The Digital Print Transition

High-speed printing
Over the past few years, vendors have also looked to industrial printhead technologies from Fujifilm Dimatix, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Markem Imaje, Ricoh and Seiko Printek, to enable greater production capabilities. The resulting machines typically come with a higher price tag, but support greater throughput. System developers include Agfa, d·gen, Durst, Hollanders, Konica Minolta, Mimaki, MS Macchine, Osiris (now part of Ten Cate), Reggiani, SPG (Stork Prints) and Zimmer. Among the vendors listed, printhead technology from Kyocera has gained considerable attention and is being used in some of the highest-speed printers entering the market.

Stork’s Sphene printer, Reggiani’s ReNOIR and MS Macchine’s JPK series are at the top end of this spectrum and offer print rates of several hundred linear meters per hour. Most textile machines are engineered as transversing systems in which the printhead travels back and forth across the width of the substrate during printing. In this context, speed is achieved through the use of larger printheads and via array technology (banks of printheads). In the case of the Sphene and JPK series, it’s possible to purchase more than one print rail for greater production capability.

MS Macchine is also in the midst of launching its high-speed LaRio printer capable of printing up to 70 meters per minute. The LaRio machine is part of a new generation of technology that incorporates stationary print arrays that span the width of the cloth. Each print bar applies a single color as the fabric is transported beneath and it’s possible to purchase the machine with up to eight print bars. This strategy is often referred to as single-pass continuous printing.  According to MS Macchine, the first printer is being installed for an Italian company and was expected to be running production by mid-summer. The second machine is being installed in Brazil next month.

The Isis machine, developed by Osiris and now sold by the Xennia division of Ten Cate, is also among this group of fast machines. Also a single-pass continuous printer, the Isis incorporates printheads from Markem Imaje and can run up to 30 meters per minute, although at a modest print resolution. It’s important to note that while single-pass continuous machines offer speed and flexibility in production and imaging, the price tag dictates adoption where the production flow is significant.