Patent ID: 6257137
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: B41F

Abstract:
A method of controlling a multi-printhead screen printing machine where a plurality of pallets, adapted to carry a garment, sequentially move, in a single rotational direction, from a load station past each print head, which may be a print station, flash station or inactive, to an unload station, each complete rotation of a pallet defining a cycle, the method including the steps of:a) loading at least one pallet with a garment to initiate a first cycle;b) identifying the first garment loaded at a load station as garment number 1;c) setting at least one print head into active mode;d) providing functional settings to said active printhead;e) moving said pallets sequentially until garment number 1 arrives at the first active printhead;f) setting a counter on said first active print head to a value of y where y is the number of garments to be loaded on the machine;g) carrying out the functions set at said first active printhead;h) moving said pallet with said garment number 1 to the next printhead and changing the counter on said first active head to y-1;i) continuing the sequence e) to h) for each active print head as the pallets move from one print head to another until the counter value at each active print head is zero;j) beginning a next cycle when the garment number 1 again leaves the load station and repeating steps c) to j) for each succeeding cycle until all cycles are completed; andk) unloading the printed garments from the pallets.