Projector assisted alignment and printing

摘要

A flexible manufacturing system for an article of footwear includes a printing system for printing graphics onto the footwear. The flexible manufacturing system also includes a projection system for aligning a projected graphic with a predetermined portion of the article prior to printing the graphic to the article. The graphic can include a masked portion that corresponds to a design element on the article.

主权项

1. A method of printing onto an article, comprising:
positioning the article onto a platform configured to support the article; aligning a graphic with the article while the platform and a printing system are in a first relative configuration; wherein aligning the graphic on the article includes associating a transparent display device with the article and viewing a relative position between the graphic on the display device and the article; changing the relative configuration of the platform and the printing system from the first relative configuration to a second relative configuration by moving the platform, wherein the second relative configuration is substantially different from the first relative configuration; and printing the graphic onto the article while the platform and the printing system are in the second relative configuration.