Method for printing an object having at least one non-planar, contoured or three-dimensional surface

A system for printing an object, which prints at least one area of a surface of the object, the system comprising:

• a cleaning device for cleaning at least the area;
• a measuring device for three-dimensionally measuring at least the area and for generating measured results for providing three-dimensional data of the object or said measuring device receiving the three-dimensional data of the object by loading the three-dimensional data of the object from a database;
• a computer for generating a raster matrix;
• a robot having an inkjet printer head with nozzles;
• a device for generating path data being a predetermined three-dimensional path for moving said robot having said inkjet printer head or the object, wherein the predetermined three-dimensional path defining areas into which said robot must not penetrate and areas in which said robot can move freely and in the areas in which the robot can move freely the predetermined three-dimensional path defining respective distances between said nozzles of said inkjet printer head and the surface of the object being as equal as possible to one another at a specific point in time, and the distances between the nozzles and the surface of the object varying over time in dependence on a geometry of the object being printed;
• at least one effector;
• a computer for activating said robot;
• and
• a computer for actuating said effector.

A method for printing an object with at least one image, wherein the image is chosen by a customer and the image chosen is printed onto the object on a surface area chosen by the customer by a service provider, which comprises the steps of:

• providing the image;
• providing three-dimensional data of the object by three-dimensionally measuring at least the area of the object or by loading the three-dimensional data of the object from a database;
• generating a number of spatial points corresponding to the area;
• generating a three-dimensional network corresponding to the area;
• generating path data being a predetermined three-dimensional path for moving a robot for an inkjet printer head or for the object, wherein the predetermined three-dimensional path defining areas into which the robot must not penetrate and areas in which the robot can move freely and in the areas in which the robot can move freely the predetermined three-dimensional path defining distances between nozzles of the inkjet printer head and the surface of the object being as equal as possible to one another at a specific point in time, and the distances between the nozzles and the surface of the object varying over time in dependence on a geometry of the object being printed;
• generating raster data for actuating the inkjet printer head;
• moving the robot by utilizing the path data;
• and
• printing the image by the inkjet printer head, utilizing the raster data.

A method for printing an object with at least one image, wherein the image is chosen by a customer and wherein the image chosen is printed onto the object on a surface area chosen by the customer by a service provider, which further comprises:

• providing a system for printing the object, the system printing at least one area of a surface of the object, the system comprising:
• a cleaning device for cleaning at least the area;
• a measuring device for three-dimensionally measuring at least the area and for generating measured results for providing three-dimensional data of the object or said measuring device receiving the three-dimensional data of the object by loading the three-dimensional data of the object from a database;
• a computer for generating a raster matrix;
• a robot having an inkjet printer head with nozzles;
• a device for generating path data being a predetermined three-dimensional path for moving said robot having said inkjet printer head or the object, wherein the predetermined three-dimensional path defining areas into which said robot must not penetrate and areas in which said robot can move freely and in the areas in which the robot can move freely the predetermined three-dimensional path defining respective distances between said nozzles of said inkjet printer head and the surface of the object being as equal as possible to one another at a specific point in time, and the distances between the nozzles and the surface of the object varying over time in dependence on a geometry of the object being printed;
• at least one effector;
• a computer for activating the robot;
• and
• a computer for actuating the effector.