Page 42 - Print 21 Magazine Jul-Aug 2020

Digital Textiles
Technology
For the professional textile printer, there is a range of high-throughput inkjet presses available from the likes of Durst, Kornit, and EFI.
Kornit
Kornit is an innovative Israeli company that supplies DTG machines, with different systems available to print on cotton and on polyester, in the case of
the latter, the recently launched PolyPro. According to Ashley Playford-Browne, Kornit country manager for Australia and New Zealand, the PolyPro represents a new offering to the industry. “It’s focused on the sportswear and athleisure markets and will bring work back to Australia thanks to its turnaround times and cost efficiency for any run length,” he says.
The key to the PolyPro printer is the new Kornit NeoPoly ink. The ink is made up of inline fixation, a white base layer, followed by CMYK, and then a new Poly Enhancer channel. The main advantage is that there is no need for any form of pre- or post-treatment – it goes straight onto the garment.
Playford-Browne says using a new process and inkset, the single-step system “reinvents” polyester printing, and will enable direct printing onto black and dark garments, with the target market those who are serving the sports clubs, schools and athwear markets. Globally there are some two billion polyester clothing products produced each year, a huge market.
Above Kornit: Direct to cotton with the Atlas and direct to polyester systems
EFI
Last year, EFI unveiled its new Reggiani Bolt high-speed textile inkjet printer, capable of printing at 600 x 600 dpi at 90 metres per minute in a single pass.
The machine is pitched at medium
to high end applications. The printer is available in 180 width, and 340 width is in the EFI product development roadmap.
Additionally, there are enhanced maintenance features such as a contactless wiping system and assisted alignment system; enhanced colour gamut and image quality; and the option to integrate analogue printing stations.
As an EFI product, the Bolt also comes with the Fiery digital front end, incorporating rip and colour management technologies.
Alternately the EFI FabriVu dye sublimation machine would typically come with a heat press and a cutter, usually a Zünd if the whole kit and kaboodle is supplied by Starleaton.
Roland DG
Commercial printers looking to dip a toe in the fabric printing water, and with a budget a fraction of that of the high end printers above, have plenty of options. DTG printers, starting from less than five figures, are not a huge investment, especially when you consider a printed t-shirt will cost around $2 for the shirt and sell for $20-30 or more.
The Roland DT-12 is its entry level device, printing on cotton fabrics for t-shirts, tote bags and the like. The object is placed on a platen, smoothed into place, then two or three minutes after printing the image is in place and a few minutes later the product is ready to take away.
The next step up is a Roland DG eco- solvent print-and-cut device, printing
to a heat transfer material for logos or designs that can be applied to a t-shirt
or promotional item that has a suitable polyester coating. The technology starts to open the door to homewares – souvenir tea towels for example, and cushion covers.
Roland DG then moves you up to
dye sublimation, aiming at sportswear where artificial fabrics are ideal and for other home textiles, with the necessary polyester coatings. A heat press is also needed as part of the set up.
.../continued on page 44
Durst
With the Rhotex 325, Durst introduces
in the 3.2-metre printer class a dual-purpose printing system that combines direct-to-textile printing
with dye sublimation transfer printing technology. Durst also has its Rhotex 500 five-metre-wide fabric printer.
Depending on the application and
fabric, the Rhotex 325 printing system can alternate between paper transfer and direct printing on polyester-based materials.
This is possible, thanks to the new Durst WTS printhead technology, which achieves a high-quality print using water-based dispersion inks for various printing materials and reaches a printing speed of up to 390 square metres an hour. The Rhotex 325 is equipped with an integrated hot air dryer, automated nozzle cleaning system, and additional features for 24/7 production.
Durst says its digital inkjet technology provides the solution to
the current challenges faced by the textile industry: increased flexibility, greater productivity, higher efficiency, better print quality, more designs, more colours, and a greater margin as
a result. At the same time, according to Durst, its high-performance multi-pass inkjet technology reduces production costs, production time, the amount of energy required, and the burden on the environment.
42 Print21 JULY/AUGUST 2020