Abstract:
An apparatus and method of making a silkscreen mesh holding apparatus is described. In one embodiment, the apparatus is configured to allow a silkscreen mesh to be adhesively bonded to the apparatus while preventing the formation of residual staining liquids thereon. In one configuration, the apparatus formed of tubular material and is coated with a powder coating configured to allow the apparatus to be easily cleaned with more environmental safe types of cleaning solvents. In one embodiment, the apparatus is coated with a powder coating configured to provide an adhesive attached thereto a bond strength, within a bond strength range, that allows a silkscreen mesh bonded therewith to be removed by peeling such silkscreen mesh and adhesive from the apparatus without the use of solvents.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to silkscreen methods and devices. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Generally, silkscreen devices are used to transfer an image to a surface. For example, conventional silkscreen techniques have been developed and used for years as a means to transfer artwork to toys, such as skateboards, or clothing, such as a “t-shirt”, for display to the public. Conventionally, a device used to silkscreen images onto surfaces such as cloth includes a frame having a silk screen transfer material mounted thereon. The silkscreen transfer material is generally made up of a mesh material (mesh), conventionally polyester material that allows staining liquids such as ink to be dispensed in a pattern onto the material. The mesh is configured to allow ink, for example, to touch some areas of a surface being silk-screened, such as cloth, while being kept from touching other areas of such surface to form a pattern. Often, multiple silk-screen transfers are made with different meshes so that an image may be created in different colors and patterns, which when overlaid ultimately produce a final image on the material. 
   Silkscreen mesh materials are often mounted to a frame made of wood or metal. Mounting methods generally include gluing or clamping the mesh to the frame. The mesh is stretched tightly over the frame. Glue may then be applied to the mesh where it engages the frame. When the glue cures, it bonds the mesh to the frame, providing a stable and accurate transfer mechanism. When gluing a mesh to a metal such as aluminum, the glue must be formulated to adhere to the metal. For example, a two-part epoxy or cyanoacrylate (super glues) is often used to bond such mesh to a silkscreen frame. Unfortunately, two-part epoxies require about 15 minutes to form a bond. Super glues, while bonding instantly, require additional time to cure. 
   Conventionally, during the silkscreen process, the frame as well as the mesh are exposed to several caustic and staining liquids such as ink. Often, the wood, metal, or plastic frame absorbs at least some of such caustic and staining liquids. Once the silkscreen processes is complete the frame may be reclaimed. Unless the silkscreen mesh is needed for further operations, the mesh is removed and discarded and the frame is cleaned to remove such residual staining liquids, residual pieces of mesh, and glues used in the silkscreen process that may contaminate a future silkscreen operation. Generally, to clean such silkscreen process liquids, pieces of mesh, and glues from the frame, the frame is placed in one or more solvent baths and may be sanded, wire brushed, or scraped to remove any contaminants. Unfortunately, such frame reclamation processes are labor intensive and often damage the surface of the frame. While such damage may be minimal, over time it may lead to the destruction of the frame thereby increasing silkscreen production cost. Moreover, such solvent baths are often highly caustic or hazardous liquids, for example gasoline, that may be unhealthy for the silk screen processing personnel exposed thereto, expensive, and if disposed of improperly often lead to environmental contamination. 
   Therefore, what is needed is a reusable apparatus and method of making such an apparatus that supports a mesh for silk-screening, that is economical, and is configured to reduce the need for excessive labor and environmentally damaging solvents to reclaim apparatus for reuse. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus configured to hold a silkscreen mesh with at least one adhesive while resisting staining liquids such as ink and environmental elements that cause corrosion. The apparatus includes a frame body formed from sections of tubular material joined at adjacent ends. The frame body is configured to support the silkscreen mesh for silkscreen processing therewith. The apparatus includes a sealing means for sealing an exterior surface of the frame body from an interior surface disposed therein, a patterned surface disposed integral to the exterior surface, and a coating bonded to the patterned surface. The coating is configured to resist absorption of the staining liquids and protect the exterior surface from the environmental elements, and provide an adhesion surface disposed integral the coating. The adhesion surface is configured to provide a bonding surface for the at least one adhesive to bond thereto with a predetermined bonding quality to secure the silkscreen mesh to the adhesion surface. 
   An embodiment of the present invention provides a method of constructing a silkscreen frame that is configured to mount a silkscreen mesh thereto and resist contamination by silkscreen processing fluids and external environmental elements that cause corrosion. The method includes forming a frame body from a plurality of tubular frame members. The frame body is configured to support the silkscreen mesh thereon. The method includes welding the tubular frame members at adjacent ends to form at least one welded joint, and removing at least a bead portion of at least one of the welded joints to form such welded joint substantially flush with an exterior surface of the frame body. The method further includes processing the exterior surface to form a pattern defining an adhesion surface structure thereon, applying a powder coating of polymer materials to the exterior surface, and curing the powder coating of polymer materials to form an exterior coating on the frame body. The exterior coating is configured to seal the frame body from the silkscreen process fluids and the external environmental elements. 
   An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for constructing a silkscreen frame that is configured to resist intrusion of silkscreen processing fluids, solvents, and environmental elements that cause corrosion and provide a surface to bond a silkscreen mesh thereto with one or more adhesives. The method includes forming a tubular silkscreen frame from a plurality of tubular members, welding the plurality of tubular members together at adjacent ends to form the tubular silkscreen frame, and processing an exterior surface of the tubular silkscreen frame to form a planner silkscreen attachment surface structure. The method further includes preparing the exterior surface to form an adhesion surface and forming a coating on the exterior surface of the tubular silkscreen frame with at least one polymer coating. The polymer coating is configured to seal the tubular silkscreen frame from the silkscreen processing fluids, protect the tubular silkscreen frame from corrosion by at least some of the environmental elements, and provide an adhesive surface configured to provide a bonding strength of the adhesives within a predetermined range of bonding strength. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. 
     It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the present invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a silkscreen apparatus in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a top view illustrating one embodiment of a silkscreen apparatus in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view A–A′ illustrating one embodiment of the silkscreen apparatus of  FIG. 2  in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view section of the silkscreen apparatus of  FIG. 2  in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a high-level flow diagram of a method of making a silkscreen apparatus in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a silkscreen apparatus  100  in accordance with aspects of the invention.  FIG. 2  is a top view illustrating one embodiment of a silkscreen apparatus  100  in accordance with aspects of the invention. Silkscreen apparatus  100  is configured to support a silkscreen  120  thereon as described further below. In one embodiment, silkscreen frame  100  includes a frame  102 . Frame  102  may include a variety of rigid materials that may be used to advantage. For example, frame  102  may include metals such as aluminum, steel, and the like, or include plastic materials configured for such use. Frame  102  includes a side member  104 A, another side member  104 B, a top member  106 A, and a bottom member  106 B. 
   In one embodiment, side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B are assembled together to define a shape of frame  102 . For example, side member  104 A and side member  104 B may be longer in length than top member  106 A and bottom member  106 B such that in combination,  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B define a rectangular shape of frame  102 . While frame  102  is illustrated with side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B, it is contemplated that frame  102  may be constructed as a complete one-piece structure, or may be formed from a plurality of individual pieces. For clarity, side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A and bottom member  106 B are illustrated in  FIG. 2  joined together by respective ends having mitered ends that are positioned at about forty five degrees that when joined together form joints  204 A–D. Joints  204 A–D are configured to form corners of frame  102 . Such joints  204 A–D may be formed from other types of edge configurations to form other types of joints  204 A–D such as straight joints, curved joints, interlocking joints, and the like. 
   Frame  102  includes a silkscreen attachment surface  108  thereon configured to receive bonding adhesives for securing silkscreen  120  thereto as described further below. In one embodiment, silkscreen attachment surface  108  may be integral to a planer upper surface portion of side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B such that silkscreen attachment surface  108  extends about an entire surface of frame  102  for attachment of silkscreen  120  thereto. Such a silkscreen attachment surface  108  may form a relatively smooth and flat plane to keep silkscreen  120  about planer and wrinkle free when stretched across such silkscreen attachment surface  108 . In another embodiment, silkscreen attachment surface  108  may extend along only a portion of frame  102  and occupy an area less than defined by such planer upper surface portion of side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B. Thus, only a portion of planer upper surface of side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B define a silkscreen attachment surface  108 . 
     FIG. 3  is a sectional view A–A′ illustrating one embodiment of the silkscreen apparatus  100  of  FIG. 2  in accordance with aspects of the invention. In one embodiment, silkscreen apparatus  100  includes frame  102  formed from a tubular frame member  304 . Tubular frame member  304  may be contrasted in virtually an unlimited number of ways. For example, side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B may be formed from tubular material that when joined form tubular frame member  304 . Tubular frame member  304  may be formed of virtually any tubular material that may be used to advantage such as tubular metal, tubular plastic, and the like. In one configuration, to decrease weight, tubular frame member  304  may be formed from aluminum, sheet metal, or other lightweight material that may be used to advantage. 
   Tubular frame member  304  may be sized with a predetermined wall thickness to define an inside cavity  308  while providing sufficient rigidity to support a silkscreen  120  stretched thereon. For example, tubular frame  304  may be formed from tubular material having a wall thickness sufficient to support a silkscreen  120  stretched thereon while being configured with a predetermined weight. It is contemplated that tubular frame member  304  may also be formed from one or more honeycomb type materials and other porous materials that provide sufficient rigidity and support for a silkscreen process while providing a weight reduction due to porosity of such materials. 
   In one embodiment, tubular frame member  304  includes an exterior surface  310  integral thereto. Exterior surface  310  may be configured with a predetermined pattern  312 . Pattern  312  may be configured to increase adhesion of a coating  316  thereto. For example, surface  310  may include pattern  312  integral thereon having a dimpled surface, such as an exterior surface of a golf ball, and other types of patterns configured to provide increase surface area and promote an adhesive bond. In one configuration, pattern  312  is formed by sand blasting exterior surface  310 . Such a sand blasting process may create a plurality of pits in exterior surface  310  that when combined form pattern  312 . Tubular frame member  304  may also include an upper surface portion  314  of exterior surface  310  positioned adjacent silkscreen  120 . Upper surface portion  314  is configured to provide a planner base structure for coating  316  disposed thereon. For example, upper surface portion  314  may be formed by grinding exterior surface  310  such that upper surface portion  314  forms a relatively flat planner base structure for coating  316  which when coated thereon forms silkscreen attachment surface  108 . 
   In one configuration, coating  316  is configured as a barrier to protect exterior surface  310  from fluids used in a silk screening process such as inks, dyes, solvents and the like, and to protect tubular frame member  304  from environmental elements that may cause corrosion, i.e. oxidation, such as water and oxygen. Coating  316  may be formed on exterior surface  310  using virtually an unlimited type of coating techniques such as powder coating, deposition, electroplating, painting, and the like. In one configuration, coating  316  may be formed on exterior surface  310  using at least one type of powder coating technique. In one embodiment, coating  316  may be formed from plastic type materials such as polyester and other materials that are configured to resist staining from staining liquids such as ink, repel environmental elements, and resist etching by solvents used to dissolve adhesive  320 . 
   Coating  316  may be configured to provide an adhesion base for bonding a silkscreen  120  to the frame  102  using a variety of adhesives  320 . Silkscreen  120  may be bonded to frame  102  by applying one or more adhesives  320  to either coating  316  or to a portion of silkscreen  120  disposed adjacent thereto, or to both. In an assembly operation, silkscreen  120  is stretched over frame  120 . Silkscreen  120  may be composed of a mesh structure. Adhesive  320  may be applied directly to silkscreen  120  whereupon, adhesive  320  diffuses through the mesh structure of silkscreen  120  to silkscreen attachment surface  108  of coating  316 . Such silkscreen  120  is kept taught while adhesive  320  cures. Once adhesive  320  cures, extra silkscreen  120  material may be removed by cutting such extra silkscreen  120  material from frame  120  using a straight edge, for example. Adhesive  320  may be virtually any type of adhesive  320  that may be used to advantage. In one embodiment, adhesive  320  may be selected from bonding agents, glues, and the like, that are predetermined to be less toxic to humans and the environment. For example, coating  316  may be configured to provide an adhesive surface for water-soluble non-toxic adhesives  320 . 
   In one configuration, coating  316  may be configured to provide a predetermined adhesion quality for adhesive  320  while resisting both staining fluids and other fluids used in silk screening processes. For example, coating  316  may be configured to repel silkscreen process fluids and provide a silkscreen attachment surface  108  with a predetermined adhesive quality. Such predetermined adhesive quality may be configured where removal of silkscreen  120  does not require solvents but rather may be removed by pulling silkscreen  120  and adhesive  320  from the silkscreen attachment surface  108  mechanically, e.g., by hand. Such a predetermined adhesive quality may be configured so that removal of adhesives  320  may be accomplished with little to no damage to silkscreen attachment surface  108 . 
     FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view section of silkscreen apparatus  100  of  FIG. 2  in accordance with aspects of the invention. In one embodiment, prior to coating external surfaces of side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B as described below, joints  204 A–D are formed by welding adjacent ends of side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B together. Such a welding process is configured to about seal exterior surfaces  310  of respective joined side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B from internal portions of frame  102  as described further herein. For example, a weld  402  is used to join side member  104 A with top member  106 A. In one configuration, such welding process may leave a bead portion of each joint  204 A–D. Such bead portion may be removed such that silkscreen attachment surface  108  is generally flat and planner. For example, weld  402  is processed such that a bead portion of weld  402  extending above silkscreen attachment surface  108  is removed to make weld  402  about flush to surface  314 . In one process, such bead portion of weld  402  may be removed by grinding such bead portion of weld  402  as known until about flush with exterior surface  310  of tubular frame member  304 . 
     FIG. 5  is a high-level flow diagram of a method  500  of making a silkscreen apparatus  100  in accordance with aspects of the invention. Method  500  may be entered into, for example, at  502  when a process to form apparatus  100  is initiated by a user, manufacturing process system, and the like. At  504 , at least one side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B are joined together to form tubular frame member  304 . In one embodiment, tubular frame member  304  is assembled by cutting lengths of tubular material, mitering each end of such tubular lengths ends to form joints  204 A–D therebetween that when connected define a generally rectangular shape of tubular frame member  304 . Such tubular frame member  304  is configured to support a silkscreen  120  stretched thereon. 
   At  506 , side member  104 A, side member  104 B, top member  106 A, and bottom member  106 B are welded together using known welding techniques to form a connected tubular frame member  304 . In one embodiment, a bead is formed at each joint  204 A–D during such a welding process. In one configuration, such a welding process is used to provide a weld  402  that is configured to seal an exterior of tubular frame member  304  from an interior cavity  308  therein. A portion of such bead adjacent a top surface  314  of tubular frame member  304  is removed to make such welded joint  204 A–D about flush with top surface  314  at  508 . In one process, such a bead portion of weld  402  is removed by grinding such bead portion down until weld  402  is about flush with top surface  314 . 
   At  510 , an exterior surface  310  of tubular frame member  304  is processed to form a pattern  312  thereon. Pattern  312  is configured to promote adhesion of a coating  316  disposed thereon. Pattern  312  may be formed using virtually any surface preparation technique configured to modify at least a portion of exterior surface  310  into a pattern  312  used to facilitate adhesion of a coating  316 , e.g., increase a surface area of exterior surface  310 . In one configuration, such a pattern  312  is formed using a sandblasting technique. For example, sandblasting may be used to form a pattern  312  of surface abrasions, e.g., dimples, scratches, and the like, in surface  310 . Thus, such abrasions may modify exterior surface  310  to form pattern  312  having random irregularities that may increase a surface area for coating  316  to adhere thereto. 
   In one configuration, at  512 , coating  316  is formed using at least one powder coating technique but may be applied using other techniques such as painting, electroplating, deposition, and other types of coating application techniques that may be used to advantage. For example, coating  316  may be formed by positioning an electrically grounded tubular frame member  304  into a process position, e.g., hanging. At  512 , such tubular frame member  304  is electrically grounded. In operation, such electrical ground should not be in common with a ground for a powder-coating apparatus (not shown). At  512 , such a powder-coating apparatus may be used to apply a charged powder coating material to an external surface  310  of such electrically grounded tubular frame member  304 . At least some of such powder coating material electrically adheres to such exterior surface  310  of tubular frame member  304 . 
   At  514 , such powder coating material that is adhering to such exterior surface  310  of tubular frame member  304  is bonded to such exterior surface  310  by a curing process. Such curing process may be include heating such tubular frame member  304  and powder coating material that is adhering to such exterior surface  310  within a predetermined range of about 275–400 degrees Fahrenheit for a predetermined time. Such curing process at  514  is configured to bond coating  316  to exterior surface  310 . While such a curing process of coating  316  is described in terms of being cured at a temperature of about 275–400 degrees Fahrenheit for a predetermined time, other curing techniques are contemplated that provide coating  316 . In one configuration, at  514  such coating  316  may be configured to provide a silkscreen process barrier to protect such exterior surface  310  of tubular frame member  304  from staining liquids, e.g., ink, and external environmental elements that cause corrosion, as described further herein. Coating  316  may be formed of powder coating materials and cured at predetermined amount of time and temperature to provide a silkscreen attachment surface  108  configured to bond with a variety of adhesives  320 , some of which are described herein, of which some may be removed without solvents by non-invasive mechanical removal, e.g., peeling, from such coating  316 . At  516 , if coating process is finished, then method  500  proceeds to  518  and ends. If however, such coating process is not finished, e.g., coating  316  is not fully cured, then method  500  returns to  514 . 
   While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.