Mimaki Contributes to Sustainable, Circular Textile Production with New Innovations
Mimaki, one of the global brands of wide format inkjet printers, cutting plotters and 3D printers, presented printing solutions and innovations that provide circularity and sustainability to the textile industry at ITMA 2023.
Participating in the ITMA 2023 with a wide product portfolio, Mimaki introduced the ‘Neo-Chromato Process’, which is a first in the world in circular textile technology and allows the reuse of pre-dyed polyester textiles and Textile Pigment Transfer Printing System.
Introducing Tiger600-1800TS, the most productive sublimation transfer printer, the company also presented its first direct-to-film printing model, TxF150-75 inkjet printing machine, which was recently announced for the clothing and promotion segment, to its visitors at ITMA.
Mimaki held a press conference during the exhibition. At the press conference, Mimaki Europe Sales General Manager Arjen Evertse, Mimaki Europe Marketing General Manager Danna Drion and Mimaki Engineering Global Marketing General Manager Yuji Ikeda shared information about the products they exhibited at the ITMA and their prominent features.
Tiger600-1800TS completely eliminates wastewater
This latest high-speed, compact and robust roll-to-roll inkjet printer Tiger600-1800TS has been designed to accelerate the analogue to digital transformation within the textile printing industry.
The Tiger600-1800TS boasts a maximum printing speed of 550 m2/h (43% faster than the previous model) owing to the renovated high-speed printhead and Mimaki’s proprietary image quality enhancement technologies. The printer’s size has also been halved compared to the previous system, with the paper mounting and winding system both located at the back of the machine. This smaller footprint enables customers to easily install multiple units to meet fluctuating demand, whilst also increasing overall production capacity.
“All of these latest and innovative developments ideally position the Tiger600-1800TS to compete with analogue textile operations and support the move to digital print production,” explained Arjen Evertse, General Manager Sales, Mimaki Europe. “The benefits of digital printing are wide-ranging compared to lengthy, complicated and unsustainable analogue production methods. Digital printing offers a seamless, cost-effective solution for producing smaller quantities that can be adjusted to fit varying demand. It also enables greater design flexibility and reduces environmental impact by enabling local production, minimal inventories and therefore, wasted products, as well as completely cutting out the wastewater that results from the analogue process. Thus reducing the environmental impact.”
Mimaki’s renowned expertise in developing reliable, easy-to-use and efficient solutions has also not faltered in the development of the Tiger600-1800TS. The printer’s ink tanks can be replaced without interrupting the printing process, minimising down time. Maintenance of the printer is also reduced with its roller paper feeding method eliminating the need for the application of adhesives onto a belt.
Mim
aki Unveiled Textile Pigment Transfer Printing System at ITMA
Mimaki Europe introduced its revolutionary technology, the Textile Pigment Transfer Printing System, at ITMA 2023. ITMA visitors also saw the complete Transfer Printing System for the Mimaki TS330-1600 with the new module, new pigment inks and pioneering Texcol® paper for the first time.
The transfer printing method is more sustainable than both analogue and digital textile dye printing methods with zero water consumption and substantially lower CO2 emissions. The system, demonstrated on the Mimaki stand (H7-C304), comprises three essential elements: the Textile Pigment Ink, the Transfer System and the Textile Pigment Transfer paper, Texcol®.
Texcol® is a revolutionary transfer paper pioneered by Dutch paper manufacturer, Coldenhove that allows for transferring a digital print using an environmentally friendly 3-step transfer process to create a vibrant application on a wide range of materials, including natural fibres.
The design is initially printed onto the paper using a customised TS330-1600 – Mimaki’s high-volume, high-quality dye sublimation printer – and Mimaki’s new pigment inks developed for the process. As the final stage, the Texcol® paper undergoes a one-step waterless process, through an entry-level calendar machine onto the textile of choice.
“Traditionally, the dyeing process for natural fibres generates an alarming amount of wastewater – around 2 billion tonnes every day in the pre- and post- dyeing processes worldwide – and contributes greatly to CO2 emissions,” said Arjen Evertse, General Manager Sales, Mimaki Europe. “In addition, the dyeing process is complicated in terms of equipment structure and process and often, overseas transportation of textile products from the main textile-producing countries also emits CO2. The Textile Pigment Transfer Printing System minimises water usage and simplifies the printing workflow. Additionally, its compact size and affordability allow small lot textile production to be implemented locally, leading to significantly reduced environmental impact.”
Neo-Chromato Process Allows Reuse of Pre-dyed Polyesters
Mimaki also debuted its new, unique Neo-Chromato Process, which revolutionises the reuse of coloured polyester textiles. Neo-Chromato Process, a world first in cyclical textile technology, allows re-use of previously dyed polyester textiles, eliminates need for incineration and reduces the energy consumption associated with recycling.
Arjen continued his words as follow: “The increasing awareness of sustainability has led to a significant disposal issue within the textile industry, with polyester textiles accounting for approximately 60% of 92 million tonnes of wasted textile materials worldwide. Of this enormous amount of polyester waste, currently around only 15% is recycled. Mimaki’s Neo-Chromato Process tackles this issue head on by utilizing a discolouring technology for dye sublimation inks. This process not only eliminates the need for polyester waste incineration but also reduces the energy consumption associated with textile recycling.”
By decolourising polyester textiles that have been dyed using dye sublimation technologies, this innovative process allows materials to be re-printed or dyed immediately, contributing to a smaller circular economy. There is no limit to how many times reused polyester can be treated with the Neo-Chromato Process and the process itself minimises water usage and pollution by enabling the disposal of the absorbent paper and decolouring solvents used in the process as burnable waste.
Mimaki launches the first direct-to-film inkjet printer, the TxF150-75
The TxF150-75 inkjet printer, the first direct-to-film printing model announced by Mimaki for the clothing and promotional segment, was presented to the visitors at ITMA. With a print speed of up to 3.3 m2 per hour and a print resolution of up to 1440 dpi, this new solution can produce DTF sheets up to 80 cm wide. Using a heat-based transfer method, this machine is ideal for creating premium, customized merchandise, sportswear and a variety of other promotional textile applications.
The design is first printed directly onto a special transfer film and sprinkled with hot melt powder. After being heated and dried, the transfer paper is ready to be applied to the fabric using a heat press.
Based on Mimaki’s existing 150 Series, one of its best-selling models, the new TxF150-75 responds to the market need for a reliable, stable DTF technology. Built-in ink circulation system and degassed ink pack design prevent common DTF issues, such as poor ink ejection and white ink clogging. These core technologies, which also include the nozzle check unit and nozzle recovery system, all ensure that processes are carried out efficiently with minimal intervention needed.
The printer also comes with Mimaki’s RasterLink7 RIP software, allowing users to have full oversight and the ability to streamline the process from the design to the final product.