INNOVATION INNOVATION

DIGITAL PRINTDIGITAL PRINTWALLCOVERINGS AND FURNISHING

FABRIC

PRESENTED BY MICHELLE LEDWARD - R A SMART LTD

OVERVIEW OF R.A.SMARTOVERVIEW OF R.A.SMART• EST. 37 YEARS TEXTILE SCREEN

PRINT SUPPLIER

• RAS PRINTS - 22 YEARS FLAT SCREEN SHORT RUN/BESPOKE DESIGNS

• RAS MACHINERY- 1986 BESPOKE TEXTILE SCREEN PRINT EQUIPMENT

• RAS CAD- 1991 TEXTILE DESIGN/COLOURATION SOFTWARE

• RAS (CAD & MACHINERY) MERGED IN 1998 TRADITIONAL EQUIPMENT CAD & DIGITAL PRINT SYSTEMS -TEXTILE SECTOR

• RAS DIGITAL 2000 DIGITAL TRADE

PRINTER

• SPECIALIST WEAVE 2003 OFFERING

BESPOKE WOVEN SILK

• DIGITAL WALLCOVERINGS 2007

TEXTILE OVERVIEWTEXTILE OVERVIEW

MIMAKI TX1600SMIMAKI TX1600S

• 1998

• HIGH QUALITY PRINT RESOLUTION

• LOW COST DEDICATED TEXTILE MACHINE

• VERY SLOW (1.8 SQ/MT PER HR)

• INK TYPE: ACID, REACTIVE OR DISPERSE

• LIMITED FABRIC HANDLING CAPABILITIES

WHO USED EARLY TEXTILEWHO USED EARLY TEXTILE

DIGITAL PRINT?DIGITAL PRINT?

• DESIGN STUDIOS

• SAMPLING DEPARTMENTS

• FASHION DESIGNERS FOR BESPOKE /ONE OFF

• EDUCATION

WHY USE DIGITAL PRINTWHY USE DIGITAL PRINT

IN TEXTILES?IN TEXTILES?

• SAMPLING WITHOUT SCREEN COSTS

• MINIMAL OUTLAY BEFORE A DESIGN IS SOLD

• NO CONSTRAINTS ON NUMBER OF COLOURS PER DESIGN

• NO RESTRICTIONS OF REPEAT SIZE NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH SCREEN

• QUICK TURN-ROUND

SECOND GENERATIONSECOND GENERATION

MACHINESMACHINES

• PIEZO BECOMES RECOGNIZED HEAD TECHNOLOGY

FOR DIGITAL TEXTILES

• INCREASED PRINT SPEEDS WITH MORE RESOLUTION OPTIONS AVAILABLE

• BETTER SUBSTRATE HANDLING CAPABILITIES

• SHORT PRODUCTION QUANTITIES BECAME VIABLE

MIMAKI TX2MIMAKI TX2

• 2001

• EPSON PIEZO TECHNOLOGY PRINT HEADS

• 8 COLOUR 4-8 SQM /HR

• GOOD FABRIC HANDLING CAPABILITIES

• TRUE SHORT RUN PRODUCTION MACHINE

DIGITAL INKS FOR TEXTILESDIGITAL INKS FOR TEXTILES

INK TYPE

• REACTIVE

• ACID

• DISPERSE-direct & in-direct

• PIGMENT

SUBSTRATE

• COTTON/SILK/LINEN/VISCOSE

• SILK/WOOL/NYLON

• POLYESTER

• ALL FABRICS

PRE/POST TREATMENTSPRE/POST TREATMENTS

REQUIRED FOR TEXTILE REQUIRED FOR TEXTILE

REACTIVE ACID DISPERSE PIGMENT

PRE-TREATED

FABRIC REQUIRED

PRE-TREATED FABRIC

REQUIRED

PRE-TREATED FABRIC NOT

TECHNICALLY REQUIRED

(NORMALLY USED TO ENHANCE

SHARPNESS)

PRE-TREATED FABRIC NOT

TECHNICALLY REQUIRED

(NORMALLY USED TO ENHANACE

COLOUR)

STEAM & WASH STEAM & WASH

BAKE OR HIGH TEMPERATURE

STEAM

HEAT TRANSFER

PAD COAT &

HEAT TREAT

INDUSTRIAL DIGITAL PRINTERSINDUSTRIAL DIGITAL PRINTERS

FIRST GENERATIONFIRST GENERATION

• MACHINES CAPABLE OF PRINT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 120 SQ/MT PER HOUR

• SOPHISTICATED FABRIC HANDLING CAPABILITIES

• IN-LINE PRE-TREATMENT/POST-TREATMENT POSSIBLE

MIMAKI TX3MIMAKI TX3

• 2004

• EPSON PIEZO HEAD TECHNOLOGY

• SELF DIAGNOSTIC NOZZLE CHECK

• ROTATING FABRIC BELT WITH WASHING FACILITY

• 8 COLOUR

• 10-20 SQ/MT PER HOUR

DUPONT ARTISTRIDUPONT ARTISTRI

• 180CM PRINT WIDTH ( 2006)

• PIEZO HEAD TECHNOLOGY

• TWO BANKS OF PRINT HEADS

• UP TO 52 SQ/MT PER HOUR

• DUPONT WITHDREW FROM MACHINE MANUFACTURE 2008

REGGIANI DREAM MACHINEREGGIANI DREAM MACHINE

• APRION PIEZO HEAD TECHNOLOGY

• ROTATING FABRIC TRANSPORT BELT

• UP TO 150 SQ/MT PER HOUR

• 6 COLOUR/42 PRINT HEADS

ROBUSTELLI MONALISA PRINTERROBUSTELLI MONALISA PRINTER• PIEZO EPSON PRINT HEAD TECHNOLOGY

• 12 PRINT HEADS/ 8 COLOURS

• ROTATING FABRIC BELT WITH INTERGRATED WASHING AND DRYING FACILITY

• 240 SQM/HOUR MAX PRINT SPEED 360 X 360 RESOLUTION8 PASS BIDIRECTIONAL

• 140 SQM/H @ 540 X 720

• Production 21-28 lm / hour

OSIRIS ISISOSIRIS ISIS

• FIXED FULL WIDTH ARRAY OF 384 HEADS

• 8 COLOUR, IMAJE PRINT HEAD

• UP TO 3.2MT WIDE

• UP TO 20 LINEAR MT MIN (3,840 SQ/MT HOUR)

• 1.6M WIDE RUNNING AT 30LM 2880 SQ/MT HR

UV/LED DIGITAL PRINTERSUV/LED DIGITAL PRINTERSMIMAKI UJFUV MACHINE

• TEXTILE

• CERAMIC

• GLASS

• WOOD ETC

• CAPABLE OF PRINTING

WHITE

MIMAKI UJV/LED

• FLEXIBLE INK

• NO EMISSION

• LAMINATION BENEFITS

RAS DIGITAL PRINT FACILITYRAS DIGITAL PRINT FACILITY

• 2 ROBUSTELLI –ACID & REACTIVE

• 4 MIMAKI JV5 - SB,WB,REACTIVE,ACID

• 1 MIMAKI TX400 - SUBLIMATION

• 2 TX2 PIGMENT, REACTIVE

DIGITAL DIGITAL

WALLCOVERINGSWALLCOVERINGS

MIMAKI JV5MIMAKI JV5

8 COLOUR WB PIGMENT

4 COLOUR PROCESS SOLVENT

THEORECTICAL MAX SPEED 40 SQ/MT PER HOUR

ACTUAL 18 -24 LM / HR IN PRODUCTION

WALLCOVERINGSWALLCOVERINGS

INK TYPE

• WATERBASED

• SOLVENTBASED –STD/ ECO

• UV

SUBSTRATESSUBSTRATES

SELECTION OF PROVEN GRADES IN WALLCOVERINGS

• NON-WOVEN

• COATED PAPER

• VINYL

• FOIL

• FABRIC –LAMINATED TO PAPER ( SILK / COTTON)

COMBINE TECHNIQUESCOMBINE TECHNIQUES

UTILISE THE BEST OF BOTH DIGITAL & TRADITIONAL PRINT METHODS TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES TO ACHIEVE THE NEW DESIGN EFFECTS

BARRIERS BARRIERS

• INKS ARE GENERALLY TRANSPARENT

• RESTRICTED PIGMENT RANGE (8,6 OR 4 COLOUR)

• NO WHITE

• NO METTALLIC, PEARLESCENT

• NO RELIEF EFFECTS

• INKS ARE EXPENSIVE!!!!

ADVANTAGESADVANTAGES

• NO LIMITATION ON NUMBERS OF COLOURS

• UNLIMITED REPEATS

• LIMITED SET UP COSTS

• OFTEN THE DIGITAL FILES ARE TRANSFERABLE FROM PAPER TO FABRIC

• SHORT RUNS / BESPOKE COLOURING

• VERSATILE –VARIABLE PRINT WIDTHS

FOCUS ON WHAT CAN BE DONEFOCUS ON WHAT CAN BE DONE

• SILVER , GOLD AND PEARLESCENT BASE MATERIAL

• TEXTURED PAPER

• UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIALS

FORTHCOMING DEVELOPMENTSFORTHCOMING DEVELOPMENTS

• UV LED -ECO TYPE MACHINES

• WIDER MACHINES- UP to 5 m

• NEW PRINT HEADS, MORE NOZZLES, FASTER MACHINES, AFFORDABLE

• INKS – METALLICS, FLEXIBLE ,RELIEF EFFECTS, IMPROVED RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTICS

• SUBSTRATES & COATINGS- DESIGNED FOR DIGITAL

POTENTIAL FOR INKJET IN THE POTENTIAL FOR INKJET IN THE

TEXTILE SECTORTEXTILE SECTOR

• APPROX. 30 BILLION SQ/MT PRINTED TEXTILES WORLDWIDE AT PRESENT

• APPROX. 0.1% DIGITALLY PRINTED AS AT END 2003, RISEN TO APPROX 1% AS AT END 2006. CURRENTLY ESTIMATED TO BE < 5% IN 2009

• HUGE POTENTIAL FOR A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE MARKET SHARE WITH FASTER MACHINES & ACCEPTANCE OF THE TECHNOLOGY

CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS

• THE MARKET SHARE FOR DIGITAL PRINT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW WITH HARDWARE & SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

• ALLIED INDUSTRY RECOGNITION- INK & SUBSTRATE ETC

• CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE HAS PROVED FAVOURABLE FOR DIGITAL TO BE CONSIDERED

• CONVENTIONAL PRINTING TECHNIQUES WILL ALWAYS BE UTILISED FOR SPECIALIST TECHNIQUES & VERY LARGE PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS