Improved Laser Printing Equipment for Ceramics ILPEC

改进的陶瓷激光打印设备 ILPEC

• 批准号: AH/P012965/1
• 负责人: Martin Smith
• 金额: $ 18.42万
• 依托单位: Royal College of Art
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FP012965%2F1
• 关键词: Improved; Laser; Printing; Equipment; Ceramics

'Improved Laser Printing Equipment for Ceramics' builds on the results of the AHRC funded project: 'Extending the Potential for the Digitally Printed Ceramic Surface' (AH/M004333/1). The new project will offer immediate incremental improvements to the ceramic laser printing equipment currently available to ceramic tableware and giftware manufacturers and ceramic design studios. The project will also act as a longer term stimulus by identifying the technical specifications for the next generation of machines that will be directly dedicated to the needs of UK ceramics companies and related creative industries.The value of laser printed ceramic technology has been proven in limited contexts: it is now widely employed to print small runs of ceramic transfers used to decorate tableware, giftware and artworks. More recently leading UK ceramic companies have started to recognise the technology's true potential and its commercial disruptive capability. This new appreciation is due in part to the AHRC funded research project conducted by the Royal College of Art. This has demonstrated that the new technology offers a range of aesthetic and economic opportunities unattainable with screenprinting, currently the dominant means of creating the large runs of ceramic transfers used to decorate high-value ceramics i.e. porcelain and bone china. As a truly digital technology, laser printing also holds the potential for complete integration of digital design development and the actual print processes. One unanticipated outcome of the project was that the project team identified two key technical barriers to wider take-up of current laser ceramic printing technology. Whilst the laser print machines currently available were adequate for the requirements of office printing, two aspects of these laser printers' construction have proved to be weak links in the context of high volume, multi-colour accurate ceramic transfer printing. First is the inability of the current toner delivery system to handle the large quantities of different coloured mineral pigments needed for large runs of ceramic transfers. The second is the poor registration accuracy of the printer's paper feed mechanism.This project will develop the improved machine parts needed to successfully print high volumes of high-quality multi-colour ceramic transfers. The new parts for and improved toner delivery system and more accurate paper feed system will be iteratively developed using digital modelling and 3D printing or laser cutting. The final designs for these parts will be published as open source CAD files on the RCA Repository, allowing other users to create the parts themselves using the same techniques. The project will also assemble an industry working group to look beyond the currently available technology and define the requirements for a next generation, purpose-built, ceramic pigment digital laser printer. Drawing on the combined expertise of the working group, the project team will draft a comprehensive set of specifications that will respond to the needs of ceramics manufacturers and related industries that could use such machines. It is envisaged that the existence of the working group will also facilitate active partnerships amongst companies in complimentary areas and assist in the dissemination of both projects' outcomes across the members' own professional networks.The open access CAD files will offer immediate material improvements to current printers and the specifications will inform the next generation of specialised digital laser printers. Both these will be available through the RCA's repository and disseminated through a dedicated RCA project webpage. The project team will also present the project's results at trade shows, conferences and ceramic festivals as well as through articles in relevant trade and academic publications.

基于AHRC资助的项目的结果，“改进的激光印刷设备”建立在：“扩大了数字印刷陶瓷表面的潜力”（AH/M004333/1）。该新项目将对目前可用于陶瓷餐具和礼品制造商以及陶瓷设计工作室的陶瓷激光打印设备提供立即增量改进。该项目还将通过确定下一代机器的技术规格，直接致力于英国陶瓷公司和相关创意产业的需求。激光印刷的陶瓷技术的价值已在有限的环境中证明：现在已广泛使用用于打印用于装饰陶瓷餐具和艺术品的陶瓷转换的小型运行。最近，领先的英国陶瓷公司开始认识到该技术的真正潜力及其商业破坏性能力。这种新的赞赏部分是由于皇家艺术学院进行的AHRC资助的研究项目。这表明，新技术为屏幕打印提供了一系列美学和经济机会，目前是创建用于装饰高价值陶瓷的大量陶瓷转移的主要手段，即瓷器和骨中国。作为一种真正的数字技术，激光打印还具有完整整合数字设计开发和实际打印过程的潜力。该项目的一个意外结果是项目团队确定了更广泛采用当前激光陶瓷印刷技术的两个关键技术障碍。尽管目前可用的激光打印机足以满足办公室打印的要求，但在大容量，多色精确的陶瓷传输印刷的背景下，这些激光打印机结构的两个方面已被证明是薄弱环节。首先是当前的碳粉输送系统无法处理大量陶瓷转移所需的大量不同彩色矿物色素。第二个是打印机的纸张饲料机构的注册精度较差。该项目将开发成功打印出高量高质量多色陶瓷转移所需的改进的机器零件。使用数字建模和3D打印或激光切割的新零件和改进的碳粉输送系统以及更准确的纸张饲料系统将在迭代中开发。这些零件的最终设计将在RCA存储库上以开源CAD文件的形式发布，从而使其他用户可以使用相同的技术自己创建零件。该项目还将组装一个行业工作组，以超越当前可用的技术，并定义了下一代，专用，陶瓷色素数字激光打印机的要求。利用工作组的联合专业知识，该项目团队将起草一套全面的规格，这些规格将响应陶瓷制造商和可以使用此类机器的相关行业的需求。可以预见的是，工作组的存在还将促进免费领域的公司之间的积极伙伴关系，并协助传播这两个项目的成果在成员自己的专业网络中。开放式CAD CAD文件将立即为当前的打印机提供物质改进，这些规格将告知下一代专业的数字激光打印机。这两者都将通过RCA的存储库来获得，并通过专用的RCA项目网页进行传播。项目团队还将在贸易展览会，会议和陶瓷节以及相关贸易和学术出版物中的文章中介绍该项目的结果。

项目成果

Creating a Brighter Future? Responses to the commercialisation of a new ceramic print technology

创造更光明的未来？

• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: Making Futures
• 作者: Oakley, P.