Systems and methods for an enclosed dye sublimation apparatus
AssigneeSekisui Kydex, LLC
InventorsJeffrey Humenick, Jym Kauffman, Rebecca Gallup
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Abstract
An illustrative dye sublimation apparatus may include a sealed chamber and a heating section. More specifically, the sealed chamber is thermally insulated and substantially airtight in order to keep the heat generated by the heating section within the sealed chamber. Compared to the conventional systems that are open-air and require direct heat, the embodiments disclosed herein generate a uniform or nearly uniform heat distribution throughout the sealed chamber, which results in a more consistent and efficient dye sublimation process.
Claims10
A dye sublimation method for infusing an image on a printed sheet to a substrate, the method comprising:
- sealing, via a sealed chamber of a dye sublimation apparatus defining an enclosed space, the printed sheet and the substrate in the enclosed space;
- heating, by a heating section of the dye sublimation apparatus positioned within the enclosed space, the printed sheet and the substrate, such that one or more dyes travel to the substrate in a gaseous state and deposit into the substrate in a solid state to infuse the image into the substrate;
- and
- the heating section further comprising one or more heaters configured to radiate heat throughout the sealed chamber,
- wherein the one or more heaters comprises:
- a first heater positioned within the sealed chamber above the printed sheet and the substrate;
- a first diffuser positioned below the first heater and above the printed sheet and the substrate, the first diffuser configured to redirect heat energy from the first heater;
- a second heater positioned within the sealed chamber below the printed sheet and the substrate;
- and
- a second diffuser positioned above the second heater and below the printed sheet and the substrate and configured to redirect heat energy from the second heater.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.