CARPET PRINTING Everything you always wanted to know

CARPET PRINTING Everything you always wanted to know CARPET PRINTING Everything you always wanted to know J. Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH Kufstein Ei...
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CARPET PRINTING

Everything you always wanted to know

CARPET PRINTING

Everything you always wanted to know

J. Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH Kufstein Eibergstrasse 2-8 A-6330 Kufstein/Austria T ++43 5372 64893 F ++43 5372 61476 [email protected] www.zimmer-austria.com First edition, October 2003 Editor: Tony Naschberger, Kufstein Layout by: SKYWALK Design, Kufstein Printed by: Druckerei Aschenbrenner, Kufstein

Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH, Kufstein (Austria). Trademarks In this book trademarks have been used which may be registered in some jurisdictions and which are owned by their respective owners. All these trademarks have been used for informational purposes only.

CONTENTS

Zimmer’s History of Carpet Printing

1. Carpet Manufacturing

2. Water, Thickeners, Dyes and Chemicals

3. Dyeing and Printing Methods

4. Print Lines - Machines and Elements

5. ChromoJet - The Carpet Jet Printing System

6. Printing Systems

7. ChromoJet-F - Speed and Flexibility

8. RotaScreen - Carpet Screen Printing

9. Sample and Lab Equipment

10. SupraMix - Dosing and Mixing

11. Color Preparation for Dyeing and Printing & Development, Manufacturing 12. Research Local Service, Customer Service, Leisure

Zimmer’s History of Carpet Printing Zimmer's history in building textile and carpet printing machines goes back t0 1874 when Franz Zimmer began to design and build machines for the growing textile industry. Activities in the carpet industry started in the early sixties and nowadays this is a major part of Zimmer's business.

Flat-Screen Printer The first flat screen printer for carpet – the legendary TDA62 was developed by Peter Zimmer and put into operation in 1962 at Barwick, Lafayette,

Georgia, USA. This machine was for a long time the workhorse of the industry. Still today some of these machines are in operation.

Rotary Printer This type of printer brought production costs down on the long runs. Speeds up to 30 m per minute is possible and nowadays most of printed car-

pet is produced on screen printing machines. The first rotary printer for the carpet industry was shipped to the USA in 1969.

ChromoTronic In the 70's another important technological development by Zimmer arrived: the ChromoTronic Carpet Printing Machine. For the first time, computer controlled jets – not traditional screens – were used to print a pattern.

This was the first digital jet printer from Zimmer. Three units were in operation. The problem at this time was the computer control but also the chemistry and other components were not ready yet. The unit was ahead of its time.

ChromoJet ChromoJet was developed and brought to its success under Johannes Zimmer. The basic concept was taken from the ChromoTronic, but a number of improvements and new technologies were implemented. Since the beginning of the 80's Chromojet is constantly deve-

loped further and improved and more than 300 units have been sold since then. ChromoJet is now the number one production method for individual carpet worldwide. Digital printing has a great future in the carpet and textile market.

This brochure is intended to give you a picture and overview of our concepts and components for the carpet printing industry. Furthermore it should also furnish some useful information and an overview of the carpet manufacturing process. Zimmer as one of the most creative and innovative companies in the field of printing would also like to be your partner for new technologies and processes. Tony Naschberger, Carpet Printing Systems Manager

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1. Carpet Manufacturing

From Polymer to Carpet

POLYMER

EXTRUSION

STAPLE FIBER BCF (BULKED CONTINUOUS FILAMENT)

SPINNING

HEAT-SETTING

AIR ENTANGLING

SPACE DYEING

TUFTING

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PRINTING

DYEING

STEAMING

WASHING

DRYING

BACKING

SHEARING

STORAGE

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1. Carpet Manufacturing

1.1

Carpet Fibers

The material for the fiber is selected according to the application of the product.

Polyamide Nylon

Wool

Resilience - Determined by fiber structure and modifications.

Good to excellent

Excellent

Abrasion Resistance Determined by fiber and density of face fiber - the more tightly packed the yarns, the more resistant to wear.

Excellent

Good to excellent

Good to excellent

Good to excellent

Good special dyes may be used to inhibit sun damage.

Poor - If protected from ultraviolet rays, degradation does not occur as rapidly.

Builds up in low humidity unless modified.

Builds up in low humidity unless modified.

Varies from warm and soft to cold and coarse.

Warm, soft

Excellent

Poor if damp or soiled. Fiber may be modified

Comments

Soil & Stain Resistance/Cleanability Determined by color, texture, dyes, fiber structure and modifications. Resistance to Sunlight Determined by fiber structure and modifications. Static - Determined by fiber structure and modification. Touch Resistance to Mildew - Determined by fiber structure and modifications. Flammability Determined by fiber structure, modification, construction methods, dyes, padding and installation methods.

Burns slowly, melts; in direct flame; self-extinguishing. Structure may alter what occurs. Celery-like odor.

Burns slowly; indirect flame; considered self-extinguishing. Burning hair odor.

Dyestuff group

Acid, metal-complex; selected reactive

Acid, metal-complex and selected reactive dyes

3 - 5 min

6 - 8 min.

~60 - 65%

~5%

residential carpet, mats and rugs PA 6.6 for commercial carpet and walk off mats

Hospitality carpet and rugs

Steam time Market share Usage

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Acrylic

Polyester

Cotton

Polypropylene Olefin

Good to excellent

Good to fair

Moderate

Good. Avoid high piles.

Fair to excellent

Good to excellent

Moderate

Excellent

Good

Good to excellent -oily stains should be promptly treated.

Moderate

Good if oily soils and stains are treated promptly.

Excellent resistance. Prolonged exposure may cause deterioration in some pieces.

Good may weaken with prolonged exposure.

Depending on dyes

Loses strength and deteriorates unless chemically modified to resist sunlight damage.

Builds up in low humidity unless modified.

Builds up in low humidity unless modified.

No static builds up

Builds up in low humidity but at a lower level than nylon or polyester

Warm, soft

Varies - finer deniers are soft and silky.

Warm and soft

Waxy, soft

Excellent

Excellent

Medium

Excellent

Acrylic burns readily unless modified. Modacrylics are difficult to ignite, will not support combustion, are selfextinguishing and dripless. Acrid odor for both.

Burns slowly, melts; some are self-extinguishing. Chemical odor.

Burns slowly, self-extinguishing.

Melts at 170°C; burns and emits heavy, sooty, waxy smoke. Pulling a heavy object across the carpet surface can cause enough friction to melt the carpet fibers.

Direct, fiber reactive, sulfur, Can be printed with pigment vat, and naphthol dyes dyes only

Cationic dyes

Disperse dyes

5 - 8 min

8 - 10 min

5 - 10 min

--------

~5%

~5 - 10%

~3%

~20 - 25%

Bath mats, rugs blankets

Residential carpet

Bath mats

Residential carpets and woven rugs

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1. Carpet Manufacturing

1.2

Tufting The first 12-foot-wide tufted carpet was manufactured in the early 1950s. Pattern attachment devices permit machines to produce multiple pile heights, geometric and other patterns in the same piece of carpet.

The machines insert yarn into the primary backing with up to 2,000 needles and they can produce patterns and textures by combinations of pile height, the position of yarn in the needles and whether the yarn is loop or cut pile.

For printing the following constructions are popular: 1/10" loop pile for mats and scatter rugs with gel foam backing 5/32" cut pile for mats, rugs and saxony constructions 1/8" cut pile and level-cut-loop for residential and commercial carpets 1/10" cut pile for frieze and velour constructions for commercial carpet Popular tufting machine manufacturers: Cobble, UK; Tuftco, USA; CMC - Card Monroe, USA

1.3

Carpet Backing Primary Backing Systems The primary backing into which the tufts are inserted may be made of jute, cotton, woven or non-woven synthetics, but normally polypropylene.

Primary backing Adhesive Secondary backing

Woven Polypropylene Cost Dimension stability

+

++

+/-

+++

Properties

Good mendability, wet dye processing, and stitch lock

Ideal for carpets with distortionsensitive designs such as prints and pattern tufting. Can be accurately cut in any direction.

Application

Most popular primary backing for residential carpet

Commercial carpet; car carpet, carpet tiles, rubber backed mats, bath-mats

Popular brands

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Spunbonded Non-woven

‘Poly Bac’ by BP

“Typar” (PA) by DuPont’ Lutradur’ (PET) by Freudenberg ‘Colback’ (PET with PA skin) by Colbond

Secondary Backing Systems This laminated final backing provides tuftlock, stiffness, strength, stability, and the feel of quality to the entire carpet. Dimensional stability, primarily imparted by the secondary backing, is the ability of carpet to retain its size and shape after installation.

Woven Polypropylene (Action Bac ®)

Polyurethan Cushion

Cost

+

+++

Comfort

+

+++

Composition, process, construction

Application

1. Direct application of latex or polymer to back of carpet face (pre-coat) 2. Light coat of latex or polymer to secondary backing 3. Layers are joined at compression rollers and cured in tenter frame oven.

• primary backing • urethane foam • optional fleece or woven PP

residential and commercial carpet

commercial carpet and carpet tiles

There is also a number of other backing systems: • PVC and EVA - for carpet tiles and 6 feet wide carpet • Bitumen with fleece - for carpet tiles • Latex gel-foam with embossing - for bath mats and scatter rugs

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1. Carpet Manufacturing

1.4

Carpet constructions

Over all the years a number of tufting methods have been developed to produce carpets in different styles. In the following a selection of the most important constructions - especially for the printing process.

Level Loop Most common construction for cheap rugs and wall to wall carpet in Europe and Asia. This type consists of loops constructed at the same height. Patterns may be printed on the surface of this style type. This type offers a relatively smooth, homogenous surface. Lower density construction may allow the loops to be dispersed farther apart providing the illusion of texture.

Cut and Loop Pile As the name implies, this carpet style utilizes a combination of cut and loop pile yarns to create patterns or textures. Multilevel Cut and Loop –These styles are generally random colored providing the appearance of color splotches over the entire surface. These styles offer good performance characteristics and random colorations provide good soilhiding abilities.

Velour (also called Plush or Velvet) Velour provide a more formal appearance than other cut pile constructions. They are subject to revealing vacuum cleaner sweep marks and footprints due to light reflection, similar to a Saxony. Delustered (non-shiny) yarns may reduce this shade variation. Plushes tend to be more subject to pile reversal or water marking. Water marking is the result of permanent pile reversal in localized areas. Watermarking provides the appearance of a wet surface in darker shaded areas. This is considered a normal occurrence for Plushes and is not considered a manufacturing defect.

Saxony A Saxony is a cut pile carpet in which two or more plies of yarn have been twisted and heat-set so that the tip of each carpet tuft is distinguishable on the pile surface. Saxonies have the tendency to show footprints and vacuum cleaner sweep marks. This is due to light reflection of the fiber when pile direction is changed. This is not a defect of any kind, but merely a characteristic of this carpet construction.

Frieze Frieze – A true Frieze is similar to a texture in that footprints and vacuum sweeper marks are disguised. The textured appearance is acquired by placed a high twist level on the plied yarn. This high twist level causes the tuft to twist back upon itself providing a kinked appearance. In general terms, higher twist levels provide enhanced performance characteristics, when compared to lower twist products with the same construction attributes.

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Carpet Fiber Identification by Burn Tests Use a butane lighter to melt or ignite an unknown fiber to determine its type. Never use a match. The purpose of using a butane lighter is to avoid masking the odor of the burning fiber since the butane flame is odorless. • Nylon, Polyamide: Melts and shrinks from an approaching flame. In the flame, melts and burns slowly and is smoky. Once out of the flame, burns slowly and tends to self-extinguish. Burning nylon smells like celery. Its burned residue is a hard, shiny brown or gray bead. • Wool: Chars and curls away from an approaching flame. In the flame, it burns slowly and unevenly. Once pulled out of the flame it is self-extinguishing. It smells like burning hair. It has a brittle, irregular black ash. As with cotton and linen, protein fibers’ ashes readily crumble.

• Acrylic: Melts and shrinks from an approaching flame and ignites quickly. In the flame, burns rapidly with bright, sputtering flame with a lot of smoke. When withdrawn from the flame, it continues to burn, melts, and drips. It has an acrid odor and results in a hard, irregular black bead. • Polyester, Corterra: Melts and shrinks from an approaching flame. In the flame, melts and burns slowly. When withdrawn from the flame, it burns slowly, melts and drips. Has a slightly sweet smell. It produces a hard, shiny black or brown bead.

• Cotton/Linen: Cellulosic fibers such as cotton and linen ignite readily with an approaching flame and scorches. Once in the flame, it burns rapidly with a yellow flame. When pulled out of the flame, it continues to burn rapidly with a red afterglow upon extinguishing. Smells like burning paper. Its burned residue is a gray to charcoal colored light feathery ash, which easily crumbles. • Polypropylene (Olefin): Melts and shrinks from an approaching flame. In the flame, it melts and burns. When withdrawn from the flame, it continues to burn. It has a candle wax odor and produces a tough, tan bead.

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2. Water, Thickeners, Dyes and Chemicals

2.1

Water in the Textile and Carpet Industry Quality of process water is very critical and important for a successful dye and print operation. Especially water hardness is of importance. Hard water will result in higher usage of chemicals, thickeners and in bad results of dyeing and printing. A water softener

is recommended and in any way needed for the water used by the steam generator. In case of high concentration of other minerals, elements and impurities it is strongly recommended to use filters, chemicals and other methods to reduce or remove them.

General Recommendation for Process Water in theTextile Industry Clear, colorless, free of floating particles

Appearance Total hardness

dH°

1 - 4 dH (

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