Liquid electrophotography printing on fabrics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11487225-B2
Application number	US-201716605104-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2017
Priority date	Oct 13, 2017
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

A liquid electrophotographic (LEP) printing device that includes a photo-imaging plate (PIP) to receive a liquid printing fluid, the liquid printing fluid including a pigment incorporated into a resin, a charge conductor, and a carrier liquid, and a transfer roller to transfer the liquid printing fluid from the PIP to a fabric substrate while wet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid electrophotographic (LEP) printing device comprising:
a photo-imaging plate (PIP) to receive a liquid printing fluid, the liquid printing fluid comprising:
a pigment incorporated into a resin;
a charge conductor; and
a carrier liquid; and

a transfer roller to transfer wet liquid printing fluid from the PIP to a fabric substrate while preventing evaporation of the carrier liquid, such that at most 10% of the carrier liquid is evaporated on the transfer roller before transfer of the liquid printing fluid to the fabric substrate.

2. The LEP printing device of claim 1 , wherein the transfer roller is heated to a temperature of 70° to 95° Celsius to prevent evaporation of the carrier liquid.

3. The LEP printing device of claim 1 , wherein the carrier liquid is an isoparaffinic hydrocarbon and wherein a portion of the isoparaffinic hydrocarbon is not evaporated during transfer of the printing fluid onto the fabric.

4. The LEP printing device of claim 1 , further comprising a heating device associated with the transfer roller and a temperature controller, wherein the temperature controller adjusts the temperature of the transfer roller to at least two different temperatures based on whether a paper printing substrate is to be printed on or the fabric substrate is to be printed on.

5. A system for printing onto fabric, the system comprising:
a printing fluid source comprising a printing fluid, the printing fluid comprising, at least, a carrier fluid; and
a heat adjustable transfer roller to:
receive an amount of printing fluid from a photo imaging plate;
transfer the printing fluid as a wet printing fluid to the fabric while preventing the carrier fluid from evaporating such that at most 10% of the carrier liquid is evaporated on the transfer roller before transfer of the liquid printing fluid to the fabric substrate; and
a processor to, based on received input, determine a temperature to heat the transfer roller to during printing.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the processor is to determine the amount of carrier fluid to evaporate based on a fabric type.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the printing fluid further comprises a pigment incorporated into a resin and a charge conductor.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the carrier fluid is an isoparaffinic hydrocarbon and wherein a portion of the isoparaffinic hydrocarbon is not evaporated during transfer of the printing fluid onto the fabric.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the heat adjustable transfer roller is heated to a temperature of 70° to 95° Celsius.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the processor is to determine the amount of carrier to evaporate based on a porousness and an absorbability of the fabric substrate.

11. A method, comprising:
receiving a wet printing fluid at a photo-imaging plate, the wet printing fluid comprising a level of carrier fluid to be absorbed into fibers of a fabric substrate;
transferring the wet printing fluid to a transfer roller; and
during printing, preventing evaporation of the carrier fluid such that at most 10% of the carrier fluid is evaporated on the transfer roller before transfer of the wet printing fluid to the fabric substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising evaporating the carrier fluid following printing.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising accumulating an amount of printed fabric substrate.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising evaporating the carrier fluid following accumulation.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, determining an amount of carrier fluid to evaporate based on a property of the fabric substrate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the property is selected from the group consisting of:
a porousness of the fabric substrate;
a type of material of the fabric substrate;
an absorbability of the fabric substrate; or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, determining heat for the transfer roller based on a property of the fabric substrate.

Assignees

• Hp Indigo Bv

Inventors

• Desai Harsh Pranav
• Korol Evgeny
• Halpern Avinoam

Classifications

• G03G15/104 Primary

  Preparing, mixing, transporting or dispensing developer · CPC title

• G03G9/125

  characterised by the liquid · CPC title

• G03G2215/00527

  Fabrics, e.g. textiles · CPC title

• G03G2215/1685

  using heat · CPC title

• B41F16/02

  for textile material · CPC title