Abstract
This research combines two digital technologies for customizing textile substrates: carbon dioxide (CO2) laser treatment and digital textile printing. They are highly versatile surface design technologies that provide great detail, enhance design flexibility, and meet the growing consumer demand for novelty and variety in apparel and textile designs. One of the most important aesthetic effects of combining those technologies is the potential to influence the color properties of digitally printed textile materials by laser treating the material surface before printing. The objective of this research is to determine if creating pile height variation by laser engraving cotton velvet fabric prior to digital inkjet printing can impact the resulting color. Because color yield depends on the surface in contact with the dye, a pile fabric (cotton velvet) was selected for this investigation. To develop samples, laser engraving was conducted to create pile height variance before printing using a 40W CO2 laser machine. The laser settings were held constant with 100% speed, 55% power and 400 dots per inch resolution. Laser intensity was controlled by using 0%, 50%, 75%, and 100% grayscale patterns to modify pile height and surface contour of velvet. Higher intensities remove more of the surface pile. After laser treatment, seven solid cyan, magenta, yellow, black, red, green, and blue colored stripes were printed with a reactive dye ink printer. After sample development, the color properties of the fabrics were measured by using a spectrophotometer with D65 daylight and 10° standard observer. Reflectance curves, C*, ΔEcmc, K/S values were obtained and interpreted to compare color consistency depending on pile height variation. According to the results, pile height variation was demonstrated to cause a measurable effect on color results in inkjet printing using instrumental measures.
Highlights
This research combines two digital technologies for customizing textile substrates: carbon dioxide (CO2) laser treatment and digital textile printing
Because color yield depends on the surface in contact with the dye (Kan et al, 2011), it was anticipated that variation in the pile height of a pile fabric would influence colorimetric attributes of the substrate. 1.1 Research Objective and Questions The research objective is to determine if creating pile height variation by laser engraving cotton velvet fabric prior to digital inkjet printing can impact the resulting color
There is a limitation imposed on the printable color space by using process colors in inkjet printing compared to the premixed spot colors that are utilized in traditional screen printing of textiles (Cie, 2015; Horrocks & Anand, 2000)
Summary
A laser system includes a laser source, a cutting head, an optical system, software to regulate the laser, a cutting table, and a system of the extraction that removes the smoke particles formed in the process of laser cutting. The cutting process involves focusing and intensifying the light from a laser source using a lens or mirror that creates a laser beam at the cut surface (Vilumsone-Nemes, 2018). To produce the CO2 laser beam, a gas of three combined elements in a sealed discharge tube is utilized: the three components are, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2), and helium (He), which are present in the ratio of 1:2:3 (VilumsoneNemes, 2018). Through mirrors present at both ends of the discharge tube, the light energy is reflected back and forth many times (Figure 2.5). According to the level of applied laser power, the cutting, perforation, marking, engraving, and heat sealing of the textile materials can happen (Nayak & Padhye, 2016; Vilumsone-Nemes, 2018)
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