useful to refer firstly to Fig. 5, which schematically discloses an example of the operations which the novel sewing machine according to the invention can carry out. In this case, the machine is assumed to be used for producing a strengthened Chain-Stitch. The mechanical devices by which the stitch is generated may be conventional and are not illustrated. Numerals 1 and 2 indicate two layers of fabrics. The thread from which the stitches are created is designated by numeral 3. The stitches are the well-known Chain-Stitches, constituted by a single thread, the successive loops whereof mesh, as shown, for instance at 4, on the bottom side of the fabric 2. 5 is an injector from which a drop of polymer precursor 6 is injected into one of the points at which the loops of the Chain-Stitch interlock, in this particular case, at point 4'. 7 is a source of UV, from which a beam of UV light, schematically indicated by broken line 8, is directed, through optical conduit means schematically indicated at 9, to the point of meshing 4' of the Chain-Stitch and polymerizes the drop of precursor 6, once this latter has been deposited on the thread.

Fig. 1 illustrates a novel sewing machine according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the machine, generally indicated at 10, carries two thread packages 11 and 12, the first being the package of the upper thread 22 and the second, the package of the lower thread. 23. Needle 13 carries the upper thread through the fabrics, and a conventional mechanism, not illustrated, causes the upper thread 22 and the bottom thread 23 to meet below the fabrics being sewn. The mechanisms of the conventional sewing machine, which are present in this embodiment need not be particularly described, because they are well known to persons skilled in the art. In addition to such mechanisms, the sewing machine of this embodiment further includes a container of fluid polymer precursor and a pump assembly, the assembly of which is generally indicated at 16. Shaft 21, shown as broken off, is connected to the needle mechanism, and synbchronization between the needle and the pump is obtained through said shaft 21 and any suitable kinematic connection, comprising, in this embodiment, gear coupling 24, intermediate shaft 25, gear coupling 26, and pump shaft 27. The sewing machine of this embodiment comprises a source 16 of UV light, which UV light is transmitted by optical fibers 17 to the point of injection. Compressed air is fed from a compressed air source not shown in the drawing, through pipe 18, valve 19, and pipe 20, and is directed to the injection device at the point of injection 28 is a no-return valve. Electronic control 29 controls valve 19 and pump 15 and so synchronizes the injection of the polymer precursor. It also controls the supply of UV light through the optical fibers 17. It would be possible, in principle, to use a continuous UV light source and produce pulses by means of a shutter, but this is not preferred, as it makes it difficult to obtain the desired high pulse frequency. The radiation that cures the polymer precursor is not necessarily, though preferably, UV light It could be visible light, particularly near-UV, or any other radiation that has the desired curing effect with the particular polymer precursor used.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a novel sewing machine according to another embodiment of the invention, in which no threads are used. Therefore, there are no thread packages, as packages 11 and 12 of Fig. 1. The same parts are indicated by the same numerals as in Fig. 1. In this case, however, while the needle is actuated as in Fig. 1, it is in fact inactive because of the lack of threads. The same machine, therefore, can be used to sew with or without threads. If a machine were desired that can only sew without threads, the needle mechanism and the corresponding upper structure of the machine could be omitted. However, an important advamtage of the invention is that it may create a universal machine that can sew with or without threads, and Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate such advantage. In Fig. 2, numeral 30 generally indicates the fabrics to be sewn. Numeral 15 once again designates a polymer precursor container and a pump. A source of UV light 16 is provided, which supplies UV. radiation through optical fibers 17. Compressed air is provided from an outside source, not illustrated, through pipe 18, valve 19, pipe 20, and one-way valve 28, to the point of injection 29 is once again an electronic control which controls the injection device and the source of UV light.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a pump used for dosing the amount of polymer precursor charges, viz. the volume of the precursor drops injected at the targets required by the sewing process. In this embodiment, the pump, generally designated at 40, is a differential pump. It has an inlet 41 of polymer precursor, connected to the precursor reservoir, not shown, which inlet is controlled by a spherical valve 42 urged against its seat by a spring 43. A similar ball and spring arrangement 44-45 controls the outlet 46 of the pump. An eccentric 47 is driven by a stepper motor, not illustrated but having a shaft 48, and actuates a piston 49 elastically loaded by a spring 50. Piston 49 has two portions of different diameters, as seen in the drawing. The difference in diameter of the two portions 49' and 49" of piston 49, the profile of eccentric 47 and the angle by which the stepper motor rotates at each step, determine the volume of the charge, viz. the drop which is emitted at each step by the pump.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an example of combined injection and nozzle cleaning devices. Numeral 40 indicates the same differential pump of Fig. 3, numeral 47 indicates the eccentric actuated by the stepper motor, and numeral 49 the piston, as in Fig. 3. Additionally, Fig. 4 illustrates the reservoir 55 of the polymer precursor. 46 is once again the pump outlet pipe controlled by a one-way valve 54, which is composed e.g. of a sphere and spring, such as 44-45 of Fig. 3, only partially shown. 56 is a pipe through which compressed air is fed .to the device, for the double purpose of ejecting the precursor drops as required and cleaning the nozzle 57 of the injector device, as will be presently explained. After each injection, to effect said cleaning, compressed air is fed through pipe 56. It has no on the polymer precursor contained in pipe 46 upstream of (or above, as seen in the drawing) junction 60 between said pipe 46 and pipe 56, because the inlet of pipe 46 is closed by one-way valve 54. However, it blows out the precursor contained in nozzle 57 and in the very short section of pipe 56 upstream of (or below, as seen in the drawing) junction 60.

When the next polymer precursor drop is to be ejected, differential pump 40, or other dosing device, feeds the required amount to pipe 46. Assuming that pipe 46 is filled with polymer precursor down to junction 60, the drop formed will displace the polymer precursor partly towards the nozzle 57 and partly into pipe 56. Of course, the various pipe portions and the nozzle 57 are so proportioned that the drop may be contained therein and will not issue prematurely from the nozzle. At this point, the drop ejection from the nozzle is performed by compressed air from pipe 56. The air pressure will cause ejection of the polymer which has accumulated both in pipe 56 and beyond junction 60 into nozzle 57. The polymer precursor drop will be ejected from the nozzle and injected onto the target and no precursor can flow back towards the pump because of the presence of the one-way valve 54. It will be understood that the size of the drop which is ejected is determined only by the pump 40, on the assumption that the volume of the pipes and the nozzle 57 is sufficient to contain the largest possible drop that it is contemplated to produce at any time.

While a differential pump has been illustrated as means for determining the size of the precursor drop to be ejected polymer from the nozzle, other types of pumps might be used, in particular, a peristaltic pump.

While embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be apparent that the invention may be carried into practice with many modifications, variations and adaptations, without exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

Sewing machine, which comprises:

a) at least one container (15) for at least one radiation curable, polymer precursor (6);

b) at least one injector device (5), having an injector nozzle, for injecting said precursor at selected injection targets;

c) at least one source (16) of curing radiation;

d) dosing means (21, 49, 47) for determining the volume of the precursor charge injected at each injection; and

e) means (24-27) for synchronically actuating said injector device and said radiation source.
Machine according to claim 1, further comprising at least one device (56) for cleaning the nozzle to prevent its obstruction.
Machine according to claim 1, further comprising means for displacing at least one fabric synchronically with the injector device and the radiation source.
Machine according to claim 1, wherein the curing radiation source is chosen from among sources of UV light and sources of visible light.
Machine according to claim 1, further comprising one or more additional components chosen from among:

f) a reservoir (11, 12) for at least one thread (22, 23) and a mechanism for feeding said thread from said reservoir to the thread handling mechanisms of the machine;

g) needle devices (13) for drawing at least one thread through at least one fabric;

h) needle and hook devices for meshing loops of at least two threads to form stitches;

i) needle and hook devices for meshing successive loops of one thread to form stitches;

j) power and mechanical drive means; and

k) mechanical synchronizing controls (21, 24-27).
Machine according to claim 1, wherein the fluid polymer precursor has a viscosity of between 10 to 50000 cetipoise.
Machine according to claim 1, wherein the injector device comprises an injection nozzle (57), means (49, 47) for controlling the amount of polymer precursor fed to the nozzle at each injection, conduit means (41) connecting the precursor container to said amount controlling means, and means for aiming said nozzle at the desired injection target.
Machine according to claim 6, further comprising means (18) for applying pressure to the polymer precursor.
Machine according to claim 6, wherein the means for aiming said injection needle or nozzle at the injection target include means for placing the nozzle in the vicinity of the target and at such an angle as to direct the jet of fluid polymer precursor to said target.
Machine according to claim 4, wherein the source of curing radiation is a source of UV light.
Machine according to claim 1, wherein the source of curing radiation is chosen from among UV lasers, gas discharge tubes and UV LEDs.
Machine according to claim 10, wherein the gas discharge tubes are chosen from among Argon, Krypton and Xenon tubes.
Machine according to claim 2, wherein the device for cleaning the injection nozzle comprises a source of compressed gas and conduit means (56) for leading gas from said source to a point immediately upstream of said nozzle.
Machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for synchronically actuating the injector device and the radiation source comprise mechanisms for actuating each one of them, motor means for driving said mechanisms, and an electronic synchronization between said mechanisms.
Machine according to claim 4, wherein the mechanisms for the actuation of the injector device comprises a source of pressure and a doser of the injection charge.
Machine according to claim 14, wherein the mechanisms for the actuation of the injector device comprises a pump for dosing the amount of each polymer precursor charge, a connection of said pump to the polymer precursor reservoir, at least a one-way valve for permitting the flow of polymer precursor in one direction only, and a connection of said pump to an injection nozzle, a source of compressed gas, and a connection of said source of compressed gas to said injection nozzle.
Machine according to claim 1, wherein the mechanisms for actuating the radiation source are chosen from 1) mechanisms for alternately bringing its radiating terminal to a position in which it directs the radiation to the last injection target, and away from it; 2) mechanisms for alternately bringing said radiating terminal to a position in which it directs the radiation concurrently to a number of stitches, and away from them; 8) shutter means for permitting or preventing radiation of light from it to the injection target; 4) control means for actuating said source in a pulsed manner, and 5) a combination of two or more of the said means and/or mechanisms.
Machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for synchronically actuating the injector device and the radiation source comprise an electronic control which will cause actuating current to be fed to the corresponding motors according to a predetermined program, electronically memorized.
Machine according to claim 18, comprising a microcircuit for storing the predetermined program.
Machine according to claim 1, comprising mechanical elements for advancing the fabric through the machine continuously or by increments.
Machine according to claim 1, comprising mechanisms for displacing the injection nozzle and the radiating terminal of the radiation source perpendicularly of the direction of the fabric motion, in order to define two-dimensional patterns.
Machine according to claim 1, comprising a number of polymer precursor containers and a corresponding plurality of injector devices.