JP2001161410A - Method and device for forming pattern in fastener cloth - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for generating patterns in fasteners in such a way that the patterns in junction parts of cloths completely coincide with each other. SOLUTION: Patterns are continuously formed on a first and a second rectangular cloths 16a and 16b for forming a fastener main body 20 by printing in an ink jet method in the condition where the first and the second rectangular cloths 16a and 16b are integrated with each other similarly to usage of a fastener 3, that is in the condition where connection hook parts 13a and 13b are connected to each other, so the patterns in junction parts of the first and the second rectangular cloths 16a, 16b completely coincide with each other, thereby pattern deflection is eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for forming a picture on a cloth portion of a fastener provided with a connecting piece.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A large number of connecting pieces are attached in a row to the long sides of two strip-shaped fabrics, and the connecting pieces provided on each of the fabrics are opened and closed by a switch called a slider or the like. A zipper structure in which the two fabrics are brought into and out of contact by meshing or unmating is already known, and is used for connection of various parts that need to be opened and closed, such as front alignment of clothes, wallets, and the like. It's being used.

In this type of fastener, metal or plastic is used for the connecting piece and the opening / closing device, and polyester or cotton is generally used for the fabric portion. is there.

[0004]

In particular, in the case of a cloth portion, a plain white material or a plain colored material such as navy blue, brown, or black is usually used. There is no one with a pattern at the moment.

[0005] Of course, technically, it is possible to manufacture a fastener with a picture by preparing a pre-dyed fabric, cutting the fabric into an appropriate size, and attaching a connecting piece. However, in the manufacturing process,
Since the work of attaching the connecting piece is performed independently for each of the two divided fabrics, the patterns at the joints of the fabrics must be completely matched (so-called pattern matching).
The problem that it becomes difficult arises.

[0006] In addition, it is economically wasteful to prepare a large number of fabrics having different patterns and to produce fasteners having various patterns little by little. Furthermore, if you want to develop an original pattern and apply it to the zipper fabric, you have to start with the process of dyeing the fabric, which requires a large investment.On the other hand, if you divert only the ready-made fabric, you have more freedom in design. Will decrease.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art, to make the patterns at the joints of the fabric completely coincide with each other, and to be able to produce a small number and variety of fasteners having different patterns. Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple fastener pattern generating method and an apparatus for realizing the method.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a pattern on a zipper fabric, comprising a first and a second strip-shaped fabric having side ends connected via a connecting piece. A printing preparation step of arranging two or more fastener bodies on the same plane, and printing one or two or more types of ink on at least one surface of one or more fastener bodies arranged in this plane by an ink jet method A pattern forming step of sequentially and sequentially jetting at a predetermined timing by a method, and a pattern heat fixing step of heating and fixing one or more fastener bodies provided with the pattern in an atmosphere at a predetermined temperature for a certain time. The above object has been achieved by a configuration characterized by the above. According to this configuration, printing by the inkjet method is continuously performed in a state where the first and second strip-shaped fabrics forming the fastener main body are integrated in the same manner as when the fastener is used. Therefore, the first
The pattern at the joint portion of the second strip-shaped cloth and the second strip-shaped cloth completely match, and the pattern never shifts. In addition, since the pattern is formed by applying the printing by the ink jet method, the pattern to be drawn on the strip-shaped cloth can be set arbitrarily, the original pattern can be easily formed, and small patterns having different patterns can be formed. It is also possible to produce lots of various types of fastener fabrics. Moreover, since the pattern heating and fixing step of heating and fixing the fastener body at a predetermined temperature for a certain period of time after the pattern forming step by the ink jet method is performed, the fixing of the ink to the strip-shaped cloth is reliable, and the durability is sufficient. Can be demonstrated.

After the pattern is fixed by the pattern heating and fixing step, a cleaning and drying step of cleaning and drying the fastener body after a lapse of a predetermined time is performed. By performing this washing and drying step, unnecessary ink accumulated at the connection piece or at the boundary between the connection piece and the strip-shaped fabric is removed, and the beauty of the fastener as a product is further enhanced.

Prior to the printing preparation step, a plurality of positioning laser beams prepared in advance are divided into a vertical direction and a horizontal direction according to the size and printing position of one or more fastener bodies. An arrangement position specifying step of irradiating in the state is provided. By making the arrangement position of the fastener main body clear in advance in this way, it is possible to speedily carry out the setup work of the print preparation process of arranging the fastener, thereby improving the productivity of the product. In addition, this arrangement position specifying step may be performed only for the first time in the case where the pattern forming step under the same conditions, that is, the printing operation in which the size of the pattern or the fastener is the same, is repeatedly performed.

In the arrangement position specifying step, instead of specifying the arrangement position of the fastener main body by irradiating a laser beam, a planar hygroscopic member whose arrangement position is previously partitioned by printing is placed on the mounting surface of the fastener. It is also possible to use. The planar moisture-absorbing member used here is, for example, straw semi-paper at a low unit price. Even when the planar moisture absorbing member is used, it is possible to specify the arrangement position of the fastener main body with the same accuracy as the case of the laser beam described above.

Further, prior to the printing preparation step described above,
A step of applying a peelable adhesive to the other surface of the fastener body, that is, the surface opposite to the printing surface may be provided. According to this configuration, the fastener body disposed on the plane is securely fixed by the adhesive,
The operation of specifying the position of the fastener body becomes more precise. Further, since the displacement of the fastener body during printing is completely prevented, problems such as color misregistration can be reliably solved regardless of the type of printing method.

Further, prior to the above-described printing preparation step,
A step of applying a picture fixing accelerator to the fastener body may be provided. By performing this step, the bite of the ink on the strip-shaped fabric is improved, and a more stable printing result can be obtained.

In the above-described printing preparation step, the fastener main body is arranged on a predetermined planar hygroscopic member. Here, the planar moisture absorbing member is, for example, straw semi-paper at a low unit price. Here, this surface-shaped moisture absorbing member is used to prevent the surface on which the fastener is arranged from being absorbed by absorbing the ink protruding outward from the fastener main body, and to prevent the product from being stained when the pattern forming process is repeated. To prevent If the location of the fastener is printed on this planar moisture absorbing member in advance, it can be used as the planar moisture absorbing member required in the above-described location position specifying step.

When the strip-shaped fabric of the fastener body is formed of synthetic resin fibers, a pair of holding members having a holding surface are used in the above-described pattern heating and fixing step, and the strip of the fastener body is held by the holding members. It is desirable to clamp the fabric while heating it at a predetermined temperature. With this configuration, heating and pressurization are simultaneously performed on the printing surface of the strip-shaped fabric made of synthetic resin fibers, and the fixing of the picture pattern is further strengthened.

On the other hand, when the strip-shaped fabric of the fastener body is formed of natural fibers, the above-described pattern heating and fixing step should be performed in an atmosphere of a predetermined temperature and a vapor pressure. With this configuration, even in the case of natural fibers, the fixing power of the ink can be enhanced in the same manner as in the case of applying heat and pressure to synthetic resin fibers.

In particular, in the case where the pattern heating and fixing step is carried out using an atmosphere of vapor pressure, the fastener body is wrapped with a predetermined moisture absorbing paper between the pattern heating and fixing step and the above-mentioned pattern forming step. It is desirable to provide a pre-use step. By performing this pre-fixing step, direct spraying of steam on the fabric made of natural fibers is prevented, and damage to the strip-shaped fabric portion, for example, abnormalities such as bleeding of a picture pattern are prevented.

In the above-described pattern forming step,
The printing method by the ink jet system is adopted. Therefore, it is also possible to divide an area used for printing into a plurality of areas in accordance with the size of the fastener main body, and to set different pictures for each of them. Therefore, it is possible to simultaneously include print data of a plurality of fasteners with different patterns in the data used for printing, and in particular, when it is desired to simultaneously produce fasteners of various patterns with different planned production quantities, for example, in the case of It is also possible to produce different fasteners in parallel at an arbitrary quantity ratio, which makes it very easy to manage the production schedule.

Further, in order to efficiently carry out the above-described pattern forming method, the fastener fabric pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention has a fastener mounting means having a flat surface on which a fastener main body is arranged, and the fastener mounting means. Ink jet printing means provided in advance corresponding to one or more fastener bodies placed on the upper side, and the printing means heats one or more fastener body patterns provided with a predetermined pattern. The fixing device includes a heat fixing unit for fixing, and a cleaning unit for cleaning one or two or more fastener bodies that have been heated and fixed. In the case of handling a fastener main body provided with a strip-shaped cloth made solely of natural fibers, the heat fixing means is constituted by a steam type heat fixing means provided with an atmosphere of a predetermined temperature and a predetermined vapor pressure.

[0020] Further, with regard to a fastener body provided with a strip-shaped cloth made exclusively of synthetic resin fibers,
One holding plate having a fastener mounting surface, the other holding plate in contact with the fastener mounting surface and pressing with a predetermined pressure, and heating for heating at least one of the holding plates at a predetermined temperature The fixing means constitutes the heat fixing means.

In this case, a groove corresponding to the connecting piece of the fastener main body is provided on the fastener mounting surface of one of the holding plates. According to this configuration, the thickness of the connecting piece is absorbed by the concave groove, and a gap due to the thickness of the connecting piece is prevented between the holding plates pressing the strip-shaped fabric. Therefore, the ink can be fixed by heating and pressing the portion of the strip-shaped cloth reliably by the one and the other holding plates.

In this case, it is preferable that a soft plastic elastic member is further housed inside the concave groove provided in the holding plate. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the connecting piece of the fastener main body from being unnecessarily contracted into the concave groove and the first and second strip-shaped cloths from falling into the concave groove. Therefore, the fixing of the ink by heating and pressurizing can be surely performed also on the strip-shaped cloth portion around the connection piece.

A positioning laser light output means for specifying the mounting positions of a plurality of fastener bodies by laser light can be provided in the vicinity of the fastener mounting means. By specifying the mounting position of the fastener main body on the fastener mounting means using the positioning laser light output means, it is possible to perform a precise printing operation without positional displacement.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the outline of the configuration of the printing unit, the heat fixing unit, the cleaning unit, and the positioning laser light output unit used in the present embodiment will be briefly described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the overall configuration of an ink jet printer 1 serving as a printing means and a positioning laser light output means 23. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an essential part of the ink jet printer 1 in an extracted manner. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a main portion of the ink jet printer 1 includes a base portion 24 forming a main body,
It comprises a table section 4 mounted thereon, a carriage guide 5 located on the table section 4, and a printer head 6 mounted on the carriage guide 5. Among these, the table section 4 mounts a fastener. Also serves as a fastener mounting means for performing the operation.

The carriage guide 5 is driven along a longitudinal direction of the table section 4 in a horizontal plane by a not-shown linear feed mechanism (built in the base section 24) which is driven and controlled by a personal computer or the like.
Further, the carriage guide 5 is driven along the longitudinal direction by another linear feed mechanism (built-in to the carriage guide 5) not shown.

The printer head 6 is conveyed vertically and horizontally on the table section 4 by the cooperative operation of the linear feed mechanisms described above, which is driven and controlled based on print data stored in a personal computer or the like. Execute print processing based on the print data.

As shown in FIG. 2, the printer head 6 has four color ink cartridges 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. It is possible to mount an optimal ink according to the material of the material, for example, synthetic resin fiber such as polyester or natural fiber such as cotton.

The vertical height of the table unit 4 can be adjusted by rotating the height adjustment handle 28 shown in FIG. 1, so that the height of the table unit 4 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the printing object. The gap with the printer head 6 can be set arbitrarily.

Further, graduations constituting scales 29a and 29b are provided on the short side and the long side of the table section 4, respectively, so that the position of the printing object placed on the table section 4 can be positioned with a certain precision. It has become.

The positioning laser light output means 23 is provided as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical axis unit 23a and the horizontal axis unit 23b each include a plurality of laser transmitters 25, a mounting bracket 26, and a stay. 27.

The stay 27 of the vertical axis unit 23a has a span equal to or slightly longer than the short side of the table section 4 of the ink jet printer 1, and a wall surface in a room where the ink jet printer 1 is installed. Is attached so as to be parallel to the short side of the table section 4. The stay 27 of the horizontal axis unit 23b has a span equal to or slightly longer than the long side of the table unit 4 and is parallel to the long side of the table unit 4 on the wall surface in the room where the inkjet printer 1 is installed. It is attached so that it becomes.

Each laser transmitter 25 is slidably mounted in the longitudinal direction of each stay 27 via a mounting bracket 26. The mounting bracket 26 is detachable from the stay 27, and the work of adding or thinning the laser transmitter 25 to the stay 27 can be arbitrarily performed.

The laser transmitter 25 is provided with an aspheric lens at its output part, so that it can output not a so-called spot light but a linear laser light that spreads in a fan shape in a vertical plane.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a press type heater 2 serving as a heating and fixing means for synthetic resin fibers. The main part of the press-type heater 2 is composed of a heater body 8 provided with a setting switch group for setting a heating temperature and the like, and a heating pressure plate 10 attached to the heater body 8 via a hinge 9. On the upper and lower position adjusting mechanism 11 provided on the heater body 8, a material mounting table 12 constituting one holding plate is mounted.

The vertical position adjusting mechanism 11 includes the heating pressure plate 10
Is closed, the upper surface of the material placing table 12 and the heating platen 10
Function as adjusting means for adjusting the height of the upper surface of the material placing table 12 such that the pressure is completely parallel pressed to apply uniform pressure to each part of the material placing table 12.

The heating pressure plate 10 constituting the other holding plate is provided with an electric heating means therein, and heats the plate portion based on the heating temperature set in the heater main body 8. ing. The heating pressure plate 10 is configured to move toward and away from the material placing table 12 by swinging about the hinge 9 as a fulcrum, and at an upper limit position of the swing, the opening position as shown in FIG. Is held. In addition, at the upper surface of the material mounting table 12, that is, at the lower limit position of the swinging contact with the fastener mounting surface, the material mounting table 12 is pressed against the upper surface of the material mounting table 12 by its own weight.

3 and FIG.
As shown in (a), the connection pieces 13a, 1 of the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a, 16b in the connected state.
3b, a rectangular groove 14 having a width slightly wider than the combined width is provided so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction.
An elastic member 15 formed of a soft plastic, for example, urethane or the like, is
It is embedded so as to be flush with the surface.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which only one row of the rectangular grooves 14 is provided. However, a number of these grooves 14 can be provided on the material mounting table 12 in parallel.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the appearance of a commercial washing machine 19 serving as a washing means. This commercial washing machine 19
Has a function of performing automatic washing using hot water having a preset temperature.

Hereinafter, the pattern forming method of the present embodiment, which is carried out using these means, will be described in detail.

FIG. 6A is a plan view showing the entire structure of the fastener 3 which is generally commercially available.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the fastener 3
Are the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a, 16 which constitute connection means for connection with an attachment object such as clothes.
b, and the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a, 16a
b, connection pieces 13a, 13b attached in tandem to one long side of each of the long sides, and connection pieces 13a, 13
b, the connecting pieces 13a, 13b reciprocate in the column direction in a state of engagement with the connecting pieces 13a, 13b.
(b) a first and second opening / closing member 17 (slider) for sequentially engaging or disengaging each of the pieces constituting the b, and a first and a second member for preventing the opening / closing member 17 from coming off the connection pieces 13a, 13b. It is constituted by end stoppers 18a, 18b provided at the ends of the strip-shaped fabrics 16a, 16b.

The portion excluding the end stoppers 18a and 18b and the opening / closing member 17 is the fastener body 20.

If the clearance between the printer head 6 and the table section 4 in the ink jet printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is sufficient, the fastener 3 is placed on the table section 4 with the opening / closing member 17 attached. Although it is possible to perform a printing operation, the first and second strip-shaped cloths 16a and 1a of the portion that overlaps with the opening / closing tool 17 are then possible.
There is a problem that an unpainted portion occurs in the portion 6b.

Therefore, in this embodiment, first, as a preliminary step for performing printing, an operation of removing the opening / closing tool 17 from the fastener 3 is performed.

In this operation, the end stoppers 18a and 18b are removed from the open / close end of the fastener 3 using radio pliers or the like, that is, from the end located closer to the neck when the fastener 3 is attached to the clothes. As shown in FIG. 6B, this is achieved by pulling out the opening / closing member 17 upward with the connecting pieces 13a, 13b engaged with each other.

End stoppers 18a, 18b and opening / closing tool 1
Numeral 7 is a member required when reassembling the fastener 3, and therefore, it is necessary to store it so that it is not lost.

When a pretreatment liquid for promoting the fixing of the ink, that is, a process of spraying or applying a pattern fixing accelerator to the fastener body 20 and drying the fastener body 20 is performed, it is preferable that the process is performed at this stage. Good.

Further, when a peelable adhesive is applied to the back surface of the fastener body 20, the adhesive may be applied or dried at the stage when the above-mentioned pattern fixing accelerator is dried or before the pattern fixing accelerator is applied. Perform spraying work. The adhesive used here is desirably a water-soluble adhesive, more specifically, an adhesive that can be easily peeled off from the fastener main body 20 by a washing operation in a washing and drying step described later.

Next, as a pre-process for arranging the fastener main body 20 on the table section 4 of the ink jet printer 1, an arrangement position specifying step will be performed. Before that, an example of picture data used for printing is provided. Will be briefly described.

FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram showing an example of print data generated using a personal computer or the like connected to the ink jet printer 1.

In the example of FIG. 7A, the area on the table section 4 to be printed is divided into 2 rows and 8 columns, and 16
The figure shows a case in which a small number of kinds of printing are performed by setting the kinds of pictures 21a to 21p. The maximum size of the print area is determined by the table unit 4 in the inkjet printer 1.
The size depends on the size of the printer head 6 and the movable range of the printer head 6, and within that range, the size can be set to an arbitrary size by using functions such as document setting of commercially available photo retouching software and drawing software. Can be.

Here, in order to realize reliable printing, it is desirable that the size of the pictures 21a to 21p is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the outer shape of the fastener body 20 to be printed. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of types of fastener bodies 20 having different aspect ratios and sizes on the table unit 4 at the same time to execute a printing operation. Therefore, the aspect ratios and sizes of the pictures 21a to 21p stored as print data are also possible. It doesn't have to be uniform,
What is necessary is just to match with the shape and size of the corresponding fastener main body 20.

These patterns 21a to 21p can be generated by using any photo retouching software or drawing software.
By arranging a to 21p on the same layer or a plurality of layers with a transparent background so as not to overlap, for example, print data as shown in FIG. 7A is obtained.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that each ink of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is used, so that full-color printing is possible except for special colors such as gold, silver, and white. Special effects such as gradation and blur can also be used arbitrarily within the range of functions of an application such as photo retouching software or drawing software used for generating a pattern. Note that the blurring effect can also be realized by adjusting the height adjustment handle 28 of the table unit 4 at the time of printing and increasing the gap between the printer head 6 and the printing target. .

The final output resolution and the like for the ink jet printer 1 are determined according to the form of the picture and the required finishing accuracy. The printing accuracy of the inkjet printer 1 is sufficiently high, and the interval between the pictures 21a to 21p can be reduced to the limit. However, in the present embodiment, the fastener main body 2 is actually placed on the table 4.
In consideration of the workability when placing 0, an appropriate interval of at least several millimeters is set.

When a large number of fasteners 3 having the same pattern are to be produced, for example, as shown in FIG. 7B, a large number of the same patterns 21a can be duplicated to produce print data. . Further, in a case where the picture is formed by a simple repetition pattern, data of a repetition pattern for printing an area equivalent to the printable area of the printer head 6 is generated in advance, and a large number of fasteners are formed. It is also possible to spread the main body 20 on the table section 4 without gaps, and to perform continuous printing work on all the fastener main bodies 20 placed on the table section 4.

Further, when several pictures are simultaneously produced at a fixed ratio according to a production schedule or the like, some pictures to be produced are selected, and the proportion of the quantity of pictures to be printed is set arbitrarily. It is also possible. As an example, FIG. 7C shows an example in which a pattern 21a, a pattern 21b, and a pattern 21c are selected and produced at a ratio of 1: 2: 5.

Of course, in either case, the aspect ratio and size of the picture need not necessarily be uniform, as described above.

In this embodiment, in order to more accurately specify the location of the fastener body 20 in the location determination step, first, as shown in FIG. 4, a sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 such as straw semi-paper is placed, and test printing by the inkjet printer 1 is performed. Printing in this case does not affect the final product performance, and therefore the output resolution may be reduced to save ink or printing time, or
Black and white printing with gradation may be used.

By this operation, as shown in FIG. 9, the actual patterns 21a 'to 21p based on the print data of the patterns 21a to 21p are added to the planar moisture absorbing member 22 placed on the table 4. 'Will be printed.

The operator actually observes these pictures 21 a ′ to 21 p ′ while returning the carriage guide 5 and the printer head 6 to the home position, and uses them for the vertical axis constituting the laser light output means 23 for positioning. The position of each laser transmitter 25 attached to each of the unit 23a and the unit for horizontal axis 23b is adjusted, for example,
As shown in FIG. 9, the optical path of the laser beam output from each laser transmitter 25 is divided into a vertical direction and a horizontal direction by specifying two orthogonal sides of each of the pictures 21 a ′ to 21 p ′. And the contour positions of the pictures 21a 'to 21p' when printing is actually performed are specified.
This step is an arrangement position specifying step. Fastener body 2
An example of the optical path of the laser light adjusted to specify the 0 position is shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

By this operation, the arrangement position of the fastener main body 20 is completely specified, and even if the planar moisture absorbing member 22 used for the test printing is removed, the optical path of the laser is displayed on the table section 4 as it is. Therefore, at this stage,
The planar moisture absorbing member 22 used for the test printing may be peeled off from the table unit 4. Further, the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 may be left as it is on the table section 4 as a sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 for preventing contamination due to exudation of ink, and furthermore, the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 used for test printing may be used. Hygroscopic member 2
Alternatively, another sheet-like moisture absorbing member 22 such as straw semi-paper may be placed on the table unit 4 instead of 2 and used as the sheet-like moisture absorbing member 22 for preventing contamination.

The extremely narrow fastener body 20
In such a case, it is assumed that adjacent laser transmitters 25 and mounting brackets 26 arranged in the vertical axis unit 23a interfere on the stay 27, making it difficult to adjust the width. However, in such a case, if a plurality of vertical axis units 23a are prepared and arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, the problem of the interval can be solved. Of course, another vertical unit 23a can be additionally provided on another wall surface, that is, another wall surface opposite to the wall surface on which the first vertical unit 23a is provided.

On the other hand, in a situation where it is difficult to provide the positioning laser light output means 23, the sheet-shaped hygroscopic member 22 on which the demarcation line instead of the laser light is printed is attached to the positioning laser light output means 23. It can be used as an alternative.

In this case, the pictures 21a 'to 21p' printed on the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 generated by the test printing described above.
Can be used as a demarcation line as it is, or the patterns 21a 'to 2a can be applied to another planar moisture absorbing member 22 using photo retouching software or draw software.
By printing and outputting only the contour line of 1p ', the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 with the division line is obtained.
May be used for positioning as a sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 with a dividing line.

When the positioning operation of the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 with the dividing line is performed in the table section 4, it is performed using the scales 29a and 29b provided on the edge of the table section 4.

However, if the positioning laser beam output means 23 is not used, it is not necessary to eliminate the lane markings together with the planar hygroscopic member 22 when the planar hygroscopic member 22 is replaced. It is necessary to prepare several sheet-shaped moisture absorbing members 22 in advance, and to use them while sequentially exchanging the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 for positioning means having a dividing line and for preventing contamination.

The positioning laser light output means 23
In the printing preparation step to be performed next, the surface moisture absorbing member 22 for preventing contamination is placed on the table section 4 and a laser as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. One or a plurality of fastener main bodies 20 are positioned and arranged on the table section 4 using the lane markings of light. In addition, the sheet-like moisture-absorbing member 22 for preventing contamination here is simply a sheet-like moisture-absorbing member 22 itself used for test printing or a new sheet-like moisture-absorbing member 22 used for test printing. Of the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 such as a straw semi-paper placed on the sheet. However, when the dryness of the ink by the test printing is slow, avoid placing the fastener body 20 directly on the test print, remove the planar moisture absorbing member 22 used for the test printing, and then remove the planar moisture absorbing material such as straw semi-paper. It is better to newly mount the member 22 and use it as the planar moisture absorbing member 22 for preventing contamination.

In the configuration without the positioning laser light output means 23, the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 provided with the dividing line, that is, the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member 22 used for test printing, or The fastener main body 20 is positioned and arranged on the table section 4 by using the planar moisture absorbing member 22 on which the outlines of the pictures 21a 'to 21p' are printed out and using the outlines as the dividing lines. On this occasion,
The operation of positioning the planar moisture absorbing member 22 with respect to the table portion 4 is performed by the scales 29a, 2 provided on the edge of the table portion 4.
9b. As described above, by applying a peelable adhesive to the back surface of the fastener main body 20, it is possible to reliably prevent the displacement of the fastener main body 20 after the positioning is completed.

However, as described above, in the case where the fastener main body 20 having the same pattern is mass-produced by printing a pattern consisting of a simple repetitive pattern over the entire printable area, the fastener main body is required in this printing preparation step. There is no need to exactly position 20.

In this manner, the plurality of fastener bodies 20
After all of the arrangements are completed, a pattern forming process using a printing method by an ink jet method is performed. Specifically, this work is performed by starting the above-described photo retouching software or drawing software on a personal computer or the like to which print data is input as shown in FIGS. 7 (a), 7 (b) and 7 (c). This is achieved by executing a print command by a personal computer or the like to drive and control the two linear feed mechanisms and the printer head 6 described above.

As a result, the printer head 6 driven by the two linear feed mechanisms moves left and right on the table section 4,
Further, at each position of the movement, each of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks is continuously ejected at a predetermined timing according to the printing program, and the respective fastener main bodies 20 placed on the table unit 4 are ejected. To perform continuous inkjet printing.

Since a series of printing operations are performed in a state where the first strip-shaped fabric 16a and the second strip-shaped fabric 16b constituting the fastener main body 20 are engaged in the same manner as in use, the pattern to be printed is No matter how complicated it is, there will never be any pattern misalignment at the joint between the first strip-shaped fabric 16a and the second strip-shaped fabric 16b.

Further, since the printing method by the ink jet method is applied, the first and second strip-shaped cloths 16a and 16b located in the gaps between the connection pieces 13a and 13b are provided.
The ink can surely penetrate into the area, and the picture can be reproduced with reliability.

Further, since the printing operation is performed in a state where the opening and closing device 17 is removed, the opening and closing device 17 does not become a shield and no unpainted portion occurs, and the reproduction of the picture is complete.

The arrangement of the fastener main body 20 is reliably performed by using a laser beam or the like as a positioning means. For example, the fastener main body 20 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the fastener main body 20 like a picture 21k shown in FIG. Even if the pattern includes a stripe, the stripe is connected to the connecting piece 13.
It is possible to obtain a beautiful print without being printed obliquely with a and 13b.

After the pattern forming step is completed in this way, a pattern heating and fixing step for securely fixing the ink to the fastener main body 20 is performed. In this pattern heating and fixing step, the fastener main body 20 is used. It is different between a case formed of synthetic resin fibers such as polyester and a case formed of natural fibers such as surfaces.

First, when the fastener body 20 is made of synthetic resin fiber such as polyester, the fixing means for heating synthetic resin fiber as described in FIG.
The pattern heating and fixing step is performed using the press type heater 2.

When the press type heater 2 is used, it is desirable to set an appropriate temperature, for example, 200 ° C. in the heater main body 8 and preheat the heating pressure plate 10 to a required temperature in advance. . The operator presses the heating platen 10
After confirming the temperature of the fastener main body 20, the connecting pieces 13a and 13b are positioned on the rectangular groove 14 on the material placing table 12 constituting one of the holding members.
Is placed.

Next, a patch is placed on the material placing table 12 so as to cover the fastener main body 20, and the heating pressure plate 10, which is the other holding member, is swung downward around the hinge 9 first. As shown in FIG.
The lower surface side of the heating pressure plate 10 abuts on a relatively thick portion of the fastener body 20, that is, the connection piece portions 13a and 13b.

When the heating pressure plate 10 is further pushed down, the groove 1 is pressed as shown in FIG.
4 is compressed, and the connecting pieces 13a, 1
3b sinks into the concave groove 14, the gap between the material placing table 12 and the heating pressure plate 10 is eliminated, and the heating pressure plate 10 allows the portions of the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b to be removed. Is pressed accurately, and the heating of the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b by the heating pressure plate 10 is started.

Of course, it is possible to press the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b only by forming the concave grooves 14 in the material placing table 12, but the connecting piece 13
a, 1st, 2nd strip-shaped cloth 1 of the part adjacent to 13b
In order to perform an accurate pressing work including the steps 6a and 16b, it is desirable to insert the elastic member 15 into the groove 14. The insertion of the elastic member 15 prevents the center piece from being bent at the connection piece portions 13a and 13b, so that the vicinity of the connection portion between the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b is inside the concave groove 14. The press work is accurately performed on the entire surfaces of the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b without falling.

The first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a, 16a
When polyester is used for the portion 6b, the heating and fixing time is desirably about 40 seconds at a heating temperature of 200 ° C.

On the other hand, when the fastener body 20 is formed of natural fibers, a general steam-type heat fixing means (not shown) (not shown) is used as the heat fixing means. First and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a, 16
When cotton is used for part b, steam temperature is 97 ℃
Before and after, and the heat fixing time is about 30 minutes. Also,
In the case where a steam heater is used, a pre-fixing step of wrapping the fastener main body 20 with moisture-absorbing paper is performed between the pattern heating fixing step and the above-described pattern forming step in order to protect the printing surface from damage. It is desirable.

The fastener body 20 made of a synthetic resin fiber or a natural fiber which has been subjected to the pattern heat fixing step as described above.
Regardless of the difference in the material, a washing / drying step using a commercial washing machine 19 as a washing means as shown in FIG. 5 is finally performed. This step is carried out using hot water of about 80 ° C. for an appropriate time. As a result, unnecessary ink adhering to the connection pieces 13a and 13b is removed, and the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b are further removed.
Excessive ink that could not be fixed to the part of
Adhesives and the like applied to prevent displacement during printing are also washed away neatly.

Then, the zipper main body 2 after the cleaning is completed.
0 is dried to complete the washing and drying step.

Finally, the opening / closing tool 17 and the end stoppers 18a and 18b, which have been removed and stored in advance, are again attached to the fastener main body 20 to complete the picture-attached fastener 3 as a product.

FIG. 11 shows some actual examples of the completed fastener 3. As shown in FIG.
The ink is surely penetrated also into the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b located in the gaps between the first and second strip-shaped fabrics 16a and 16b.
It can be seen that there is no pattern shift at the joint with the pattern.

[0092]

According to the present invention, the first and second strip-shaped fabrics forming the fastener main body are printed by the ink jet method in a state of being integrated in the same manner as when the fastener is used, so that a picture is formed. Therefore, the patterns at the joining portions of the first and second strip-shaped fabrics completely match, and the occurrence of careless pattern displacement is completely prevented. Also,
Since the pattern is formed by applying the printing by the ink jet method, the pattern to be drawn on the strip-shaped cloth can be set arbitrarily, the original pattern can be easily formed, and a lot of small lots having different patterns can be formed. It becomes possible to carry out production of fastener cloth of a variety at low cost. In addition, after the pattern formation step by the ink jet method, the pattern heat fixing step of heating and fixing the fastener body at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time is performed, so that the ink is reliably fixed to the strip-shaped cloth, and sufficient durability is achieved. It is possible to form a pattern having properties on the cloth.

Further, since a washing and drying step of washing and drying the fastener main body after the pattern heating and fixing step is performed, the connecting piece portion and the boundary between the connecting piece portion and the strip-shaped cloth are used. Unnecessary accumulated ink can be reliably removed, and the beauty of the fastener as a product is improved.

Further, the arrangement position of the fastener main body is clearly specified by using a plurality of laser beams for positioning prepared in advance or a planar moisture absorbing member on which the section of the arrangement position is printed. The arrangement work for arranging can be carried out quickly, and the productivity of the product is also improved.

Further, by attaching a peelable adhesive to the back surface of the fastener before mounting the fastener for printing, the operation for specifying the position of the fastener main body becomes more precise, and the position during printing is further improved. Because misregistration is completely prevented, regardless of the type of printing method, such as printing by simultaneous ejection of multi-color inks or printing by over-coating of multiple single-color inks, the problem of color misregistration is reliably resolved and beautiful. A picture can be formed.

Further, by applying a picture fixing accelerator to the fastener main body, the bite of the ink on the strip-shaped cloth is improved, and a more stable printed picture can be obtained.

When the actual printing operation is performed, the fastener main body is placed after the sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member is placed, so that there is no fear that the flat surface on which the fastener main body is placed becomes dirty. Therefore, it is possible to perform a printing operation on an area larger than the fastener main body, and even if there is some positioning error at the stage of mounting the fastener main body, unpainted portions on the outline of the fastener main body, etc. The picture can be reliably printed without any occurrence.

In the case of performing the pattern heating and fixing step using the atmosphere of the steam pressure, the pattern heating and fixing step is performed after the zipper body is wrapped with the moisture absorbing paper, so that the steam is applied to the cloth. Direct spraying is prevented,
Damage such as bleeding of a pattern generated in a strip-shaped cloth portion is also prevented beforehand.

Further, since print data of a plurality of fasteners having different patterns can be simultaneously included in the data used for printing, especially when it is desired to simultaneously produce fasteners of various patterns having different scheduled production quantities. For example, it is also possible to produce fasteners having different patterns in parallel at an arbitrary ratio, and management of a production schedule becomes extremely easy.

Further, a concave groove corresponding to a connecting piece of the fastener main body is provided on one of the holding plates of the heat fixing means provided for handling the fastener main body provided with the strip-shaped cloth made of synthetic resin fiber. Since the thickness of the connecting piece is absorbed by the connecting piece, the thickness of the connecting piece does not hinder the pressing of the holding plate, and the first and second strips located on both sides of the connecting piece are not hindered. The entire surface of the fabric can be reliably heated and heated by a pair of sandwich plates to fix the ink.

Further, since the inside of the concave groove is filled with a soft plastic elastic member, the connecting piece of the fastener body is unnecessarily contracted into the concave groove or the first member.
In addition, it is possible to prevent the center portion from being bent at the connection portion of the second strip-shaped fabric, and in particular, to reliably perform the fixing process of the ink by heating and pressurizing even the fabric portion close to the connection piece. Can be implemented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall image of an ink jet printer serving as a printing unit and a positioning laser beam output unit for carrying out a method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an essential part of the ink jet printer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of a press type heater serving as a heat fixing unit.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a material mounting table of a press-type heater, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of the material mounting table when a pattern heating and fixing process is performed. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a commercial washing machine as a washing means.

FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view generally showing the structure of a generally commercially available fastener, and FIG. 6 (b) is a plan view showing a state where a fastener is removed from the fastener to form a fastener body. It is.

FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of print data when performing printing of a small number and many kinds, and FIG. 7B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of print data when performing a small number of kinds of printing. FIG. 7C is a conceptual diagram showing an example of print data when several pictures are simultaneously produced at a fixed ratio.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which a sheet-shaped moisture absorbing member such as straw semi-paper is placed on a table of the ink jet printer.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing, as an example, a result of test printing performed prior to an arrangement position specifying step.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of an arrangement state of a fastener main body using a lane marking by a laser beam.

FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are plan views showing examples of completed fasteners.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink-jet printer (printing means) 2 Press type heater (heating fixing means for synthetic resin fibers) 3 Fastener 4 Table part (fastener mounting means) 5 Carriage guide 6 Printer head 7a Ink cartridge (yellow) 7b Ink cartridge (magenta) 7c Ink cartridge (cyan) 7d Ink cartridge (black) 8 Heater body 9 Hinge 10 Heating plate (other holding plate, heating means) 11 Vertical position adjusting mechanism 12 Material mounting table (one holding plate) 13a Connection Piece 13b Connection piece 14 Depressed groove 15 Elastic member 16a First strip-shaped fabric 16b Second strip-shaped fabric 17 Opening / closing tool (slider) 18a End stopper 18b End stopper 19 Commercial washing machine (washing means) 20 Fastener Body 21a 21p Picture 22 Planar moisture absorbing member 23 Positioning laser beam output means 23a Vertical axis unit 23b Horizontal axis unit 24 Base 25 Laser transmitter 26 Mounting bracket 27 Stay 28 Height adjustment handle 29a Scale 29b Scale

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2C056 FB03 HA44 HA46 2C087 AA09 AC07 BA04 BA08 3B098 DC27 GA03 4F213 AD05 AF00 AG28 AH07 WA54 WA58 WA83 WA86 WB01 WW38 9A001 BB01 BB04 HH31 JJ35 JJ38 JJ49 KK31 KK31 KK17 KK17 KK17 KK17 KK17

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A printing preparation step of arranging one or more fastener bodies provided with first and second strip-shaped fabrics whose side ends are connected via a connection piece on the same plane. And a pattern forming step of sequentially and successively ejecting one or more types of inks at a predetermined timing on at least one surface of the one or more fastener bodies arranged in a plane by an inkjet printing method. And a pattern heat fixing step of heating and fixing at least one fastener body provided with the pattern in an atmosphere at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time. 2. A printing preparation step of arranging one or more fastener bodies provided with first and second strip-shaped fabrics whose side ends are connected via connection pieces, on the same plane. And a pattern forming step of sequentially and successively ejecting one or more types of inks at a predetermined timing on at least one surface of the one or more fastener bodies arranged in a plane by an inkjet printing method. And a pattern heating and fixing step of heating and fixing one or more fastener bodies provided with the pattern in an atmosphere at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, and washing and drying the fastener body with the pattern fixed after a predetermined time has elapsed. A pattern forming method for a zipper fabric, comprising a washing and drying step. 3. One or two or more fastener bodies provided with first and second strip-shaped fabrics, the side ends of which are connected via connecting pieces, at predetermined intervals on the same surface. A printing preparation step to be arranged, and one or two or more types of inks are successively successively successively arranged at a predetermined timing on at least one surface of one or more fastener bodies arranged on the same surface by a printing method using an inkjet method. A pattern forming step of thermally spraying, and a pattern heat fixing step of heating and fixing one or more fastener bodies to which the pattern is attached for a predetermined time in an atmosphere of a predetermined temperature, before the printing preparation step, Arrangement positions for irradiating a plurality of laser beams for positioning prepared in advance in a state of being divided into a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in accordance with the size and printing position of the one or more fastener bodies. Pattern forming method of the fastener fabric, characterized in that a specific process. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the arrangement position specifying step, a planar hygroscopic member which is printed in advance and whose arrangement position is defined by printing is used instead of the irradiation with the plurality of laser beams. 3. The method for forming a picture of a fastener fabric according to item 3. 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of applying a peelable adhesive to the other surface of the one or more fastener bodies prior to the printing preparation step.
Or the method of forming a picture of a fastener fabric according to 3. 6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of applying a pattern fixing accelerator to one surface of said one or more fastener bodies prior to said printing preparation step.
4. The method for forming a picture of a fastener fabric according to 2 or 3. 7. The fastener fabric according to claim 1, wherein the one or more fastener bodies are arranged on a predetermined planar moisture absorbing member in the printing preparation step. Picture formation method. 8. When the strip-shaped fabric of the one or more fastener bodies is formed of synthetic resin fibers, the pattern heating and fixing step includes providing one and the other clamping members having a holding surface in advance. The one or two or more strip-shaped fabric portions of the fastener body are configured to be clamped while being heated at a predetermined temperature by the clamping member. Of forming a pattern on a zipper fabric. 9. When the strip-shaped fabric of the one or more fastener bodies is formed of natural fibers, the pattern heating and fixing step is configured to heat and fix in a vapor pressure atmosphere at a predetermined temperature. The method for forming a picture pattern of a fastener fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: 10. A pre-fixing step is provided between the pattern forming step and the pattern heating and fixing step, in which the one or more fastener bodies are wrapped around a predetermined moisture absorbing paper. The method for forming a picture of a fastener fabric according to claim 9. 11. In the pattern forming step, a printing area is divided into a plurality of areas according to the size of the fastener main body, and a small number of kinds of printing are performed by setting different patterns to the respective areas. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the pattern is formed on a fastener fabric. 12. A fastener mounting device having a flat surface on which one or two or more fastener bodies having first and second strip-shaped fabrics whose side ends are connected via connection pieces are arranged. Mounting means, printing means by an ink-jet method previously provided corresponding to one or two or more fastener bodies mounted on the fastener mounting means, and a predetermined means provided by the printing means provided in parallel with the fastener mounting means. Heat fixing means for heating and fixing the pattern of one or more fastener bodies to which the pattern is attached, and washing means for washing the one or more fastener bodies which have been heat fixed, the heat fixing means A picture forming apparatus for a zipper fabric, comprising a steam-type heating and fixing means provided with an atmosphere at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined vapor pressure. 13. A fastener mounting device having a flat surface on which one or two or more fastener bodies having first and second strip-shaped fabrics whose side ends are connected via connection pieces are arranged. Mounting means, printing means by an ink-jet method previously provided corresponding to one or two or more fastener bodies mounted on the fastener mounting means, and a predetermined means provided by the printing means provided in parallel with the fastener mounting means. Heat fixing means for heating and fixing the pattern of one or more fastener bodies to which the pattern is attached, and washing means for washing the one or more fastener bodies which have been heat fixed, the heat fixing means , One holding plate having a fastener mounting surface, the other holding plate that abuts on the fastener mounting surface and presses with a predetermined pressure, and of the respective holding plates Fasteners fabric pattern forming apparatus characterized by being configured by a heating means for heating either at a predetermined temperature even without. 14. The pattern forming apparatus for a zipper fabric according to claim 13, wherein a groove is provided on a fastener mounting surface of said one holding plate in correspondence with a connecting piece of said fastener body. . 15. A groove on the fastener mounting surface of the one holding plate corresponding to a connecting piece of the fastener body, and a soft plastic elastic member is housed in the groove. 14. The picture forming apparatus for a fastener fabric according to claim 13, wherein: 16. The positioning laser light output means for specifying the mounting positions of the plurality of fastener main bodies by laser light around the fastener mounting means. The picture forming apparatus for a fastener fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 4.