APPARATUS FOR PRINTING ON TUBULAR KNITTED FABRIC
United States Patent 3701315
An apparatus for simultaneously printing on both sides of tubular fabric and having at least one pair of coacting printing rolls contacting both sides of the fabric and being supplied with coloring material. A spreader is disposed within the tubular fabric to hold the fabric in a spread out condition while passing between the printing rolls. Coacting support rolls act to hold the spreader in position between the printing rolls as the fabric passes over it.
US Patent References:
Sock printing machine
Parham - March 1960 - 2927526
/1050015.html
Gartside - January 1913 - 1050015
Textile spreader
Beard - October 1948 - 2450932
Means for opening and detwisting tubular fabric
Lasley - September 1953 - 2652615
Apparatus for striping textile fabrics
Mathewson et al. - March 1956 - 2737042
Sock printing machine
Parham - March 1960 - 2927526
/1050015.html
Gartside - January 1913 - 1050015
Textile spreader
Beard - October 1948 - 2450932
Means for opening and detwisting tubular fabric
Lasley - September 1953 - 2652615
Apparatus for striping textile fabrics
Mathewson et al. - March 1956 - 2737042
Application Number:
04/669602
Publication Date:
10/31/1972
Filing Date:
09/21/1967
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
26/80, 28/169, 118/34, 28/218, 101/172, 101/211, 68/202
International Classes:
B41F17/38; B41F17/00; B41F17/38
Field of Search:
68/202 26/55,56 118/33,34 101/375,172,211,183,184,179,180,35-37
US Patent References:
Primary Examiner:
Pulfrey, Robert E.
Assistant Examiner:
Crowder, Clifford D.
Claims:
What is claimed is
1. An apparatus for simultaneously and continuously printing on both sides of a moving continuous length of tubular knitted fabric comprising at least one pair of oppositely disposed co-acting printing rolls, the printing portions of which extend radially outwardly from the main portion of said rolls, means to supply said printing rolls with coloring material, means to feed said tubular fabric between said printing rolls, stationary spreader means in the form of a frame having cross bars and longitudinals, said frame being loosely inserted within said tubular fabric with the longitudinals extending on both sides of said printing rolls and lying beyond the edges of the axially outermost of said printing portions to maintain said fabric in a spread-out condition while said fabric is being drawn around said spreader and passing between said printing rolls, means to support said spreader at the downstream end thereof, said supporting means comprising a pair of co-acting spreader support rolls mounted in such a manner so as to co-act with the lowermost of said cross bars to prevent said spreader from passing therebetween, said cross bars being disposed transversely of the direction of travel of said fabric and outside the printing region defined by said printing rolls.
1. An apparatus for simultaneously and continuously printing on both sides of a moving continuous length of tubular knitted fabric comprising at least one pair of oppositely disposed co-acting printing rolls, the printing portions of which extend radially outwardly from the main portion of said rolls, means to supply said printing rolls with coloring material, means to feed said tubular fabric between said printing rolls, stationary spreader means in the form of a frame having cross bars and longitudinals, said frame being loosely inserted within said tubular fabric with the longitudinals extending on both sides of said printing rolls and lying beyond the edges of the axially outermost of said printing portions to maintain said fabric in a spread-out condition while said fabric is being drawn around said spreader and passing between said printing rolls, means to support said spreader at the downstream end thereof, said supporting means comprising a pair of co-acting spreader support rolls mounted in such a manner so as to co-act with the lowermost of said cross bars to prevent said spreader from passing therebetween, said cross bars being disposed transversely of the direction of travel of said fabric and outside the printing region defined by said printing rolls.
Description:
This invention relates to printing on what is generally known in the textile trade as a "sock," that is to say, a continuous length of tubular knitted material.
In the random coloring of textile yarn, it has been suggested that a tubular sock should first be knitted using the yarn and the sock subjected to color printing by means of printing elements which apply colored dyes or inks to selected areas of one side of the flattened sock while it travels through a printing station, following which the flattened sock is reversed so that its other side is similarly printed while it again travels through the printing station. The printed sock is processed in conventional manner and then unravelled so that the randomly printed yarn may be wound onto a cone for use in a textile weaving machine.
However, the apparatus used for coloring yarn in the manner indicated above is unduly cumbersome and unreliable in operation and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved printing apparatus for the above stated purpose and which, according to the invention, essentially comprises at least one pair of coacting printing rolls, means to supply said printing rolls with dyestuff or other coloring material for each of said rollers or for pre-determined sections thereof, a spreader for maintaining a knitted sock substantially flat while said sock is passing between said printing rolls to be simultaneously printed on both sides, and means for drawing said sock through the nip of said printing rolls.
By way of example an embodiment of the above described invention is described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures.
FIG. 1 is a front elevation of printing apparatus according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a detailed view taken on line 2/2 of FIG. 1 and drawn on a larger scale.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3/3 of FIG. 1 and drawn to a larger scale.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4/4 of FIG. 1 and drawn to a larger scale.
The illustrated printing apparatus comprises an upright stand 5 supporting at its top end a mandrel 6 on which a rolled preknitted sock 7 of textile yarn may be rotatably supported. The frame 5 also supports an upper pair 8 of printing rolls 9 and 10 respectively, a similar lower pair 11 of printing rolls and a pair of spreader support rolls 12 and 13 respectively.
Each of the printing rolls may comprise a plurality of printing discs 14 of various widths held in spaced apart relation by appropriate spacer collars 15 sleeved on the printing roll shafts.
Reservoirs 26 adapted to hold a supply of liquid coloring medium 17 are provided for each of the printing rolls. For preference the reservoirs 16 are divided internally into separate compartments so that each of the discs 14 may be applied with a particular coloring medium which may or may not be of the same color as that of the adjacent discs 14. Therefore it will be seen that the flattened sock travelling between the rolls of each pair of printing rolls will have colored stripes applied to its extending longitudinally of it.
For preference, the discs 14 and spacers 15 of the lower pair of rolls are selected so that the stripes applied by the lower pair of rolls fill in the unprinted zones between the stripes applied by the upper pair of printing rolls.
If desired the printing rolls may each be a single part -- as distinct from the illustrated rolls built up of discs and spacers -- in which event grooves may be cut in it to leave roll portions protruding corresponding to the discs 14.
For preference at least one roll of each pair of printing rolls is resiliently loaded towards the other roll of that pair. Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 2, roll 9 is mounted in bearings 27 slidable between guides 18 and urged towards roll 10 by means of a helical loading spring 19 sleeved on spring supporting rod 20 extending from the bearing 27 through a clearance hole in an end plate 21 bridging from one guide 18 to the other.
In order to maintain the sock 7 in a spread out condition while passing between the printing rolls a spreader 22 of suitable width is loosely disposed within the sock. The spreader 22 has a planar body comprising a sheet of semi-rigid material or alternatively a metal frame comprising a pair of longitudinals 23 held in spaced relation by means of a plurality of cross bars 24 or rods, with an upstream portion 25 of more or less pointed profile and a protruding edge bead 26 at its other end.
The spreader 22 rests upon the supporting rolls 12 and 13 and due to the relatively large diameter of the bead 26 it is supported well clear of the nip of rolls 12 and 13. As a result the material of the sock 7 may readily leave the downstream end of the spreader 22 under the influence of the supporting rolls 12 and 13, but the spreader itself is unable to travel between them.
In the random coloring of textile yarn, it has been suggested that a tubular sock should first be knitted using the yarn and the sock subjected to color printing by means of printing elements which apply colored dyes or inks to selected areas of one side of the flattened sock while it travels through a printing station, following which the flattened sock is reversed so that its other side is similarly printed while it again travels through the printing station. The printed sock is processed in conventional manner and then unravelled so that the randomly printed yarn may be wound onto a cone for use in a textile weaving machine.
However, the apparatus used for coloring yarn in the manner indicated above is unduly cumbersome and unreliable in operation and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved printing apparatus for the above stated purpose and which, according to the invention, essentially comprises at least one pair of coacting printing rolls, means to supply said printing rolls with dyestuff or other coloring material for each of said rollers or for pre-determined sections thereof, a spreader for maintaining a knitted sock substantially flat while said sock is passing between said printing rolls to be simultaneously printed on both sides, and means for drawing said sock through the nip of said printing rolls.
By way of example an embodiment of the above described invention is described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures.
FIG. 1 is a front elevation of printing apparatus according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a detailed view taken on line 2/2 of FIG. 1 and drawn on a larger scale.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3/3 of FIG. 1 and drawn to a larger scale.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4/4 of FIG. 1 and drawn to a larger scale.
The illustrated printing apparatus comprises an upright stand 5 supporting at its top end a mandrel 6 on which a rolled preknitted sock 7 of textile yarn may be rotatably supported. The frame 5 also supports an upper pair 8 of printing rolls 9 and 10 respectively, a similar lower pair 11 of printing rolls and a pair of spreader support rolls 12 and 13 respectively.
Each of the printing rolls may comprise a plurality of printing discs 14 of various widths held in spaced apart relation by appropriate spacer collars 15 sleeved on the printing roll shafts.
Reservoirs 26 adapted to hold a supply of liquid coloring medium 17 are provided for each of the printing rolls. For preference the reservoirs 16 are divided internally into separate compartments so that each of the discs 14 may be applied with a particular coloring medium which may or may not be of the same color as that of the adjacent discs 14. Therefore it will be seen that the flattened sock travelling between the rolls of each pair of printing rolls will have colored stripes applied to its extending longitudinally of it.
For preference, the discs 14 and spacers 15 of the lower pair of rolls are selected so that the stripes applied by the lower pair of rolls fill in the unprinted zones between the stripes applied by the upper pair of printing rolls.
If desired the printing rolls may each be a single part -- as distinct from the illustrated rolls built up of discs and spacers -- in which event grooves may be cut in it to leave roll portions protruding corresponding to the discs 14.
For preference at least one roll of each pair of printing rolls is resiliently loaded towards the other roll of that pair. Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 2, roll 9 is mounted in bearings 27 slidable between guides 18 and urged towards roll 10 by means of a helical loading spring 19 sleeved on spring supporting rod 20 extending from the bearing 27 through a clearance hole in an end plate 21 bridging from one guide 18 to the other.
In order to maintain the sock 7 in a spread out condition while passing between the printing rolls a spreader 22 of suitable width is loosely disposed within the sock. The spreader 22 has a planar body comprising a sheet of semi-rigid material or alternatively a metal frame comprising a pair of longitudinals 23 held in spaced relation by means of a plurality of cross bars 24 or rods, with an upstream portion 25 of more or less pointed profile and a protruding edge bead 26 at its other end.
The spreader 22 rests upon the supporting rolls 12 and 13 and due to the relatively large diameter of the bead 26 it is supported well clear of the nip of rolls 12 and 13. As a result the material of the sock 7 may readily leave the downstream end of the spreader 22 under the influence of the supporting rolls 12 and 13, but the spreader itself is unable to travel between them.