Direct Printing to Fabric

摘要

Methods and systems are disclosed for three-dimensional printing directly onto an article of apparel. Disclosed is a method and system for direct three-dimensional printing onto an article of apparel, including designing a three-dimensional pattern for printing onto the article, positioning at least a portion of the article on a tray in a three-dimensional printing system, the portion being positioned substantially flat on the tray, printing a three-dimensional material directly onto the article using the designed pattern, curing the printed material, and removing the article from the three-dimensional printing system.

主权项

1. A system for three-dimensional printing directly onto a fabric upper of an article of footwear, comprising:
a first nontransitory computer-readable medium encoded with a first computer program product loadable into a first memory of a first computer and including first software code portions for storing a three-dimensional pattern for printing directly onto the fabric upper; a print server; a switching device; a three-dimensional printer device; wherein the print server is in direct communication with the three-dimensional printer device and the switching device; wherein the switching device is in direct communication with the three-dimensional printer device and the print server; wherein the first nontransitory computer readable medium is in direct communication with the switching device; wherein the print server comprises a second nontransitory computer-readable medium encoded with a second computer program product loadable into a second memory of a second computer and including second software code portions configured, when executed on the second computer, for instructing the three-dimensional printing device to print directly onto the fabric upper through a sequence of printing steps; wherein the three-dimensional printer device comprises a tray for receiving the fabric upper, at least one printing head for printing three-dimensional material onto the fabric upper in the sequence, and at least one ultraviolet light for curing the three-dimensional material printed onto the fabric upper; and wherein the three-dimensional printer device is configured to print the three-dimensional material onto at least a portion of the fabric upper that has at least one irregular surface.