Method and system for 3D printing on fabric
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsJoseph Michael Ferrara, Christopher Douglas Atwood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of printing on fabric includes: (a) loading a thermoplastic material into a nozzle of an extruder, such as an extruder of a three dimensional (3D) printer; (b) positioning a substrate that includes fabric in a print area proximate to the nozzle; (c) heating the thermoplastic material in the nozzle to a temperature that is equal to or greater than a melting point temperature of the fabric; and (d) extruding the heated thermoplastic material from the nozzle as a filament onto the fabric to yield a printed pattern on the fabric.
Claims14
A method of printing on fabric, the method comprising:
- loading a thermoplastic material into a nozzle of an extruder;
- using a support structure to apply tension to stretch a fabric having fibers;
- positioning proximate to the nozzle a fabric having fibers while holding the fabric in a stretched condition;
- heating the thermoplastic material to a temperature that is equal to or greater than a melting point temperature of the fabric;
- heating the fabric to a temperature that is above ambient temperature and below the melting point temperature of the fabric;
- and
- while holding the fabric in a stretched condition with the support structure, extruding the heated thermoplastic material from the nozzle as a filament onto the fabric to at least partially melt at least some of the fibers in the fabric to provide a secure bond between the heated thermoplastic material and the fabric and yield a printed pattern on the fabric.
A method of printing on fabric, the method comprising:
- loading a thermoplastic material into a nozzle of an extruder of a three dimensional (3D) printer;
- positioning on a support structure in a print area of the 3D printer a fabric having fibers, wherein the support structure holds the fabric in a stretched condition;
- heating the thermoplastic material to a temperature that is equal to or greater than a melting point temperature of the fabric;
- heating the fabric to a temperature that is above ambient temperature and below the melting point temperature of the fabric;
- and
- extruding the heated thermoplastic material from the nozzle as a filament onto the fabric in the print area to at least partially melt at least some of the fibers in the fabric to provide a secure bond between the heated thermoplastic material and the fabric and yield a printed pattern on the fabric.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.