EP2481602A1 - Verfahren zum Drucken auf Oberflächen von Anwendungen - Google Patents

Verfahren zum Drucken auf Oberflächen von Anwendungen Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP2481602A1
EP2481602A1 EP11152747A EP11152747A EP2481602A1 EP 2481602 A1 EP2481602 A1 EP 2481602A1 EP 11152747 A EP11152747 A EP 11152747A EP 11152747 A EP11152747 A EP 11152747A EP 2481602 A1 EP2481602 A1 EP 2481602A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
printing
laser
coloring
ink
process according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP11152747A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Lucio Valent
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Original Assignee
Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Electrolux Home Products Corp NV filed Critical Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Priority to EP11152747A priority Critical patent/EP2481602A1/de
Publication of EP2481602A1 publication Critical patent/EP2481602A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
    • B41M5/00—Duplicating or marking methods; Sheet materials for use therein
    • B41M5/24—Ablative recording, e.g. by burning marks; Spark recording
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
    • B41M1/00—Inking and printing with a printer's forme
    • B41M1/14—Multicolour printing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
    • B41M3/00—Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns
    • B41M3/008—Sequential or multiple printing, e.g. on previously printed background; Mirror printing; Recto-verso printing; using a combination of different printing techniques; Printing of patterns visible in reflection and by transparency; by superposing printed artifacts

Definitions

  • Serigraphy is a widely used printing technique used to produce imagines and graphics onto almost any kind of supports or surface by means of a tissue (printing tissue). This technique is mainly used to print images onto silk tissue, T-shirt, foulard, heats, CD and DVD, ceramic, glass, PP and PE plastics, paper, metal and wood.
  • serigraphy uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate (for instance paper, cloth, fabric, plastic materials, etc.).
  • a roller or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh in the open areas.
  • the ink passed through the stencil deposits onto the substrate.
  • the stencil is then removed and the substrate is let to dry.
  • the stencil may be used again after being cleaned. It is possible to print substantially onto all kind of materials.
  • the actual limit of this technology is represented by the irregularity of the surfaces; in fact the application of the above mentioned stencil to three-dimensional surfaces may be difficult, Moreover multicolor serigraphy requires the use of several stencils (one for each color), which increases the costs and the time required for the procedure. In general, serigraphy process results time consuming and laborious, and therefore difficult to automate.
  • Pad printing is a known printing process that can transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object; it is accomplished using an indirect offset (gravure) printing process that involves an image being transferred from a printing plate (cliché) via a silicone pad onto a substrate (surface to be printed). Pad printing is used for printing on otherwise impossible products in many industries including medical, automotive, promotional, apparel, electronics, appliances, sports equipment and toys.
  • pad printing when it is applied to poliolephinic or similar resins, needs a pre-treatment step consisting of preparing the surface to firmly receive the ink.
  • inks generally cannot firmly adhere to substrates as plastics or metals. Therefore, before transferring the image thereon, the whole surface of the substrates are pre-treated according to different processes as corona treatments or plasma or flame treatments before being subjected to printing. Without this pre-treatment there is in fact the risk that the printed images would be altered or deteriorated, for example by cleaning agents or the like.
  • pre-treatment is costly and time-consuming. Accordingly, also pad printing results in a quite complicated and costly process.
  • the laser printing technique consists of ablating selected regions of a plastic substrate corresponding to the symbol to be reproduced by means of laser. Consequently, because of the nature of the laser beam, the surface becomes more or less dark due to a surface burning. In this manner, the laser allows obtaining the printing in a single step.
  • laser printing is possible only to print information, symbols and decorations, in black or different black shades, but not color or multi-color printings, because the printing is a direct consequence of a burning of the substrate surface. This drawback is particularly evident when the substrate is a plastic one, for example used for decoration or giving information to users.
  • the technical problem faced in the present invention is, thus, to provide a process for printing on surfaces of appliances, which process allows indelible color (i.e. not necessarily only black and white) or multi-color printing involving simple and automatic steps.
  • a further laser-pre printing step is performed in a different selected area of said surface of said appliance, in order to reproduce a further desired printing on said different selected area, said further laser-pre printing step being followed by a further coloring step in which a coloring substance is laid on said ablated different selected area to obtain a further desired colored printing.
  • the laser-pre printing step and the following coloring step are carried out in a production line or plant comprising a first laser ablation station followed by a subsequent coloring station.
  • the coloring substance comprises an ink.
  • the ink is selected from a solvent-based ink, oxidation-drying ink, reactive ink, baking ink, UV curing ink and sublimation ink.
  • the coloring substance comprises a dye.
  • the laser-pre-printing step is carried out with a Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) laser, preferably a optical fiber laser.
  • the coloring step is carried out by jet printing.
  • the coloring step is carried out by pad printing.
  • the pad printing is carried out by means of a printing head including at least one pad having the shape of the desired symbols, characters, words or decorations.
  • the surface of the appliance is made of plastic or metal or glass or ceramic.
  • the appliance is selected from laundry washing and/or drying machines, dishwashers, cleaners.
  • the invention also regards a control panel of an appliance comprising a printing obtainable according to the process according to the invention.
  • a process for printing information, symbols or decorations on surfaces comprising a laser-pre-printing step (called also surface laser ablation, or surface laser treatment, or pre-treatment with laser, or laser ablation step) followed by a coloring step in which a coloring substance is lain on the ablated surface.
  • a laser-pre-printing step called also surface laser ablation, or surface laser treatment, or pre-treatment with laser, or laser ablation step
  • a coloring step in which a coloring substance is lain on the ablated surface.
  • the coloring substance is an ink, i.e. a substance, preferably a liquid, which contains pigments and/or dyes, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design.
  • Ink can be a complex medium, comprising, for example, solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluoresces, and other materials.
  • the laser-pre-printing step is carried out to prepare the surface to receive any kind of coloring substance (e.g. an ink or a dye).
  • coloring substance e.g. an ink or a dye
  • the laser can be used to treat the target surface so as to render it suitable for receiving the selected coloring substance (e.g. an ink or a dye).
  • laser is used to ablate the substrate in order to provide not only a precise seat but also a surface which is compatible with the chemical/physical characteristics of the coloring substance to be used.
  • dyes can hardly remain attached to some surfaces, as for example plastics like, for instance, PP (polypropylene), during the whole life of the product (in particular if the product is often manipulated and cleaned) because of the very different surface tensions; thus, the above mentioned pre-treatment with laser allows using such dyes also with surfaces made of plastic material like for example Polyolephine resins.
  • a first laser-pre-printing step having the double function of creating one or more receiving seats and to make the surface compatible with the chemical/physical characteristics of the coloring substance
  • a further coloring step in which a desired coloring substance (e.g. an ink or a dye) is laid on the previously obtained seats.
  • a desired coloring substance e.g. an ink or a dye
  • the kind of laser and corresponding working parameters depend on the substrate to be treated. In any case, the skilled person will be able to select suitable conditions.
  • Nd:YAG neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet
  • a optical fiber laser preferably a optical fiber laser
  • a control panel 1 of an appliance is subjected firstly to a laser-pre-printing step by means of a conventional laser device 2 whose beam 3 is controlled, for example, according to the above parameters.
  • the laser device 2 is driven in order to follow a selected path corresponding to the target symbol, character, word or decoration.
  • the command and control of the laser device can be carried out for example by means of a known control unit conventionally used in the art.
  • said control unit may advantageously be provided with suitable programs allowing driving the laser in the selected areas to be treated according to paths memorized within said unit.
  • the working parameters of the laser may be advantageously controlled through a suitable program running in the control unit.
  • a kind of pre-printing 4 of a first symbol, character, word or decoration has been obtained ( figure 2 ) on the surface of the appliance.
  • a specific area of the substrate has been ablated by the laser in such a way to identify the exact area to be subsequently printed with the coloring substance (for example and ink or a dye) and, at the same time, so as to prepare this exact area to receive the coloring substance itself (i.e. to make the surface of said exact area compatible with the chemical/physical characteristics of the coloring substance).
  • the coloring substance for example and ink or a dye
  • a printing head 5 can be positioned just in correspondence of the print 4 for laying the coloring substance on the latter, so as to obtain a colored symbol, character, word or decoration 6 in correspondence of the print 4 ( figure 4 ).
  • the laser device 2 can move to be positioned in a further selected area where a further laser-pre-printing can be carried out in the same manner as above and reproducing a further (eventually different) symbol, character, word or decoration.
  • the above laser-pre-printing treatment and the subsequent coloring step may be advantageously repeated for other symbol, character, word or decoration which has to be obtained one the control panel 1.
  • the coloring step can be carried out for example by means of pad printing or jet printing.
  • Pad printing is a well known printing technique widely used, for example, to print onto plastic substrates consisting of styrolic resins where, in order to obtain a good adhesion of the dyes, it is not necessary to perform the above plasma or flame pre-treatments and use of aggressive dyes. Accordingly, a detailed description of pad printing will be not made.
  • the coloring step performed by pad printing can be carried out with different kind of coloring substances (e.g. inks, dyes).
  • inks e.g. inks, dyes
  • a solvent-based ink is preferred.
  • Oxidation-drying inks are suitable instead for printing on metal and glass substrate. Reactive inks, i.e.
  • inks requiring a catalyst to cure provide good chemical and abrasion resistance.
  • Other minor inks are represented by baking, i.e. inks requiring relatively high to high temperature to cure, UV curing inks and sublimation inks.
  • inks requiring relatively high to high temperature to cure UV curing inks and sublimation inks.
  • some kind of recent UV inks have a wide diffusion thanks to selected cellulosic resin components and special adhesion promoter rendering such inks very performing.
  • Inks used quite successfully in pad printing are thermoplastic inks, particularly suitable for glass and ceramic substrates.
  • the pad printing can be performed using a pad having exactly the shape of the symbol, character or decoration to be reproduced.
  • Jet printing is also well known in the art and will not be explained in detail herein.
  • This method comprises spraying ink onto the areas to be printed by means of well known devices.
  • a jet printing process may be advantageously applied in the method according to the invention in order to lay the coloring substance (i.e. ink) exactly on the laser-pre-printed areas. Jet printing can be easily carried out just because the laser ablation also performs a chemical/physical modification of the surface tension of the substrates in order to render them compatible with almost any kind of inks and printing methods. According to the above, it is submitted that several important advantages have been reached.
  • the process for printing on appliance surfaces becomes fast and can be carried out real-time; in other words the laser-pre-printing process and the subsequent coloring step may be performed one directly after the other. Therefore the time required to carry out the whole process is very low, for example it can be generally comprised between 3 to 30 seconds depending on the printing to be reproduced, coloring, kind of character, symbol or graphic.
  • the process can easily be automatic since both the laser ablation step and the following coloring step can be carried out in a production line or plant comprising a first laser ablation station and a subsequent coloring station each provided with known devices controlled for example via a conventional control unit.
  • the printing cannot be anymore erased by cleaning agents thanks to the perfect adhesion of the coloring substance into the laser-ablated surfaces which on one hand creates a sort of seat filled by the coloring substance and on another hand adapts the surface tensions of the surface to the coloring substance to be applied.
  • it is eliminated the costly and time-consuming preliminary pre-treatment step of the prior art necessary to prepare the whole substrate (and not only the specific areas to be printed, as in the present invention) to receive the ink as well as the use of aggressive and somehow toxic inks.
  • the inventive process can be performed on several different substrates as almost any kind of plastics, in particular PP, PE, metals as for example inox steel, ceramics, glass.
  • the process according to the invention is particularly adapted to print onto control panels of appliances as laundry washing machines, dishwashers, dryers, cleaners, where the panels are made, for example, of PP.

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)
  • Laser Beam Processing (AREA)
  • Printing Methods (AREA)
EP11152747A 2011-01-31 2011-01-31 Verfahren zum Drucken auf Oberflächen von Anwendungen Withdrawn EP2481602A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP11152747A EP2481602A1 (de) 2011-01-31 2011-01-31 Verfahren zum Drucken auf Oberflächen von Anwendungen

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP11152747A EP2481602A1 (de) 2011-01-31 2011-01-31 Verfahren zum Drucken auf Oberflächen von Anwendungen

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2481602A1 true EP2481602A1 (de) 2012-08-01

Family

ID=43875367

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP11152747A Withdrawn EP2481602A1 (de) 2011-01-31 2011-01-31 Verfahren zum Drucken auf Oberflächen von Anwendungen

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2481602A1 (de)

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2507471A (en) * 2012-09-05 2014-05-07 Univ Staffordshire Patterning a glazed ceramic article
ES2550730A1 (es) * 2014-05-07 2015-11-11 Bsh Electrodomésticos España, S.A. Método para producir un componente de aparato doméstico con una marcación en un vaciado, y componente de aparato doméstico
WO2015183602A1 (en) * 2014-05-30 2015-12-03 General Electric Company Methods for producing strain sensors on turbine components
WO2016075627A1 (en) * 2014-11-14 2016-05-19 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Method for manufacturing a household appliance component comprising a laser mark and an optical imaging coating manufactured thereon as well as a household appliance component
EP3061620A1 (de) * 2015-02-25 2016-08-31 Venair Inc. Rohrförmiger schlauch mit einer äusseren schicht mit einem code und verfahren zur herstellung davon
CN107031219A (zh) * 2015-12-16 2017-08-11 应嘉企业有限公司 一种带有激光打印图片的玻璃制品及其打印方法
ITUA20161873A1 (it) * 2016-03-21 2017-09-21 Creativity Box S R L Metodo di smaltatura industriale per metalli, in particolare per articoli di gioielleria, oreficeria, argenteria e bigiotteria
US9933131B2 (en) 2013-10-29 2018-04-03 Whirlpool Corporation Integrated console display assembly
US9982866B2 (en) 2013-10-29 2018-05-29 Whirlpool Corporation Console assembly with integrated light reflector cups
EP3578296A1 (de) * 2018-06-04 2019-12-11 Audi Ag Verfahren zum selektiven mattieren einer oberfläche
CN111007708A (zh) * 2019-12-25 2020-04-14 浙江星星科技股份有限公司 一种手表3d玻璃表盖刻度的镭雕方法
WO2021023461A1 (de) * 2019-08-07 2021-02-11 Audi Ag Verfahren zum maskieren von zu mattierenden oberflächen
CN113977069A (zh) * 2021-11-02 2022-01-28 英诺激光科技股份有限公司 紫外激光辅助的塑料表面打标装置及其工作方法
CN118438822A (zh) * 2023-02-06 2024-08-06 东莞市图创智能制造有限公司 结合激光刻蚀的喷墨打印方法、装置、设备及存储介质

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6143594A (ja) * 1984-08-08 1986-03-03 Hitachi Ltd マ−キング物品およびその製造方法
US20020097279A1 (en) * 2000-11-14 2002-07-25 Masaaki Mimura Mark forming method and product using the same method
WO2006025016A1 (en) * 2004-09-03 2006-03-09 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Method and apparatus for application of a pattern, element and device provided with such a pattern

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6143594A (ja) * 1984-08-08 1986-03-03 Hitachi Ltd マ−キング物品およびその製造方法
US20020097279A1 (en) * 2000-11-14 2002-07-25 Masaaki Mimura Mark forming method and product using the same method
WO2006025016A1 (en) * 2004-09-03 2006-03-09 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Method and apparatus for application of a pattern, element and device provided with such a pattern

Cited By (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2507471A (en) * 2012-09-05 2014-05-07 Univ Staffordshire Patterning a glazed ceramic article
US9982866B2 (en) 2013-10-29 2018-05-29 Whirlpool Corporation Console assembly with integrated light reflector cups
US9933131B2 (en) 2013-10-29 2018-04-03 Whirlpool Corporation Integrated console display assembly
ES2550730A1 (es) * 2014-05-07 2015-11-11 Bsh Electrodomésticos España, S.A. Método para producir un componente de aparato doméstico con una marcación en un vaciado, y componente de aparato doméstico
US9410868B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2016-08-09 General Electric Company Methods for producing strain sensors on turbine components
WO2015183602A1 (en) * 2014-05-30 2015-12-03 General Electric Company Methods for producing strain sensors on turbine components
CN106414909A (zh) * 2014-05-30 2017-02-15 通用电气公司 用于在涡轮构件上产生应变传感器的方法
JP2017533367A (ja) * 2014-05-30 2017-11-09 ゼネラル・エレクトリック・カンパニイ タービン部品上に歪みセンサを製造する方法
CN106414909B (zh) * 2014-05-30 2018-05-15 通用电气公司 用于在涡轮构件上产生应变传感器的方法
WO2016075627A1 (en) * 2014-11-14 2016-05-19 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Method for manufacturing a household appliance component comprising a laser mark and an optical imaging coating manufactured thereon as well as a household appliance component
EP3061620A1 (de) * 2015-02-25 2016-08-31 Venair Inc. Rohrförmiger schlauch mit einer äusseren schicht mit einem code und verfahren zur herstellung davon
CN107031219A (zh) * 2015-12-16 2017-08-11 应嘉企业有限公司 一种带有激光打印图片的玻璃制品及其打印方法
ITUA20161873A1 (it) * 2016-03-21 2017-09-21 Creativity Box S R L Metodo di smaltatura industriale per metalli, in particolare per articoli di gioielleria, oreficeria, argenteria e bigiotteria
EP3578296A1 (de) * 2018-06-04 2019-12-11 Audi Ag Verfahren zum selektiven mattieren einer oberfläche
WO2019234022A1 (de) * 2018-06-04 2019-12-12 Audi Ag Verfahren zum selektiven mattieren einer oberfläche
WO2021023461A1 (de) * 2019-08-07 2021-02-11 Audi Ag Verfahren zum maskieren von zu mattierenden oberflächen
CN111007708A (zh) * 2019-12-25 2020-04-14 浙江星星科技股份有限公司 一种手表3d玻璃表盖刻度的镭雕方法
CN113977069A (zh) * 2021-11-02 2022-01-28 英诺激光科技股份有限公司 紫外激光辅助的塑料表面打标装置及其工作方法
CN118438822A (zh) * 2023-02-06 2024-08-06 东莞市图创智能制造有限公司 结合激光刻蚀的喷墨打印方法、装置、设备及存储介质

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP2481602A1 (de) Verfahren zum Drucken auf Oberflächen von Anwendungen
US11230118B2 (en) High-turnaround, closed-loop, direct to garment printing
US4294577A (en) Dyed flocked fabric and method of making the same
CN1308543C (zh) 对纤维素纤维织物湿转印数码彩色图像的方法及其专用转印纸
AU2007224194A1 (en) Digital printed applique emblem
CN205416711U (zh) 一种织物转移印花装置
US20160024709A1 (en) Method facilitating textile preparation for direct-to-garment printing
Ujiie Fabric finishing: printing textiles
CA3035457A1 (en) Direct-to-textile printing method and system
JP6472261B2 (ja) 印刷装置及び印刷方法
CN103898778B (zh) 一种天然织物或人棉的升华转移印花工艺
US20200282741A1 (en) Methods for improving image adhesion to substrate using inkjet printing
WO2012050211A1 (ja) 捺染方法及び捺染物
Kumelachew et al. Digital textile printing innovations and the future
US7410932B2 (en) Sublimated and screen-printed appliqués
JP6703457B2 (ja) 印刷済媒体製造方法および印刷済媒体製造装置
WO2022024109A1 (en) Inkjet printing method
Shang Process control in printing of textiles
CN106854840B (zh) 一种保证染料渗透效果的喷墨印花方法
KR100455066B1 (ko) 인조피혁과 그 인조피혁의 인쇄장치 및 방법
Mahapatra Textile printing
CN205416712U (zh) 一种织物转移印花装置
CN112553930B (zh) 一种利用可控温激光照射进行分散染料印花染色的工艺
JP6483462B2 (ja) 印刷方法及び印刷装置
TWI299309B (de)

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: BA ME

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20130202