text: with reference to the drawings , 10 generally indicates a textile printing apparatus in accordance with the invention . printing apparatus 10 is of the multi - head carousel type having a central , floor supported base 12 for housing electronic controls in the usual manner and horizontally rotatably supporting thereon a steel carousel 14 . carousel 14 consists of at least one ring 14a and a plurality of rigid spokes 14b which are fixed to the ring and extend horizontally inwardly to connect centrally with a support column 16 which is rotatably mounted centrally on base 12 and acts as a vertical support shaft . carousel 14 serves as a rotatable , &# 34 ; lazy - susan &# 34 ; type of support for a number of printing platens 18 which are adjustably connected spacedly around the circumference of the carousel at the ends of the individual spokes . as an example , eight platens 18 , preferably formed of aluminum and made in a selection of sizes , can be provided . six may be used for actual printing and thus will each have a print head carrying a single color of ink , generally designated 20 positioned thereover , as shown in fig1 when carousel 14 is positioned for printing . the empty head stations are used by one or two operators to apply and remove the textile goods to and from the appropriate platen 18 in the usual manner . optionally , fewer or more platens may be used for actual printing . each print head 20 has a heavy elongated arm 22 with electrical wiring 24 attached in the usual manner for supplying power for operation of a microcontrol panel 26 which is mounted at the outer end of each arm 22 . each arm 22 extends outwardly over a corresponding platen 18 when device 10 is in printing position , as shown in fig1 . as shown in fig6 and generally designated 29 is a new and elegantly simple head lift mechanism which causes all printing heads 20 of device 10 to move simultaneously up and down in a smooth , predictable and controlled manner . at an inwardly directed end thereof each arm 22 is pivotally connected to a rigid , preferably round mounting plate 28 . mounting plate 28 is rotatably disposed on column 16 above base 12 and is centrally penetrated by a piston 30 connected to a preferably pneumatic cylinder ( not shown ) housed within base 12 . to the upwardly directed end of piston 30 is connected a longitudinally disposed spool - shaped head 32 having an outwardly directed annular flange 32a at the bottom end thereof . for strong , secure pivotal connection to plate 28 each arm portion 22 of each printing head 20 has connected , for example by bolting , at its inwardly directed end on each side thereof a rigid , elongated depending side bracket 34 which extends downwardly and is rotatably penetrated by a pivot shaft 36 . each pivot shaft 36 extends at its opposed ends outwardly through and beyond a corresponding side bracket 34 which is separated by a bushing 38 rotatably penetrated by shaft 36 from an l - bracket 40 . each l - bracket 40 is non - movably fixed to mounting plate and is securely connected to an end of pivot shaft 36 . mounted as described , side brackets 34 of each arm 22 rotate slightly forward and back on pivot shaft 36 as an attached printing head moves up and down . to accomplish the required up and down movement of each printing head an extension bar 42 is rigidly connected to the centrally extending end of each arm 22 . the most inward end of each extension bar 42 , is directed toward piston 30 and has a stiff flange 44 having a preferably smooth , round - surfaced bumper 46 disposed on the upper surface thereof . each extension 42 and bumper 46 attached thereto is positioned so that the bumper contacts the lower surface on flange 32a of head 32 . thus , when piston 30 is activated upwardly all print heads simultaneously pivot downwardly ( under the force of their own weight ) at their outer ends , in a &# 34 ; teeter - totter &# 34 ; manner , as bumpers 46 follow flange 32a upwardly . conversely , when it is desired to raise the print heads , retraction of piston 30 places force on each bumper 46 and leverages the attached printing heads simultaneously , upwardly as their tilt on their respective pivot shafts 36 . it is noted that while the print heads pivot vertically , the print heads do not achieve the lateral rotational movement experienced by the carousel and the platens . it is preferred that bumpers 46 be formed of hardened steel ball bearings for durability and smoothness of action . however , other materials and forms will adequately suffice . fig7 illustrates a new carousel stop mechanism , generally designated 50 , constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention , for effecting simultaneous indexing and registration of all platens . stop mechanism 50 is located generally beneath any one printing platen position , from which position the corresponding printing head 20 has been removed . it is ordinarily at this position that an operator of apparatus 10 will stand to place the work piece on the free platen and to control the overall operation of the textile printing apparatus . generally speaking , stop mechanism 50 consists of a pneumatically - powered vertically - movable ramp which selectively slows and stops the rotational movement of carousel 14 by engaging one of spokes 14b . by engaging one of spokes 14b , stop mechanism 50 precisely registers each platen beneath the corresponding printing head , and substantially simultaneously activating lowering of printing heads 20 to printing position . more specifically , an elongated section of channel iron forms a mounting bar 52 for stop mechanism 50 . mounting bar 50 is secured at its inwardly directed end , beneath carousel 14 , to the top of base 12 and extends horizontally to an outwardly directed end , preferably terminating somewhat outwardly of carousel ring 14a . a locking arm 54 is formed by a shorter piece of channel iron and is mounted longitudinally on the upper surface of mounting bar 52 , adjacent to the outer end thereof , by bracket and bolt assemblies 56 which pivotally connect the inwardly directed end of locking arm 54 to the bar . the outwardly directed end of locking arm 54 is substantially adjacent to the outer end of mounting bar 52 , which latter is centrally , vertically penetrated by an air cylinder 60 mounted thereon . air cylinder 60 is normally activated so that locking arm 54 is usually in the upward position . upon activation by the press 10 operator , for example via a foot pedal ( not shown ), the piston 60a of air cylinder 60 retracts , downwardly , through aligned apertures formed vertically through both upper and lower walls of the outer end of mounting bar 52 and permits locking arm 54 , the lower surface of the outer end of which rests upon piston 60a to drop , thereby causing locking arm 54 to pivot downwardly toward horizontal mounting bar 52 . at the extreme outer end of locking bar 54 there is attached a vertically disposed ramp 58 having an approach end 58a on the left side thereof and a take - off end 58b on the right side thereof . approach end 58a of ramp 58 has an upper edge 58c which slopes gently upwardly , to the operator &# 39 ; s right ( to the right of the drawing ) and continues , although interrupted , across the top of ramp 58 . at the top of the slope of edge 58c a deep notch 58d is formed for acting as a detent and is provided on a right hand wall thereof with a rubber bumper 59 fixed thereto . beyond the position of notch 58d upper wall 58c slopes downwardly to the right . each carousel spoke 14b has positioned slightly inwardly on the lower surface of its outer end a depending flange 61 with a vertically disposed roller bearing 62 rotatably mounted thereon . roller bearing 62 is in vertical alignment with locking ramp 58 when the particular platen 18 and spoke connected thereto is above a ramp 58 and registration mechanism 50 . in operation , when the carousel 14 is manually moved to the operator &# 39 ; s right ( counterclockwise , in the direction indicated by arrow a in fig1 ), corresponding roller bearing 62 contacts approach end 58a of locking ramp 58 and travels up edge 58c so that the oncoming platen above roller bearing 62 will slow . when roller bearing 62 encounters and engages notch 58d in detent fashion the platen precisely registers in stopped position . roller bearing 62 can continue up ramp 58c to the point of notch 58d , instead of stopping before that point , because of the support and vertical movement for ramp 58 being provided by a pneumatic cylinder which inherently can yield slightly under the substantial weight of the moving carousel . rubber bumper 59 serves to muffle the noise ordinarily associated with the described braking and stopping action and to absorb the shock which occurs as carousel 14 is brought to a stop . the rubber bumper 59 material is preferably the type of rubber used in aircraft landing gear . thus , by use of the described structure for indexing and registration , carousel ring 14a is positioned so that each of the platens 18 on corresponding spokes 14b is precisely aligned underneath the next selected printing head 20 positioned around the circumference of mounting plate 28 . as roller bearing 62 detentably engages locking ramp 58 a microswitch 64 contacts the undersurface of the particular spoke 14b thereabove . microswitch 64 thus signals operation of piston 30 to cause lowering of all printing heads 20 simultaneously for printing . release of piston 60 and associated downward movement of locking ramp 58 is selectively controlled by the operator , with known control means , for example by use of a foot pedal ( not shown ). such release frees carousel 14 from its previously rotatably locked position in ramp notch 58d . the operator can then manually urge ( usually by gripping the closest platen ) the entire carousel 14 counter - clockwise to release roller bearing 62 from notch 58d and rotate it down take - off end 58b , away from ramp 58 so that each platen is moved to a registered position beneath the next print head 20 . once carousel 14 is so released , the operator reactivates cylinder 60 so that locking arm 54 is again gradually moved upwardly to its normal position . at the same time that locking arm 54 descends microswitch 64 is released from contact with the spoke 14b thereabove . this results in release of the pneumatic pressure on piston 30 of head lift mechanism 29 so that spool 32 lowers and presses downwardly on extension bar flanges 44 , causing simultaneous lifting of all print heads 20 from printing position , so as not to block manually imposed rotational movement of the carousel mounted platens thereunder . if preferred or required for a particular printing job , one or more print head positions can be skipped before the operator chooses to again activate the pneumatic cylinder 60 beneath locking arm 54 and thereby engage another spoke - mounted roller bearing 62 to register another platen 18 under the selected print head 20 . indicated generally as 66 in fig1 is an adjustable frame for supporting a known &# 34 ; silk &# 34 ; screen ( actually , now formed of polyester ) above a selected platen for printing of goods thereon . the goods are printed by a uniquely structured squeegee / flood bar ink applicator , generally designated 68 , which is shown in detail in fig2 - 5 ( some parts omitted from some views , for clarity ). optionally , a large ring 67 of angle iron may be disposed at the outer ends of spokes 14b for providing further structural support to carousel 14 as well as serving as a mounting site for screen frame adjustment bolt assemblies , indicated generally as element number 69 in fig7 . ink applicator 68 includes a carriage 74 and attached flood bar 76 and squeegee 78 . ink applicator 68 is preferably mounted on its left side by a collar 70 on a radially extending slide 72 mounted longitudinally beneath or within each print head arm 22 , in the usual manner above the corresponding screen ( not shown ) positioned in an adjustable screen frame 66 . the right side of ink applicator 68 may be connected and balanced for longitudinal movement thereof beneath the attached arm 22 in a similar collar and slide manner , or may be provided with other known longitudinal movement attachment structure ( not shown ), for example a channel and roller bearing arrangement , as desired . as will be clear in view of the structure of ink applicator 68 , as shown and to be described , other mounting structures therefor will also suffice , as long as applicator 68 can be signalled by the usual means ( for example via electronic push button controls on panel 26 ), to move radially inward and outward relative to the center of apparatus 10 . as will be described in more detail hereafter , ink applicator 68 has a carriage , generally designated 74 , for support and travelling operation of flood bar ( or coating blade ) 76 and squeegee 78 . generally speaking , during operation , as flood bar 76 moves radially outwardly beneath arm 22 it spreads ink on the gradually lowering printing screen positioned thereunder . then , after electronically triggered , pneumatically powered , automatic flipping of operating positions , ink applicator 68 travels radially inwardly on slide 72 and squeegee 78 , which is then in contact with the completely lowered screen above a corresponding platen , introduces the ink into the screen openings and removes the excess ink . the preferred structure of squeegee / flood bar ink applicator 68 is shown in great detail in fig2 , 4 , and 5 . the specific structure of carriage 74 thereof is especially preferred , and is important in order to provide adjustability to ink applicator 68 and to attain the ideal working angles of the coating blade 76 and squeegee 78 relative to the printing work surface , which angles are critical to peak printing performance . however , some variations on the structure to be described , for example with regard to specific forms of connection , may be conceived which will function adequately without changing the nature of the invention . more specifically , carriage 74 preferably has three rigid bars 80a , 80b , 80c disposed transversely relative to slide 72 and parallel to one another , and , for purposes of the following description , bar 80a being forward or outermost relative to the center of apparatus 10 , and bar 80c being inward or rearwardmost . bars 80a , 80c are supported at their opposed ends perpendicularly from side bars 82a , 82b in such manner as to be pivotal radially outwardly and inwardly thereon , with respect to the center of apparatus 10 , as for example , by connectors 84 . the center transverse carriage bar , 80b is fixed at each of its opposed ends to the sides of the carriage . as shown most clearly in fig3 fixed to transverse , forward rigid bar 80a and extending downwardly therefrom is a short connecting bar 86 which is fixed at its lower end to a squeegee support plate 88 which is disposed transversely relative to slide 72 . support plate ( or mounting strip ) 88 is shaped with a formed angle along its entire length and has squeegee 78 attached along the forwardly angled portion by known squeegee clamps 90 , for example by nut and bolt assemblies 92 . parallel to the rearwardly ( radially inwardly ) angled portion of squeegee support plate 88 there is connected an elongated flat , rigid flood bar support plate 94 , which is attached by known connecting structure to transversely disposed flood bar 76 . conceivably , squeegee support plate 88 and flood bar support plate 94 could be formed as one piece , rather than two , individual plates . however , the independent status thereof permits limited adjustment of the the plates , relative to each other , via connecting bolts , such as are indicated at 89 in fig3 . thus , as is seen in the end view provided in fig3 the described squeegee and flood bar arrangement is far from an inverted &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, as in the above - discussed known squeegee / flood bar configurations . rather , the overall schematic impression of the present structure , when viewed from either end , as in fig3 for example , is much closer to being a tilted or &# 34 ; running &# 34 ; &# 34 ; m &# 34 ;. only in this manner can the appropriate blade and squeegee angles be attained for optimal printing quality . previously , no structure has been developed which uses a combined flood bar / squeegee , flip - flop structure yet permits facile attainment of the optimal print attack angle . above parallel carriage bars 80a , 80b , 80c there is connected further structure attaching carriage 74 to slide 72 and for causing overall adjustments of ink applicator 68 and positioning of the flood bar 76 and squeegee 78 so that one or the other is down , in operating position . short , paired , parallel piston actuator bars 96 are fixed centrally and extend upwardly from the upper surface of pivotaly mounted transverse carriage bar 80a . at their upwardly directed ends piston actuator bars 96 are pivotally connected to the outer end of a piston 98 , the inner end of which is slideably housed within a preferably pneumatic cylinder 100 . cylinder 100 is operated by known controls for automatically changing the mode of operation from flooding by coating blade 76 to scraping by squeegee 78 , and back , for the next work piece , as will be described . cylinder 100 is desireably pivotally secured between the upwardly directed ends of paired , upstanding brackets 102 , which extend parallel to each other from their corresponding lower ends which are fixed to carriage plate 104 . carriage plate 104 is fixed to and partially covers the upper surfaces of transverse carriage bars 80a , 80b , 80c , to interconnect such bars , providing structural support to the carriage , as well as providing a mounting site for fixing cylinder brackets 102 thereto . as seen in fig2 and 4 , paired piston actuator bars 96 extend through an opening 104a in carriage plate 104 downwardly and an angle toward their mounting site on pivotal transverse carriage bar 80a . thus , by operator selective actuation of electronic controls cylinder 100 can be operated to move piston 98 slideably in and out , as indicated by arrows c in fig3 and thereby push or pull the upper end of actuator bars 96 forward or backward to shift the position of ink applicator 68 from the flooding to the squeegeeing position , or vice versa , as desired . at the rearwardly ( radially inwardly ) directed edge of flat carriage plate 104 there is fixed an upwardly extending , heavy flange 106 , the top edge of which is penetrated by a heavy machine bolt 108 . bolt 108 attaches flange 106 to one end of a short rigid bar 110 . bar 110 extends outwardly to one side of carriage 74 , shown here terminating at the operator &# 39 ; s left side , preferably at an opposed end which is fixed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of collar 70 . as described previously , collar 70 is penetrated by slide 72 . so mounted , carriage 74 is supported slightly to the left of center thereof for smooth travel on slide 72 beneath arm 22 . the right side of carriage 74 is similarly supported , or made cooperatively movable by known flood bar and squeegee support means so that such structures are balanced during their respective passes across the work piece . adjacent to the right end of forward carriage bar 80a , on the upper surface thereof , there is welded a mounting block 112 which threadably receives a correspondingly threaded shaft 114 , which shaft extends upwardly therefrom and has a guide eye 116 fixed at its upwardly directed end for passage therethrough of a preferably threaded adjustment shaft 118 . threaded shaft 118 extends forwardly through guide eye 116 which rotatably supports the shaft outer end . an adjustment knob 120 is centrally mounted on shaft 118 , rearwardly of guide ring 116 . threaded shaft 118 extends substantially horizontally rearwardly until threadably engaging dog 122 which is pivotally connected via horizontally disposed pivot shaft 124 to the upper end of an elongated , support block 126 . support block 126 is fixed at the lower end thereof in generally upstanding position upon transverse carriage bar 80c , at the extreme right end thereof . with threaded rod 118 so mounted , operation of adjustment knob 120 permits fine adjustment of the pivotal movement of carriage 74 on connectors 84 at the rearward ends of carriage side bars 82a , 82b . carriage 74 thus pivots forward or back , as the case may be , as generally indicated by arrows b in fig2 and 3 . this pivotal adjustment feature enhances the operator &# 39 ; s ability to precisely control the working angles of and pressure on flood bar 76 and squeegee 78 . at the left end of rearward transverse carriage bar 80c , on the upper surface thereof , there is fixed a support column 128 having perpendicularly fixed at the uppermost end thereof a forwardly extending and opening forked member 130 . the paired parallel arms 130a , 130b of forked member 130 pivotally support between the outer ends thereof an eye 132 which is connected to a threaded shaft 134 which extends generally downwardly and threadably connects at its lowermost end to a correspondingly internally threaded hollow shaft 135 which is radially fixed to a another eye 136 . lower eye 136 is pivotally connected , for example , by a bolt 138 to an l - bracket 140 , which in turn is fixed adjacent to the left end of fixed transverse carriage bar 80b . an adjustment knob 142 is mounted at its center on threaded shaft 134 , so that by rotation thereof the operator can pivotally effect fine adjustment of the position of carriage 74 generally in the directions indicated by arrow b in fig2 and 3 . as discussed with regard to the right side of carriage 74 , shown in fig3 fig2 which shows the left side of the carriage also demonstrates that carriage 74 pivots on connectors 84 at the rearward ( radially inward ) ends of side bars 82a , 82b , where they connect to the opposed ends of rearward transverse carriage bar 80c . as is clear from the above description and the accompanying figures , numerous modifications on the preferred embodiment may be conceived without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the simultaneous head lift structure can be adapted for use on a non - carousel type textile printing apparatus , as could the described , combined squeegee / flood bar ink applicator . however , with the above - described construction , it is seen that the unique combination of the new simultaneous head lift mechanism , stop ramp for indexing and platen registration , and flip - flop flood bar / squeegee ink applicator provides a greatly improved automated carousel textile printing apparatus . the new apparatus can be manufactured so economically that it can be produced in the mid - priced range , yet has production capability and operational efficiency which effectively compete with much higher priced , fully automated models . in view of the foregoing , it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantages are attained . although the foregoing includes a description of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention , various modifications are contemplated . as various modifications could be made in the constructions herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting .