GB2519538A

GB2519538A - Heat press and method of printing articles

Info

Publication number: GB2519538A
Application number: GB1318727.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Douglas Roy England
Original assignee: ADKINS AND SONS Ltd A
Current assignee: ADKINS AND SONS Ltd A
Priority date: 2013-10-23
Filing date: 2013-10-23
Publication date: 2015-04-29
Also published as: GB201318727D0

Abstract

A sublimation ink press 2 comprises a first member 4 and a second member 6 movable between an open position (fig 1) in which an article 26 and a sublimation ink transfer sheet 28 can be inserted between the members 4, 6, and a pressingposition wherein; at least one of the members 4, 6 comprises a heating element and at least one of the members comprises a resilient material 18 onto which the article is placed in use; and wherein the weight of the first member 4 is substantially the sole means of applying pressure or load to the transfer sheet 28 when the press is in use. The first 4 and second members 6 are preferably printing plates and are preferably connected via a hinge 22.

Description

Heat Press and Method of Printing Articles

Technical field of the invention

This invcntion rclatcs to sublimation ink presscs and methods of sublimation ink printing. This invention further relates to a use of a sublimation ink press in the printing of articles.

Background to the invention

Sublimation ink heat presses are known, which employ a printing process that uses heat to transfer dye onto an article such as plastic, card, paper or fabric. The term "sublimation" is used because the dye transitions between the solid state on a transfer paper and a gaseous state without going through a liquid stage. Known presses comprise upper and lower plates, connected together such that an article to be printed may be placed on the lower plate, and the upper plate pressed onto the article. In known processes, a transfer sheet comprising an image provided by sublimation ink is applied to the article to be printed before the upper plate is pressed onto the lower plate. Heat and pressure are then used in order to sublimate the dye in the ink and cause transfer of the gaseous ink onto the substrate. The ink in the gaseous state is able to penetrate the surface of the substrate so that the result is a very vibrant, colourful and long lasting print on the substrate, unlike other printing methods that may merely print onto to the surface of the item.

Sublimation ink press printing is generally done on polyester, other polymers or polymer coated items, as at high temperatures within the press pores may be opened in the substrate material, to allow the now gaseous dye to enter. When the temperature of the press drops, the pores or openings close, and the gas reverts to its solid state, becoming trapped within the substrate.

Sublimation heat printing has been used on a wide variety of substrates, both hard and soft, such as fabric, coated plaques, signs, coasters, tiles, mugs and the like.

A further advantage of sublimation printing is that the print is generally permanent, and as it is trapped within the substrate, it becomes part of that substrate with no bumps or protrusions, and will not crack or fade over time.

In known sublimation heat presses the upper plate is generally locked into place onto the lower plate before or during heating and then increasing pressure on the substrate trapped between the plates. The increase in pressure is generally achieved in one of two ways. The first method is to utilise a pressure generating a system such a reduced vacuum apparatus, in order to increase pressure of the upper plate on the lower plate. The second method generally revolves around a user utilising a pressure clamp or screw system in order to manuaHy or automaticafly increase pressure by forcing the uppcr plate onto the lower plate in a known manner.

In both known methods, the application of pressure involves utilising bulky or expensive equipment or apparatus, which must be connected or incorporated into the sublimation heat press and which may malfunction or break through repeated use.

These presses tend to be very heavy, bulky and difficult to transport to different locations by a user.

It would therefore be advantageous to provide a sublimation ink heat press which did not require pressure generating apparatus or systems to be incorporated or added to the press. It would furthermore be advantageous to provide a sublimation ink heat press which is portable and of a size that can be transported and stored easily by a user without recourse to lifting or transport equipment.

It is therefore an aim of embodiments of the invention to overcome or mitigate

the problems of the prior art.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a sublimation ink press comprising first and second members movable between an open position in which an article and sublimation ink transfer sheet can be inserted between the members, and a pressing position in which the transfer sheet is pressed between the members, in usc, wherein at least one of the members comprises a heating element and at least one of the members comprises a resilient material onto which the article is placed, in use, and wherein the weight of one of the members is substantially the sole means of applying pressure or load to the transfer sheet, in use.

The first member may comprise an upper plate and the second member may comprise a lower plate. Each plate may be retained in or on a casing or housing.

In some embodiments the upper plate and lower plate are rotatable about a hinge to move between the open and pressing positions. In other embodiment the upper and lower plates may be mounted on a frame or support which enables relative lateral movement of the plates towards and away from each other, in order to enable movement between the open and pressing positions.

The upper and lower plates may comprise a contact surface, arranged to abut when the plates are in the pressing position. The contact surface may comprise the resilient material of the upper and/or lower plate.

The upper and lower plates may be substantially planar, at least in the region where they abut in the pressing position, in use.

The press may comprise dimensions of no more than 100cm in any direction, such as no more than 50cm in any direction. The length and width of the plates may be no more than 50cm, 40cm or 30cm.

The pressure or load generated by the weight of the member is preferably at least l3OkPa, l40kPa, l50kPa or 200kPa, and may be between l30kPa and 275kPa, such as between l5OkPa and 275kPa, for example.

The upper and lower plates may comprise metal plates, which may include alloys. The metal or alloy may comprise iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminium or any combination thereof, for example.

In some embodiments the upper plate comprises or is connected to the heating element. The heating element may comprise a heating coil, filament or the like for example. The heating element may comprise a thermostatic control to control the temperature to which the plate is heated, in use, In some embodiments the heating element enables heating of the plates to a temperature of between 150°C and 250°C, such as between 170°C and 230°C or between 180°C and 210°C.

The upper and lower plates may be located in or on a casing and each plate may comprise its own casing. When the upper plate is located in or on a casing, it is the combined weight of the casing and the upper pate which is substantially the sole means to apply pressure or load to the transfer sheet. The upper and lower plates may be provided with a locking mechanism which enables locking of the plates in the pressing position is use. The locking mechanism may be located on the casing of the plates or on the plates themselves.

The resilient material on at least one of the upper and lower plates may be located on the lower plate in some embodiments. The resilient material may comprise a resilient foam material, for example, onto which a substrate to be printed is placed, in use. The resilient material may cover a portion of the contact surface of the plate.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of sublimation ink-printing, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a press comprising a lower member and an upper member; b) placing a substrate to printed on the lower member; c) providing an image comprising sublimation ink coated on a transfer material; d) placing the transfer material on the substrate to be printed; e) lowering the upper member onto the transfer material; and 0 applying heat and pressure to the transfer material to transfer the image to the substrate; wherein the pressure or load used during the process comprises substantially solely pressure or load effected by the weight of the upper member on the transfer material.

The method may comprise locking the upper member and lower member in position during or after step e). The locking mechanism may ensure that the weight of the upper plate applies pressure to the transfer material throughout transfer of the image to the substrate to be printed.

The substrate may comprise an article to be printed.

The article may be a fabric article such as a T-shirt, shirt, hat, bandana, tea towel, towel, sock, underwear, trousers, soft toy of the like, for example. In other embodiments the article may be a hard solid article such as a mug, badge, pin, pen, toy, card, coaster or the like, for example.

The sublimation ink may be any suitable sublimation ink such as those sold by Epson under the trade name DURABRITE (RTM), for example.

Heat and pressure may be applied for a time period of between 6oseconds to seconds at 180°C, 30 seconds to 60 seconds at 210°C, or any suitable combination for the specific article being printed.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of the second aspect of the invention using a sublimation ink press of the first aspect of the invention.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided use of a sublimation ink press of the first aspect of the invention for the printing of an article.

Detailed description of the invention

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a sublimation ink press of the invention in a fully open position; Figure 2 illustrates the sublimation ink press of Figure 1 in a pressing position in which an article is located on the lower plate along with a transfer sheet containing sublimation ink; and Figure 3 illustrates the sublimation ink press of Figure 2 in which the upper plate and lower plate have been locked together during use.

In an embodiment of a sublimation ink press (2) of the invention, the press (2) comprises a first member comprising an upper plate (4) comprising a generally rectangular plate of 28 centimetres by 22 centimetres, and having a thickness of approximately 1 centimetre. The upper plate (4) is constructed from solid steel. The press (2) further comprises a second member comprising lower plate (6) having the same dimensions as the upper plate (4) and also constructed from solid steel. On the upper surface of the lower plate (6) is a sheet of resilient foam material (18), substantially covering the upper surface. The upper plate (4) and lower plate (8) are connected to an upper casing (8) and lower casing (10) respectively, constructed from metal. The upper casing (8) is connected to the lower casing (10) via arms (12) to which the casing (8) is connected via bolts (20). At one end of the arms (12), is a hinge (22), connecting the arms to the lower casing (10). In this way, the arms (12) may rotate about the hinge (22), in order to rotate the upper plate (4) away from or towards the lower plate (6), and therefore move the plate between an open position as shown in Figure 1, and a closed, pressing position as shown in Figures 2 and 3. In the pressing position, the upper plate (4) and lower plate (6) substantially abut taking into account an article to printed and transfer sheet placed on the lower plate (6) and resilient material (18).

The lower casing (10) includes a handle (15) extending from the front thereof to which is hingcdly connected a locking bar (16) and a distal end of a handle (14) via a rotatable hinge (15).

The upper casing (8) also includes a thermostat control (24), connected to heating element (not shown) located within the casing (8). The press (2) also includes a power cord (not shown), for connection to a suitable power source in order to heat the heating element.

Use of the sublimation ink press (2) will now be described with reference to the each of Figures 1-3. In use, the press (2) is first moved to the open position as shown in Figure 1. by rotating the arms (12) about the hinge (22), in order to remove the upper plate (4) from the lower plate (6). In this position an article to be printed, such a t-shirt or other fabric article may be placed on the resilient material (18) of the lower plate (6). Figure 2 shows an article (26) located on the resilient material (18) of the lower plate (6). A transfer sheet (28) is then placed on the article (26), the transfer sheet (28) comprising an image formed from solid sublimation ink. A user then rotates the handle (12) about the hinge (22), until the upper plate (4) rests on the transfer sheet (28) as shown in Figure 2. As the upper plate (4) is formed from solid steel, the weight of the upper plate (4) and casing (8), on the transfer sheet and article (26) causes pressure to be applied thereto, under the influence of gravity alone. The dimensions of the press (2) are -length 30cm, width 35cm and height 15cm, in the pressing position shown in Figure 3. The upper plate (4) and upper easing (8) together exert approximately 1 50-25OkPa on the transfer sheet (28) or article (26). The small, compact size of the press (2) enables the press (2) to work solely by the action of pressure induced by the weight or load of the upper plate (4) and therefore no separate pressure inducing means is required, such as pressure clamps, screws or vacuum generating devices. This enables the press (2) of the embodiments shown in Figures 1-3 to maintain a compact, and relatively thin profile, such that a user may pick-up transport and place the press without recourse to using transporting equipment or multiple persons.

A user then rotates the locking bar (16) about the hinge (17), until it clamps onto the end of the handle (12), thereby locking the upper plate (4) to the transfer sheet (28), substrate (26) and lower plate (6). This configuration is shown in Figure 3.

In a position shown in Figure 3 a user then turns the thermostat control (24) to the appropriate setting, in order to begin heating of the upper plate (4). The combination of heat and pressure caused by upper plate (4) sublimates the ink on the transfer sheet (28) which then penetrates the substrate (26) to form the corresponding image from the transfer sheet (28) in the substrate (26). The thermostat control (24) enables a user to control the heat of the upper plate (4) from between 150°C to 250°C, and a user may adjust the time spent to complete the printing process accordingly, depending on the heat used, substrate used and sublimation ink used.

In other embodiments of the invention (not shown), the upper casing (8) may also include a timer, which may be set by a user in order to automatically set the time during which the upper plate (4) is heated, during printing.

When the printing process is complete, the locking bar (16) is disengaged from the upper handle (12), and the upper plate (4) rotated away from the lower plate (6) via hinge (22). The now printed substrate (26) can then be removed.

The use of the embodiments shown in Figures 1-3 and described herein above enables a heat press to be used with sublimation ink, which includes minimal parts, a compact structure, and minimal manipulation, so that a user may quickly and easily print articles and transport the heat press (2) to any desired location, such as a stall or stand set up at a stall or stand at a festival, exhibition or trade show for example. This would generally not be possible with known sublimation ink presses of the prior art.

The above embodiment is described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A sublimation ink press comprising a first member and a second member movable between an open position in which an article and a sublimation ink transfer sheet can be inserted between the members, and a pressing position in which the transfer sheet is pressed between the members in use, wherein at least one of the members comprises a heating element and at least one of the members comprises a resilient material onto which the article is placed in use, and wherein the weight of the first member is substantially the sole means of applying pressure or load to the transfer sheet in use.
2. A press as claimed in claim I wherein the first member comprises an upper plate and the second member comprises a lower plate.
3. A press as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the upper plate and lower plate are hingedly connected to move between the open and pressing positions.
4. A press and claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein the lower plate comprises a contact surface on which the resilient material is located.
5. A press a claimed in any one of claims I or 5 comprising dimensions of no more than 100 centimetres in any direction.
6. A press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the pressure generated by the weight of the member is at least l3OkPa on the transfer sheet, in use.
7. A press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first member comprises or is connected to the heating clement.
8. A press as claimed in claim 7 wherein the heating element enables heating of the plate to a temperature of between 15 0°C and 250°C.
9. A press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first member and second member comprise upper and lower plates located within a casing.
10. A method of sublimation ink printing, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a press comprising a first member and a second member; b) placing a substrate to printed on the second member; c) providing an image comprising sublimation ink coated on a transfer material; d) placing the transfer material on the substrate to be printed; e) lowering the first member onto the transfer material; and f) applying heat and pressure to the transfer material to transfer the image to the substrate; wherein the pressure used during the process comprises substantially solely pressure or load effected by the weight of the first member on the transfer material.
11. A method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising locking the first member and second member in position during or after step e).
12. A method as claimed in claim 10 or 11 wherein the heat and pressure applied is for a time period of between 30 seconds and 180 seconds.
13. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 using a sublimation ink press over any one of claims Ito 9.
14. Use of a sublimation ink press of any one of claims I to 9 for the printing of an article.
15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 or a use as claimed in claim 14 wherein the article is a fabric article or fabric containing article.
16. A sublimation ink press, method or use substantially described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.