KR100564715B1 - A scanned modulated laser for processing material surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

A duty cycle technique of a laser and another power type modulation technique are disclosed that enable a new formation of a new design on a fiber material.

Description

Scan-modulated laser to machine the material surface {A SCANNED MODULATED LASER FOR PROCESSING MATERIAL SURFACES}

This application enjoys the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 60 / 157,904, filed October 5, 1999.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the duty cycle technology of lasers and other power type modulation techniques that enable new formation of new designs on textile materials.

Denim and other garments were often worn to look worn. Consumers have shown a desire to buy torn clothing.

Such garment processing techniques currently available include mechanical sandblasting with sand or other abrasives, ie rubbing with hands, machines or robots. Such sandblasting-like effects include local wear, a wear pattern from the waist down to the knee. Another effect is the overall wear effect, which describes the worn pattern from the waist down to the fold. "Wisker" is a term that refers to the worn out appearance that occurs along the creases and hem of clothes during wear. Another worn look is the rectangular area marked on the back pocket of the jean, which mimics the shape worn out by carrying a purse in the back pocket. There is another frayed shape called the "frayed" shape, which is a very severe frayed shape that exposes individual yarns of cotton fibers. Even such pattern portions may have holes in the denim fabric. Sandblasting processing for local and total wear may use a sandblasting apparatus that polishes denim jeans with sand particles or other abrasives. This processing is a process of spraying sand particles into a pair of jeans in a sandblasting apparatus. The random spatial distribution of the sand creates a special appearance called "feathered" in the treatment area. Wear in the feathered area is weakened along the periphery of the pattern, such as along the edges and top of the pattern, and strong at the center of the pattern. This unique appearance may be modeled after the denim jeans that have been worn out for a considerable time.

However, sandblasting has a number of problems and limitations. For example, processes for blasting sand or other abrasives present environmental and health problems. Typically, workers should wear protective clothing and masks to reduce the damage from inhaling sand in the air. The work is considered very dangerous and can result in high employee turnover.

The individual skill of the operator is also important to reduce the scrap rate associated with sandblasting processing. This has the additional effect of increasing the labor cost for sandblasting operators, which is typically higher than the labor wage for other employees working at denim finishing production equipment, because the skill of the employee is important. Actual blasting can occur in a space that is shielded from other areas within the manufacturing facility.

Another environmental problem occurs with sand cleaning and disposal.

The sandblasting process is a polishing process, and the sandblasting apparatus can be worn by this polishing process. Often, sandblasting devices need to be replaced annually or more often. This of course results in the addition of operating capital, maintenance costs and installation costs.

In addition, new designs such as shadow effects along the top or bottom of the whiskers are difficult to obtain with conventional sandblasting operations.

In general, sandblasting can cost more than $ 1.00 per pair of jeans due to labor costs, materials, waste generated, required environmental cleaning, and the like. In addition, due to changes in the sandblasting process itself and between workers, it is very difficult to duplicate an exact batch of sandblasting patterns from one garment to the next.

In addition, sandblasting treatment may adversely affect the tear and tensile properties of denim jeans due to the wear of sand on denim. Sandblasting reduces the tear and tensile strength of ordinary denim jeans by up to 50%. In addition, the change in tear and tensile strength after sandblasting is large due to the inability to control the polishing process. Some manufacturers even need to test the tear and tensile properties of denim jeans in certain places where wear is the minimum wear to pass apparel company standards for tear and tensile strength.

Other ways of creating a worn look present their own problems. In the case of whiskers or badly worn shapes, the manufacturer is very labor intensive where the whiskers or badly worn shapes are applied to denim jeans by means of manual sanding, sometimes by rotating drills such as the DREMEL ™ tool. This may rely on rubbing or sanding by expensive, slow manual labor. Furthermore, in addition to the labor costs associated with such processing, manual sanding operations are often associated with post-wash defects, in which case the individual whiskers for the denim jeans are too short or too excessively sanded, resulting in poor product quality. . To avoid these problems, some manufacturers even attempt to use sanding by robots despite significant capital investment and limited flexibility.

Despite the above drawbacks, sandblasting and rubbing have been widely used because the market wants worn denim.

The assignee of the present invention discloses laser processing of denim, for example, in US Pat. Nos. 5,990,444, 6,002,099 and 5,916,961. These technologies make it possible to change the shape of a textile product using a laser.

In view of the foregoing, the inventors have proposed a novel laser scribing device and its technology for simulating certain worn shapes in fabrics and garments.

One embodiment of the present invention includes scribing a line on a garment using a laser, and the color of the garment changes according to the degree of change from blue or black to white or gray by the energy density per unit time of the laser. do. Both the individual scanned lines and the different laser pattern portions can have varying energy densities per unit time. The change in energy density per unit time can be controlled by changing the power, speed, distance or duty cycle of the laser when the line is scribed on the workpiece.

Other forms of the invention are also disclosed.

The above and other aspects of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows an overall lasing system.

2 shows a controllable laser system.

3 shows a control screen for a particular worn out shape.

4-12 show control screens for other particular worn shapes.

Figure 13 shows a workpiece delivery system with automatic replacement.

14 shows a material delivery system with a dual sided laser.

The systems and methods described disclose a system for producing a worn look on a fibrous material and / or a garment made of fibrous material. This worn shape is a fibrous material that results from abrasion effect, whisker effect, severely frayed effect, and clothing or other products made from textile materials that simulate the appearance of worn clothing. You can include other effects that make it look like. In addition, a completely new shape that is not reproducible by conventional sandblasting or rubbing is also possible by the present invention. This is done using several techniques described in detail below.

The first is to use a laser. The output of the laser is moved across the fiber material. The energy applied from the laser changes the shape of the fiber material without unwanted burning, puncturing or damaging it. A description of the basic operation of the energy applied from the laser is described in US Pat. No. 5,990,444. In the system disclosed in the patent, the effective applied energy of the laser, such as the energy density per unit time (“EDPUT”) of the laser, is used to screen the line across the fiber material. Glaciers change during the process. The lines to be scribed can be straight or any type of waveform. However, one line is formed by a laser that traverses a fiber material or garment from one edge to another.

The present invention introduces the concept of effective applied energy. This includes the amount of energy effectively applied to a region of the material. The area may be of any size or shape. "Effective applied energy" may include an EDPUT and may include a variable scan line speed, power level, speed level or duty cycle level of the laser. It changes the EDPUT by varying the laser's distance to the fiber material, which can defocus the laser. It also includes the effective applied power applied for multiple periods or multiple times, for example by passing a plurality of fixed powers or the like. As an effect, more energy is applied for some areas than for other areas.

Another factor results in a control sequence that simulates the statistical random characteristics of the particle distribution as produced by sandblasting. This technique is used in conjunction with a user interface program that allows designers to paint information on the interface screen. The image on the screen is applied to the fiber material by a laser. Another form of the technology makes it possible to use higher power lasers than previous systems of this type.

As mentioned above, the amount of change the laser produces on the fiber material is based, in part, on the effective applied energy to the fiber material, which is described in the above-described US energy density level per unit time of the laser for the fiber material. Patent 5,990,444. EDPUT depends on the power of the laser, the spot size and the scanning speed of the laser system for the fiber material.

The laser output of the laser is used to scribe a plurality of lines across the fiber material. The line may be repeated, for example, in a zigzag or triangular waveform. According to the system, the EDPUT level is changed while the line is being scanned across the fiber material. That is, at some point between the ends of at least one scan line, the EDPUTs are different from those at both ends of the scan line. The control system controls the change in the EDPUT by controlling the parameters (power, duty cycle, speed or distance) that control the EDPUT.

The EDPUT delivered to the fiber material can be changed in various ways. The first is to change the wattage or power of the laser output in a continuous or discontinuous format. The laser relies on light bounding back and forth within the laser cavity. The excitation level of the laser may itself be variable for some laser. Therefore, the excitation unit 200 may be actually variable to change the power output of the laser. Therefore, the first way to change the EDPUT level of the laser is to directly control the excitation level of the laser in an analog manner.

Other EDPUT controls do not change the actual laser power output, but instead change the effective amount of energy density per hour that reaches the fiber material. Another EDPUT control is through duty cycle control. For the excitation unit 200 the control drive 198 can be cycled between on and off at a relatively high speed. The on and off speeds should be faster compared to laser movement. This technique effectively controls the laser to deliver different average power levels by varying the duty cycle of the laser 205 output. In a short time, ie, the time it takes for the laser to traverse a distance such as one or two times the laser beam width, the duty cycle can be adjusted multiple times. Therefore, the effective applied energy density per unit time can be adjusted by this system because the mean square root of the power changes with time as if the power itself changed.

The laser may also use an adjustable shutter, such as shown by component 210. This shutter can open and close the opening through which the laser beam 208 passes using a high-speed piezoelectric element. The mechanical shutter can also turn the shutter on and off relatively quickly. Therefore, such mechanical shutters are an alternative way of changing the duty cycle of laser application.

The laser beam is applied to the garment and moved relative to the garment by the laser movable element 215. Such laser movable elements can include movable mirrors or other methods that can vary the laser movement. In this embodiment, the controller can also generate an output that controls the scan speed of the laser. Even if the output power of the laser is kept constant, by changing the speed of the laser, the EDPUT changes along the course of the line.

Another way to change the EDPUT is to change the output size of the laser beam. 2 shows an electrically controllable zoom lens assembly 120. The controller 199 can generate an output signal that electrically changes the spot size by varying the positions of the lenses relative to each other.

Alternatively, the platform 230 itself, which secures the fiber material, may be moved. Placing clothing on a curved surface is another way to change the EDPUT by deliberately defocusing the laser beam (degrading the EDPUT) on the curved surface if it is correctly focused at the center of the curved portion.

Another way to change the EDPUT is to perform a laser scan on different segments of the pattern or to pass the laser multiple times. Where the laser passes multiple times, the efficiency of the EDPUT will be higher if all other laser operating parameters are constant.

This system is used to mimic naturally occurring processing. The worn out shape obtained by conventional laser scribing may appear to be uniform throughout in some circumstances. This is called a conrtive look or pasted look. But the goal is to produce as natural a shape as possible.

US Patent No. 5,916,461 discloses random on and off lasers to simulate "feathering" on a fiber material using a probability density function.

However, the inventors have recognized that changing the EDPUT level continuously and discontinuously within any laser scan line can further improve the effect. By doing so, when the laser scribes individual lines on the fiber material, the system changes the amount of change or wear on the fiber material. The present invention completely controls the degree of feathering. Next, the degree of feathering can be continuously controlled by changing the EDPUT level anywhere in the pattern. Controlling feathering in this way can achieve a realistic, worn out look.

Thus, one form of the system produces a worn or other desired shape on the fiber material by laser scanning across the fiber and uses a laser to change the color of the fiber material, where the effective per unit time of the laser The power density is changed at least once within one scan line.

In one form, sandblasted garments were typically examined. This investigation revealed different shapes and worn patterns. These patterns are basically nonuniform in nature. Over the edge and top and bottom of the pattern, severe feathering or material change (wear) was observed by the investigator either directly or by an automated irradiation process. We also observed the wear of different concentrations along different areas of the pattern. The system stores the information obtained from these observations in a memory 195 coupled to the controller. This information includes geometric information about the worn pattern to be scribed. This information also includes the shape of the actual scanned portion.

This shape is then converted into a parameter matrix of the defined type. The matrix may be, for example, an EDPUT matrix, a power matrix, a duty cycle matrix or a velocity matrix. The inventors have found through experiments that the amount of energy per unit time applied to a particular area of a fiber can change shape in proportion to the amount of energy applied. This proportion need not be linear proportional. The shape change may also include the shape after washing.

Thus, for example, different patterns can be scanned using a scanner or a camera. The scanner can evaluate each part of the garment, such as the denim jean pants shown here. The system can use the total resolution of the scanner to evaluate the color of each part. A lookup table related to the color of a given material can be made for an applied EDPUT, power, duty cycle, speed or distance. In this way, EDPUT could be set for each area on the jeans.

This information can be used to form the matrix to store any of the parameters described above. This matrix can then be used as information stored in memory 195 that drives the controller to drive the laser. In this way, different EDPUT levels can be applied to different parts of the fiber material based on the information obtained by observing some other material.

Alternatively, the user can examine the worn out pattern and manually record the change in EDPUT (power, speed, duty cycle, or speed) associated with the change in wear according to the pattern geometry. This technique can duplicate any desired shape and form a whole new shape.

In another form, the existing shape can be edited. The shape is scanned as noted above and formed into a matrix. The matrix can then be edited to keep the desired part and change the other part.

An example of the distribution of EDPUT along a single scanned line is shown in Table 1 below.                 

Calculate EDPUT for Scanned Lines Scan # 1 Watts Spot (mm) Area (mm ² ) Speed (mm / sec) EDPUT (watt-sec / mm ³ ) Scan Initiation 150 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.08 First part scan 190 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.11 First quarter scan 225 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.13 Second Quarter Scan 250 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.14 Center scan 250 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.14 Third Quarter Scan 225 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.13 4th quarter scan 190 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.11 Scan end 150 0.30 0.0707 25,000 0.14 Scan # 2 Scan Initiation 50 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.01 First part scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.14 First quarter scan 800 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.22 Second Quarter Scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.28 Center scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.28 Third Quarter Scan 800 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.22 4th quarter scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.14 Scan end 300 0.30 0.0707 50,000 0.08 Scan # 3 Scan Initiation 50 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.07 First part scan 300 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.42 First quarter scan 500 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.71 Second Quarter Scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 10,000 1.41 Center scan 1000 0.30 0.0707 10,000 1.41 Third Quarter Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.71 4th quarter scan 300 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.42 Scan end 50 0.30 0.0707 10,000 0.07

This table shows that the EDPUT varies from about 0.08 watts-sec / mm ³ to 0.14 watts-sec / mm ³ for the first scan line that can produce a local wear pattern. The EDPUT varies from 0.01 watts-sec / mm ³ to 0.28 watts-sec / mm ³ for the second scan line, which may form somewhat different local wear patterns. The EDPUT varies from 0.07 watts-sec / mm ³ to 1.4 watts-sec / mm ³ for the third scan line. In the latter, high power EDPUTs are associated with more severe wear patterns, including severely worn patterns.

However, within a given scanned line, the EDPUT value may vary by as much as 40% and within another line, it may vary by more than 1000%. Of course, the EDPUT value can vary from as little as 25% to as much as 2000%, resulting in different worn shapes with different degrees of feathering.

In general, looking at these values, the EDPUT can be raised by any desired amount. In addition, the system can see the EDPUT changing several times in one scanning, and the EDPUT can change many times in one scanning line. The EDPUT control is therefore infinite and can vary from several percent to several thousand percent along each scanned line and from one scanned line to another.

We use a high power or duty cycle to maintain the intensity of the image, reducing the cycle time for rasing the worn pattern on the crotch portion of denim jeans to 8 seconds or less at a scan rate of 50,000 mm / sec. I observed that it could be done.

Table 2 shows the EDPUT changes along individual scanned lines for different patterns.                 

Pattern # 2: EDPUT calculation for worn patterns Worn out pattern # 2: Watts Spot (mm) Area (mm ² ) Speed (mm / sec) EDPUT (watts-sec / mm ³ ) Scan Initiation 20 0.30 0.070 10000 0.03 First part scan 50 0.30 0.070 10000 0.07 First quarter scan 500 0.30 0.070 10000 0.71 Second Quarter Scan 500 0.30 0.070 10000 0.71 Center scan 500 0.30 0.070 10000 0.71 Third Quarter Scan 300 0.30 0.070 10000 0.42 4th quarter scan 150 0.30 0.070 10000 0.21 Scan end 20 0.30 0.070 10000 0.03 Worn out pattern # 2: Start 20 0.30 0.070 20000 0.01 First part scan 50 0.30 0.070 20000 0.04 First quarter scan 500 0.30 0.070 20000 0.35 Second Quarter Scan 500 0.30 0.070 20000 0.35 Center scan 500 0.30 0.070 20000 0.35 Third Quarter Scan 300 0.30 0.070 20000 0.21 4th quarter scan 150 0.30 0.070 20000 0.11 Scan end 20 0.30 0.070 20000 0.01 Worn out pattern # 2: Scan Initiation 20 0.30 0.0707 50000 0.01 First part scan 50 0.30 0.0707 5000 0.01 First quarter scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50000 0.14 Second Quarter Scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50000 0.14 Center scan 500 0.30 0.0707 50000 0.14 Third Quarter Scan 300 0.30 0.0707 50000 0.08 4th quarter scan 150 0.30 0.0707 50000 0.04 Scan end 20 0.30 0.0707 50000 0.01

The inventors have realized that having the ability to vary the EDPUT or power or duty cycle along each of the individual scanned lines can provide an excellent degree of feathering and hence the creation of an almost infinite variety of worn shapes. In addition, the EDPUT or power or duty cycle may vary both from this scanned line to the scanned line and along the individual scanned line. As shown in Tables 3 and 4, the EDPUT distribution can be easily achieved with any EDPUT defined.

Table 3 shows a non-uniform pattern of a somewhat symmetrical shape along the center, while Table 4 shows a non-uniform pattern with high power applied to the lower left quadrant of the pattern. Therefore, this technique can produce various EDPUT patterns and their worn shapes.

EDPUT (watts-sec / mm ³ ) matrix for worn pattern # 3

EDPUT (watts-sec / mm ³ ) matrix for worn pattern # 4

This innovative concept is to replace the "black and white" characteristics of laser scribed images with new "gray scale" characteristics. In a conventional laser marking material such as wood, plastic, metal, etc., the image is created with a constant EDPUT or power or duty cycle. In the case of marking denim with a laser, as described in the preceding patent, the image can be generated by using a constant EDPUT in each line. Thus, one uniform color between blue or black (low EDPUT scribing) and white or gray (high EDPUT scribing) was formed after lasing and washing. However, the ability to change the EDPUT continuously or discontinuously causes the image to exhibit some shade between blue and white along a portion of the pattern. This shade is related to the degree of wear and wear. Therefore, the degree of wear and feathering can be controlled by the function of controlling the shading.

This new flexibility also allows the creation of entirely new shapes that are not possible with any other economic means. It is possible to create worn shapes, image shapes or entirely new shapes with portions of different shades that are continuous or discontinuous between white and blue. The technique of continuously and discontinuously changing the EDPUT during laser scribing as described herein may be applied in other material industries that use lasers to mark materials such as wood, glass, plastic, rubber, fiber, steel, and the like. have.

As mentioned above, the system has the ability to more accurately assess the appearance of wear. This is done by generating a control sequence that replicates the desired characteristics in an on / off, continuous, discontinuous or analog manner. The desired amount of control can be provided, limited only by the amount of EDPUT gradation produced by this system. A typical EDPUT profile can also be defined graphically, but the EDPUT can also control precise points during scribing of changing lines. The EDPUT profile may contain the percentage of the highest power or duty cycle required. For example, a 50% value can be selected for areas that require weak wear and a 100% value can be selected for areas that require severe wear.

New techniques to help costume designers are launched. This technique allows the operator to paint the geometry or shape of the pattern that he wants to be laid on the denim to obtain a worn out appearance on the computer screen. The designer also defines the degree of feathering or EDPUT or power or duty cycle profile. In other words, this specification may simply be a maximum percentage of EDPUT, power or duty cycle.

Each level of effective applied power is associated with a color. Different parts of the pattern are painted with different color content, and the color content may be at full power, such as R, G, B levels or gray scale levels. In one embodiment, the color is associated with different levels of duty cycle of the laser. The user draws a shape of a desired pattern using a mouse on the computer screen. The user can then select different colors for different areas. This can be done using menu selection or point-shot techniques or by right-clicking on an area and selecting a content menu. This click associates different pattern portions with different EDPUT / power / duty cycle levels. The actual power level or duty cycle, associated with a given color, can be set by the user and can be modified for different materials.

The local wear effect can be created using a user interface screen, as shown in FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface that enables the formation of a pattern or part of a pattern that will form a basic design to be scribed on a garment. The actual pattern 300 is composed of a plurality of different parts. The outer portion 305 defines the overall perimeter of the shape. Also inside the part is another periphery, denoted by the following references 310, 315, 320, and so on. The innermost shape, such as 325, is also shown. In this type of shape, the pattern defines an elliptical pattern, the majority of which is concentric or semi-concentric. The parts are defined by the surroundings. The space between the two surroundings defines the part. Alternatively, each part may define a separate layer.

3 also shows a plurality of operating parameters that can be set. This includes reference 330 for setting the speed in inches per second and reference 332 for setting the laser scale factor in units per inch. The pattern scale factor 334 may be set. Pattern dimensions on the laser can be set. Reference numeral 338 denotes the drawing direction of the laser. Reference numeral 340 denotes a color change. The boundary length is set at 342. For a random or pseudo random process, a random seed may be needed. The random seed may be set. Ordinary editing controls such as edit, save, preview, etc. are also displayed.

Reference numeral 350 denotes a power profile. Color 352 is on the left, and the power profile in row 354 is related to that color.

The system begins by the user selecting any of the outermost or innermost portions shown. Each of these portions may be set to have a specific power profile by associating the color from color palette 352 with the portion. The power profile shows different laser intensities (EDPUT levels) and hence different degrees of wear. For example, brighter outer portions, such as reference numerals 310 and 305, are associated with lower power or duty cycle levels. This results in a more lightly worn look. Darker portions of the pattern, such as portion 325, are associated with a higher power duty cycle and exhibit a more heavily worn look. Reference numeral 325 may represent a pattern portion drawn in the knee portion. Different shades of gray (after washing the garment) will appear in the areas between these two extremes. These areas represent the colors of the pattern portion after laser processing or washing the garment, which colors are between blue and total white. Each of these changes is represented in color. These values can be stored in either grayscale or full color and are stored as part of the pattern file shown as left.ppx in the drawings herein.

The pattern file represents power profile information for the specified pattern that can be displayed through the user interface and edited through it.

Additional processing functions are also used to give the pattern a more realistic look. To perform these functions, a tool set shown at 360 can be used. The first tool shown in the figure is a blend function. The blend may be performed pixel by pixel or area by area. The particular blended area may be made selectable. By obtaining a weighted average of the color of each pixel or region and the color of neighboring pixels or regions, for example the color of eight neighboring pixels or regions, the blend is the average color for that pixel or region. color) To obtain various results, the number of pixels constituting the weight may be varied.

Another tool, shown in the figure as a whisker tool, can help with whisker generation. When the user sets the length and angle of the whisker, a whisker pattern is automatically generated, after which the user can edit the whisker pattern.

The "grain" tool, shown as part of reference 360, creates a "grainy" look. In a process for producing a rough shape, a color vote is assigned to each pixel and neighboring pixels. The weight for each boat depends on how long the pixel has kept the specified color. The term "long" may refer to, for example, the number of units of image in a certain area. In other words, the system speaks several colors, but it should be understood that gray scale can also be used to view the separated sections. These parts may also be marked using other area delimiters such as hatching, stippling, and the like.

Another tool developed as part of the present invention is a "blaster tool". In a manner similar to using the "spray can" tool provided in many computer drawing programs to "spray" (i.e. spray) a particular color, the blaster tool uses the pattern Spray "incremental intensity". Subsequently, in this similar manner, whenever a “a droplet” caused by a spray hits the drawing plane, the pixel or area from which the drop fell has the color being sprayed. Using the Blaster tool, the color level of the pixel from which small droplets of increasing intensity drop, rises to the next higher level. The effect of this tool is that the impact of that effect depends on how long it took to blast a given area. By long time blasting, more pixels are colored to have the effect, thus making the impact bigger.

Blaster tools may also be used in intensity-removing mode. In this mode, the color level of the dropped pixels changes to the lower next level of intensity.

Any pattern formed by natural wear can be accurately simulated by using a blaster tool. Moreover, by automating this tool, it follows some common features, such as curves simulating whiskers, a pocket wear pattern and the seams of worn jeans. You can also automatically draw ladder patterns.

The "undo function" allows one or more functions to be undone if the user did not produce the desired effect. This makes it possible to try different sprays or other effects while checking whether good results have been obtained. If good results are not obtained, the operation is canceled.

According to this system, many different effects can be created. In order to develop an efficient system, pattern parameter communication between the design computer and the laser control computer may be used. A number of formats have been developed for displaying, generating and transmitting graphical images with a computer. These file formats also allow for more complex images (eg, colors) than are necessary for the purposes of the present invention, thereby helping to provide more information and details than are necessary for the purposes of the present invention. do.

A new file format called TBF (TechnoBlast Format) has been developed that accurately performs these parametric communications necessary to convert a desired image into a laser control command.

The file in the "TBF" format may be a bit-mapped format of a matrix. Each value represents a power level / duty ratio / EDPUT and other control values for each pixel in the image. Thus, this file format contains at least a value representing an EDPUT value, i.

Since on a pixel by pixel level information can be stored, the writing laser is based on the same information for the stored information event, either in the horizontal or vertical direction, Alternatively, it can be written in any direction. The direction of writing may be selected by the drawing direction 38. Assuming the writing is in the horizontal direction, the image is broken up into pixel-wide fragments. This snippet 370 is an enlarged representation of any one of these pixel width fragments. However, it is to be understood that these pixels are not drawn to scale, and in fact the actual pixels may have any desired size. Note that each pixel, such as 372, 374, etc., may have a different EDPUT level in this regard. The EDPUT level changes as the laser scans from pixel to pixel.

Using this system, many different kinds of shapes can be created. In the following, only some examples of these shapes will be described. It should be understood that other effects can be easily generated. By any of the methods described herein, that is, by authoring a special image used for the purpose of changing the color of the textile fabric, or by scanning the actual garment and using the scan results By forming the information for use in changing the color, any of these shapes can be obtained.

4 shows a localized worn look that extends slightly below the waistband and slightly below the knees of each denim leg of the denim pants. The worn-out color (after washing) is black or along the top, bottom and both parts of the knee shown at 404 from white or gray in the intense area of the knee shown at 402. It turns blue (less intense area).

5 shows another shape for use in the back portion of the denim pants, for example in the seat area. In other words, this part is almost elliptical in shape, but there are some worn parts in its central portion 502 and fewer worn parts going toward the edge 504.

Fig. 6 shows the overall worn shape from the waistband to the end of the crotch portion, where the worn-out color (after washing) is colored in the dark areas along the center and length of the pattern or It ranges from gray to blue or black along the top, bottom and edges of the pattern.

FIG. 6 also shows the overall worn out shape from the rear waistband to the end of the crotch crotch, wherein the worn out color is drawn from white or gray in the darker areas of the pattern from the top, bottom and edge of the pattern. Therefore, it is changing to blue or black.

7 and 8 show a whisker worn look, having a plurality of lines about 1/8 to about 2 inches wide and 1 to 14 inches long. The color of this pattern is changing from white or gray at the center of the pattern to blue or black along the edge of the pattern. The worn whisker shape may be along any area of the front and back portions of the denim jeans, and may include one or several rectangular portions.

In the knee, rear seating area, along the lower portion of the front and rear crotch portions, or in any other area of the denim jeans, a "frayed look" is shown in FIGS. 10 is shown. The size of the EDPUT is large enough to expose the individual threads of the denim pants or to fray the denim pants so badly that there are actual holes.

This is contrary to the disclosure of US Pat. No. 5,990,444, which does not wish to puncture the material. This particular "fraying effect" is to provide enough EDPUT to deliberately damage the material, but this is done in a controllable and desired manner.

A rectangular worn shape of about 2 inches x 4 inches along the rear pocket of the denim pants is used to simulate wear from a wallet due to the purse in the back pocket. At this time, the color of the pattern is white or gray along the periphery of the rectangle, and blue or black at the center. Figure 11 shows the TechnoBlast pattern generated for this kind of shape.

Any or all of these shapes may be synthesized into one image. You can also use this composite image to laze denim jeans. This may be representative of additional benefits of the present system. In previous systems, different processes were used to achieve different effects. For example, conventionally, sandblasting, or sand blasting, was used to create locally worn out portions of the front and back crotch portions of denim trousers. A whisker is made by a hand sanding operation, which refers to an individual worker making various whisker patterns. Use a hand sanding drill, etc. to create a heavily frayed look. However, in this system, multiple effects can all be included in the same file. For example, FIG. 12 shows a composite file including the plurality of effects described above. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 1202 is added for the additional effect of the whisker being shaded. Just above or below the whisker, there is a white colored part. This indicates that after washing, the area was not razed in such a way that the area became denim blue. The whiskers themselves may be of different colors to produce different feathering effects. This technique creates a shaded effect for the whisker that is considered very desirable.

Conventional systems of this kind used relatively low power lasers, for example 25 to 200 watts of lasers, which were intended for marking materials. Marking lasers were used to form graphical images and text on plastics, wood, steel and glass. Another kind of laser, called a laser cutter, generates much higher power, for example 250 to 2500 watts. One problem we have found is a cycle time for applying a worn pattern. When low power lasers are used, the cycle time may be on the order of minutes for each application.

In the present application, the use of lasers having a much higher power, such as a laser having a power level of at least 250 watts, more preferably at least 500 watts and most preferably at least 1000 watts, is described. For example, the cycle time to wear denim jean pants can be moisture, for a 50 watt laser typically used for marking. A 500 watt laser can produce the same pattern in seconds. However, this 500 watt laser has been used only for cutting operations. These high-power lasers are expected to damage materials unintentionally. However, by adjusting the EDPUT, high power lasers can be used safely.

As a specific example, we could use a 500 watt laser to laze the abrasion pattern of the front and back portions, in which case it took two minutes for sand blasting. It took 15 seconds. It is also envisaged to use a 2500 watt laser for the area of application, which will further reduce the cycle time.

During the early attempts of using high power lasers, other developments were made. One problem found is that when starting scribing of a line, the desired power or duty ratio level may be higher than requested. This is referred to herein as an "overshoot." Due to the physical characteristics of laser processing, when changing from a low level power or duty ratio to a high level power or duty ratio, the power or duty ratio is overshooted earlier than the desired high power or duty ratio due to the "inertia" of the power. Done. This results in an initial excess visible impact on the denim target. This effect can be the strongest when the laser is actually switched from off (zero power) to on. The effect on denim is even more pronounced when using high power lasers of, for example, 500 watts or more.

To overcome this problem, we use a boundary solution. Set the "boundary" area to the desired pattern. The laser power is set at the highest level x that does not produce any visible effect on denim or other garment material. The laser output lies at a location outside of the boundary area. Since the laser is at power level x, this does not produce any visible change. As the laser beam enters the area of desired impact visible, the effective power level is increased. Since this increase does not increase from 0 to the desired level but from x to the desired level, the effective power level is less increased at that point. In this way, overshoot from the initial turn-on can be reduced.                 

Another important feature noted in this application is based on interferences based on patterns / lines scribed using a laser and the materials stitch lines of the material. Any undesirable “interference pattern” may be created by the interaction between the writing characteristics of the laser, the frequency of the laser and the directional characteristics of the material. These directional properties may include any of the properties of the asymmetrical material, and may specifically include cuts, fills, and twills of denim fabrics. The rotation or scribing direction of the fabric can change this effect. If it is desirable to minimize the effect, the material is oriented so that the scan line is at 90 ° with the cut, required weave to minimize the effect. However, some of the interference patterns produced very interesting shapes on their own for jeans, and the shapes were good. Therefore, one form of this system involves considering the effect of the interaction between the laser scan and the directional characteristics of the workpiece.

Therefore, other parameters of this system allow the orientation pattern of the workpiece to be placed in a particular direction. This may also be controlled by changing the drawing direction using the controller 338. One other form is to use a pointed camera vision system to automatically detect the orientation characteristic of the workpiece towards the workpiece. These properties are then input to the computer and used as one operating parameter.

As mentioned above, it is highly desirable to avoid artificial or artificial shapes when attempting to simulate natural worn out shapes. Therefore, it is useful to minimize the opportunity for the human eye to recognize any regularity in the pattern generated by the laser. One way to accomplish this is to allow the user to define the power level in the design, so that the exact point at which the power varies between two adjacent levels is randomized. This feature is not always desirable. Therefore, randomization of power level change is a user-selected feature.

The higher the power of the laser, the faster it can operate, which can benefit from more automated processing. The conveyor system shown in FIG. 1 provides a denim jean 100 over any frame 102. A laser may be introduced into the denim jean 100 in a horizontal direction. The laser then scribes the worn shape, after which the second jean pants, shown as 110, are held behind the scribed jean pants and introduced for subsequent processing. After batching jeans in this manner, they can be removed from the mold and inverted to scribe the worn out shape behind the jeans with the same or different lasers. 1 also shows an in-line material processing system that includes an in-line laundry apparatus 120, for example, a system for applying a shampoo with a brush and a removal system such as a wet vacuum cleaner 130. The system can use components of rug doctor ^™ or similar shampoo / vacuum cleaner combinations that can produce the desired effect with commercially available carpet cleaning systems such as in-line systems.

1 shows a straight path conveyor system. However, rotary circular conveyors can be considered.

An alternative system is shown in FIG. 13. Jean pants 1300 are disposed on the frame shown as reference 1320. The mold secures the trousers in any way, such as using internal clips shown as reference numerals 1304 and 1306. These clips secure the denim jeans that are placed in the frame on the frame. Each mold also includes a rotating rod 1308 connected to the rotor 1310. The pants are carried along a conveyor 1312 including at least two rotors, including a second rotor shown as reference 1315. In the first position, the jean is in contact with the first laser 1320. This laser forms a worn-out shape on the front of the jean pants shown in side 1. After doing so, the rotor 1308 is lifted and the jean pants are flipped over to side 2. Side 2 is then in contact with a second laser 1330 that scribes the worn out shape of the back. The jeans are removed from the mold after processing and a pair of raw jeans is supplied to the mold. Although the system has been described using two lasers, it will be appreciated that a single laser can be used by scribing the front side of one or multiple jeans and then scribing the back side by turning all the jeans upside down. . The automated system can detect whether the front or back side is being provided, for example by imaging the garment to look for a label or barcode on the jeans. The camera vision system can be tailored to a specific area of jeans, such as a waistband each time, and simply adjust the laser scan to ensure proper placement of the image on denim jeans at any time.

14 shows another system. The jeans are secured by clipping the clip region from its side into the interior of the pocket at a specific location, such as minimal denim processing. In addition, other clip areas are possible. The workpiece processing system carries the denim by the clip area, for example on a constantly moving wire.

Alternatively, a mold of the type shown in FIG. 13 can be used as a free standing conveyer system. In this embodiment, one laser is scribed on the top 1400 of the jeans at the top and the other laser 1420 is worn on the bottom 1405 of the jeans at the bottom. Dual lasers are used to scribe the shape. Any free standing conveyor system can be used for this embodiment. For example, it may be implemented for clothes suspended in a hanging system in the vertical direction. Different frame shapes are also available.

Depending on the type of frame used, different types of worn shapes can be obtained. For example, because the garment is relatively flat when the laser scribes the worn shape on the garment, conventional metal molds, such as those used in the dry cleaning industry, produce worn shapes similar to those obtained by sandblasting. do. However, the use of inflatable balloon-type molds, such as those used in some denim finishing operations, produces somewhat different worn out shapes. When the balloon is inflated inside the baggy crotch of the denim pants, the fibers unfold. The jeans wrap the mold in a concave shape during scribing.

The inventors noted that the present invention can benefit from producing denim jeans in whisker patterns to simulate wrinkles along the thighs and knees. Denim manufacturers have tried a number of ways to make the desired whisker pattern. Many manufacturers have noted that only the sanding process by hand can actually accommodate to create the realistic worn out shape of the whisker pattern. Such processing can be labor intensive, and the quality of the whiskers depends on the proficiency of the worker sanding the whisker pattern on the denim. As can be expected, there are significant differences in skills among workers. That is, some workers supply too high pressure and some workers supply very low pressure, resulting in very variable quality of end products.

However, the inventors have noted that using a technique to change the EDPUT along individual scribing lines, any desired whisker pattern can be reliably replicated. Moreover, certain whisker patterns can be provided to denim jeans in seconds using the present invention as compared to minutes using a manual sanding process. The quality of the whisker pattern produced with the system according to the invention is kept consistent from one denim jeans to another due to the consistency of laser scribing. Therefore, a significantly improved yield can be expected by using the present invention as compared to a manual sanding process.

Although the invention has been described in only some embodiments, other changes are possible and may be included within the scope of the appended claims. For example, other marking devices than lasers can be considered.

Claims (179)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete In storing information about an effective applied power level for the plurality of scan lines of the laser element, at least the plurality of scan lines have an effective applied power level that varies within a single scan line, Using a laser to process the material by controlling the scan line of the laser to have a controlled energy density per unit time according to the effective applied power level. 42. The method of claim 41 wherein at least one of the plurality of effective applied power levels is a value that does not damage the workpiece. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein at least one of the plurality of effective applied power levels is a value that intentionally punctures the material to cause severe wear. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the pile exhibits a simulated wear effect to produce a worn out shape. 42. The method of claim 41 wherein the information is indicative of a simulated whisker effect. 43. The method of claim 41 wherein at least the information portion exhibits a simulated worn out effect. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the garment is denim garment. 42. The method of claim 41 wherein the laser has an output power of at least 500 watts. 42. The method of claim 41 wherein the laser is a laser having an output power of at least 1000 watts. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the pattern is an elliptic pattern. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the control of the effective applied power level is effected by controlling the duty cycle of the laser to control the effect of the amount of power delivered by the laser in a pulsed application manner. 53. The method of claim 51, wherein controlling the duty cycle comprises turning on and off the laser at a specified rate. 53. The method of claim 52, wherein the prescribed rate is fast relative to movement of the laser. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the controlling of the duty cycle comprises controlling the effective amount of power delivered by the laser by selectively blocking and non-blocking the laser output. 42. The method of claim 41, further comprising changing the EDPUT by changing the moving speed of the laser. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein changing the effective applied power level comprises changing an output magnitude of a laser beam output from the laser. 42. The method of claim 41 further comprising changing the power level of the image at the edge to feather the pattern's edge to form a more gradual effect change at the edge of the pattern. 42. The method of claim 41 wherein the information is information in a prescribed format including an area indication and an indication of an effective applied power level to be applied to the area. A device comprising a computer controlled laser, The laser has an output that is controlled in accordance with a computer pile and impinges on a surface to be modified by the laser, wherein the computer controlled laser generates the output beam having a controlled effective applied power level applied to an area in accordance with the computer pile. Wherein the computer file comprises at least one of a plurality of scan lines, wherein the effective applied power level in the scan line changes to at least three different values at least three times within a single scan line. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the laser has a power output of at least 500 watts. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the laser has a power output of at least 1000 watts. 60. The method of claim 59, wherein the effective applied power level is selected for a particular fibrous material to be lasered, wherein at least one of the effective applied power levels in the computer file is such that the fiber material is undesirably damaged, burned, or punctured. Device for changing the shape of the fiber material. 63. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein at least one of the effective applied power levels in the computer pile causes the fiber material to combust to expose the fiber of the fiber material. 63. The apparatus of claim 62, further comprising an inline swallow treatment element for providing a swab removal operation and a swallow treatment operation to the garment lased by the laser. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the effective applied power level of the laser is changed by turning the laser on and off at a defined duty cycle. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, further comprising an adjustable shutter that modulates the output of the laser and a control element that turns the shutter on and off based on the computer file to adjust the effective applied power level. 67. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the shutter is a piezoelectric element. 67. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the shutter is a mechanical shutter. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the effective applied power level is changed to at least five different values in at least a plurality of scan lines of the laser. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the effective applied power level varies between a lowest value and a highest value and the highest value is at least 125% of the lowest value. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the effective applied power level varies between a lowest value and a highest value, wherein the highest value is at least twice the lowest value. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the pattern comprises a feathering portion at the edge of the pattern, and wherein the change in the effective applied power level is done gradually to change its effect gradually. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, further comprising a control console having a user interface, wherein the user interface graphically shows the pattern being raised, wherein the pattern includes regions highlighted differently for different effective applied power levels. Device. 74. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the differently highlighted regions comprise different colors. 60. The computer file of claim 59, wherein the computer file comprises a plurality of pieces of information, each piece of information associated with a particular area on the image representing the garment to be changed, wherein each piece of information includes information representing effective authorized power level information. Device. 74. The apparatus of claim 73, wherein the differently highlighted regions comprise different gray scales. 75. The apparatus of claim 74, further comprising a lookup table that stores the relationship between the effect on the material and the duty cycle of laser operation to provide the effect. 75. The apparatus of claim 74, further comprising an editing tool that enables editing of the pattern. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the memory stores simulated worn patterns. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the pattern stores a simulated whisker pattern. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the pattern stores a pattern with holes through the denim of the type exposing the fibers of the denim. Controllable by computer file to generate output in a desired area, including a controllable laser having a maximum output power of at least 500 watts, The computer file stores control information for adjusting the duty cycle of the laser output to control the effective applied energy applied to the area in a desired amount and converts the information about the desired energy density per unit time to the controllable laser for the area. Device to provide. 83. The apparatus of claim 82, wherein the laser is controlled to scan in a line, wherein the plurality of lines have different effective application areas in one area than in other areas. 84. The apparatus of claim 83, wherein the effective applied energy varies by at least three different values within a single scan line. 83. The apparatus of claim 82, wherein at least a portion of the effective applied energy is set to a specific value for a material within the region that changes the wear or color of the material without undesirably damaging the fiber material. 83. The apparatus of claim 82, wherein at least a portion of the effective applied energy provides a desired punchthrough effect in the workpiece. 83. The apparatus of claim 82, further comprising a terminal for providing an image of a simulated pattern to be applied to the fiber material, wherein the image has differently marked regions to represent different effective applied energies. 88. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein the indicated area comprises differently colored areas. 88. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein the indicated area comprises different gray scales. 83. The apparatus of claim 82, further comprising a duty cycle controller to control the laser on and off. 83. The apparatus of claim 82, further comprising a duty cycle controller including a shutter that is selectively opened and closed at the output of the laser. 88. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein the stored pattern has a plurality of concentric elliptic regions. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete Selecting a plurality of areas on the display defines a desired color change pattern to be formed in the garment, defines a color associated with each of the plurality of wear levels, and selects a color to be associated with each of the plurality of areas. Associating wear levels, Storing a computer file indicating said selection. 116. The method of claim 115, further comprising making the display editable to change color and shape. 118. The computer file of claim 116, wherein the computer file defines information for use in forming control data for laser scribing lines on a desired garment, wherein at least one of the plurality of the lines is within a single scan line. Defining the energy density per unit time varying in 118. The method of claim 117, wherein at least one of the plurality of lines has an energy density per unit time having at least three values within a defined line. 118. The method of claim 118, wherein the highest value of the three values is 1.25 times the lowest value of the three values. 118. The method of claim 116, wherein the editing step comprises applying abrasion using a spray tool. 118. The method of claim 116, wherein the editing step comprises reducing the resolution of the image. 116. The method of claim 115, further comprising storing in a memory a relationship between an effective amount of applied energy representing a color and each color. 118. The method of claim 116, wherein using the laser comprises controlling the laser to control the effective applied power applied to a region by controlling the duty cycle of the laser. 123. The method of claim 123, wherein the duty cycle is controlled by selectively blocking and non-blocking the output of the laser. 123. The method of claim 123, wherein the duty cycle is controlled by turning on and off a laser. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete Defining a desired pattern to be formed on the garment to generate a computer file displaying the desired pattern; Scribing a desired pattern onto the garment using the computer file with a laser having a maximum output power of at least 500 watts, Forming the entire pattern using the laser for 30 seconds or less. 137. The method of claim 133, further comprising controlling the effective output power of the laser by controlling the duty cycle of the laser operation. By forming a pattern on clothing, Determining a pattern to be formed on the garment, Determining the effect the orientation characteristic of the garment material has on the pattern to be formed, Defining both the pattern and the directional characteristic. 137. The method of claim 135, wherein said defining step comprises forming a computer file representing regions and an effective power output level associated with each of said regions. 137. The method of claim 136, further comprising forming an effect on a material using the computer file to control a controllable laser. Obtaining a first garment having a desired shape to be duplicated, Determining color levels of a plurality of different areas of the first garment; Determining from the color level an effective amount of applied energy of laser energy that needs to be applied to each of the regions to replicate the color level; Forming a computer file representing the plurality of regions, Wherein each region representation is associated with a power indication indicative of the amount of laser power that needs to be applied to each of the regions to replicate the different regions of the first garment. 138. The method of claim 138, further comprising controlling the laser to mark a second garment by replicating a pattern of colors on the first garment using the computer file. 138. The method of claim 138, wherein the laser marks the second garment by scribing a plurality of lines on the second garment using the computer file. 141. The method of claim 140, wherein at least one of the plurality of lines defines a varying effective applied energy within each of a plurality of single scan lines. 138. The method of claim 138, further comprising storing information in a look-up table and using the information to determine the effective applied energy for each region. 138. The method of claim 138, further comprising displaying a graphic image representing the computer file and editing the computer file by enabling the user to edit the graphic image. Defining an image of a portion of the whisker that represents an image of the color change of the material due to the wrinkle of the material, Forming a computer file representing the whisker portion and representing at least one of a plurality of regions and laser information for the region, The laser information for the area is information that causes the laser to form a defined color change of the workpiece in the area. delete delete delete delete In defining the pattern to be formed on the fibrous material, the pattern represents a plurality of portions, each portion having a magnitude of a separately controllable degree of change, wherein the different degree of change comprises at least a plurality of different levels of change. , Randomizing the exact points at which the gradient actually bounds between two adjacent levels, Forming a computer readable file including the randomization boundary and information about the gradient and the pattern. 149. The method of claim 149, wherein the information about the degree of change is information about an effective applied power level for the laser, and wherein the file includes the information related to position information. 151. The method of claim 150, further comprising applying the effective applied power level at a particular location represented by the location information using a laser. In defining a pattern to be formed on a fibrous material, the pattern has different colors representing different degrees of change of the fibrous material at different locations, the different degrees of change comprising at least a plurality of different levels of change, different changes Each level is associated with an effective applied energy to be applied to the location, Spray of increasing intensity on the pattern by defining droplet size and trajectory, determining where droplets strike, and adjusting the color level of the position based on the impact so that the effective applied energy is adjusted by the impact Defining a tool that facilitates the process. 152. The method of claim 152, wherein the color is one of full color or gray scale. 152. The method of claim 152, wherein the location is pixels. 152. The method of claim 152, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the color level of the location to a next higher color level. 152. The method of claim 152, wherein the effective applied energy is one of an energy density per unit time, a duty cycle of laser power, a moving speed of the laser, a distance of the laser, or a number of passes of the laser. 152. The method of claim 152, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the color level of the location to a next lower color level. To give the creative a variable effect, Changing the effective applied power from the laser to the workpiece by passing the laser scan multiple times along a particular segment of the pattern, Wherein each pass is made at a constant power, speed and laser distance but the plurality of scan combinations provide a variable effective applied power in the workpiece. 158. The method of claim 158, wherein the modifying step includes defining a file having a different level of effective applied energy and using the file to control the plurality of passes executed in each of the plurality of regions. 159. The method of claim 159, wherein the region is a pixel. delete 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the effective applied energy is one of an energy density per unit time, a power level of the laser, a duty cycle of the laser output, a moving speed of the laser, or a distance of the laser. delete delete 151. The method of claim 150, wherein the effective applied energy is one of an energy density per unit time, a power level of the laser, a duty cycle of the laser output, a moving speed of the laser, or a distance of the laser. 60. The method of claim 59, wherein the effective applied energy is one of an energy density per unit time, a power level of the laser, a duty cycle of the laser output, a moving speed of the laser, or a distance of the laser. 83. The method of claim 82, wherein the effective applied energy is one of an energy density per unit time, a power level of the laser, a duty cycle of the laser output, a moving speed of the laser, or a distance of the laser. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete Authoring a particular image to be used to change the color of the fiber fabric with differently colored areas indicating different levels of change of color for the fiber fabric; Forming a file that controls a laser to effect the color change of the fiber fabric using the specific image. 175. The method of claim 175, wherein the file includes an effective applied energy level associated with the level of change of color. 176. The method of claim 176, wherein the effective applied energy is one of an energy density per unit time, a power level of the laser, a duty cycle of the laser output, a moving speed of the laser, or a distance of the laser. 175. The method of claim 175, wherein the file includes a separate effective applied energy value for each pixel of the image. A computer readable recording medium comprising a file format associated with an area and including matrix values having values indicative of an amount of laser application to be executed by a laser, the matrix values being used to use the laser to form a whisker on a workpiece. And wherein the whisker is indicative of a color change for the material due to wrinkling of the material.

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