The research is being carried out at Leeds University, with funding from the Swindon-based Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Involving a number of industrial partners, the initiative is also bringing together textile experts, mechanical engineers, colour chemists, materials researchers and IT specialists for the first time in a single project in this field.
The textile industry currently prints fabrics using screen-printing technology. Although productive for long print runs, it is slow and expensive for today's increasingly smaller order quantities. Jet printing offers many advantages, such as the ability to download designs straight from computer to material. It also has the potential to make short print runs economic and enable small quantities of fabrics to be made to order, thereby eliminating the need to keep stock. However, many technical barriers need to be overcome if jet printers are to be developed that are big enough, fast enough and reliable enough for commercial-scale use by the industry.
Dr Abbas Dehghani, one of the investigators at Leeds University, says: "Jet printing could revolutionise the world of design. It could extend the range and creativity of designs that are produced and substantially reduce the time it takes to bring them to market. Our project aims to bring the potential a step closer to reality".
The present project is therefore addressing a wide range of relevant issues. For example, colour chemists are focusing on the key task of developing dyes that do not clog up a jet printer's nozzles. Work is also being undertaken on the development of optical monitoring techniques able to inspect fabrics immediately before and after application of the dye, to help ensure that the right amount has been applied. Mechanical engineering researchers, meanwhile, are using computational fluid dynamics to model dyes and so help materials researchers develop piezo-ceramic print heads that apply them efficiently and neatly.
Notes for Editors:
This research initiative, "Digital Jet Printing on Textiles", is receiving Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funding of nearly £764,000.
The industrial partners involved in the project are:
Brook International
Cha Technologies
Dorma Group
Samuel Bradley Ltd
Zephyr Flags and Banners
Marks and Spencer plc
Guilford Europe Ltd
Franklins Textiles Ltd
Coats Viyella Home Furnishing Division
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests more than £400 million a year in research and postgraduate training to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and from mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements in everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC also actively promotes public awareness of science and engineering. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. Website address for more information on EPSRC: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/
For more information, contact:
Dr Abbas Dehghani, Mechatronics Research Group, School of Design, Leeds University, Tel: 0113 343 3727, E-mail: a.dehghani@leeds.ac.uk (School of Design tel: 0113-343-3697 or 3700 – number where you can leave a message )
Jane Reck, EPSRC Press Officer, Tel: 01793-444312, E-mail: jane.reck@epsrc.ac.uk.
A number of images are available from Jane Reck – with the following suggested captions:
Designer 1 jpg: A new textile design being created on a digital workstation. At present designers have to use a limited colour palette – something that jet printers could change forever. (picture courtesy of Dorma Group)
Mimaki 2 jpg: Many companies are interested in the potential of jet printing as current textile printing technology, like the Mimaki YX2 machine, is slow and expensive to run.(picture courtesy of Dorma Group)
Squarenozeject jpg: Many different problems face the collaboration, including modelling the flow of ink droplets through the jet nozzles.