Mimaki Saves Up to 90% Water with Two- Step Textile Transfer Printing
Mimaki Europe, a leading provider of industrial inkjet printers, cutting plotters, and 3D printers, announces the commercial release of its textile pigment transfer printing system, named “Trapis”. This commercialised version, available later this year, offers an environmentally friendly and easy to operate solution for textile applications – saving almost 90% of wastewater compared to conventional methods.
The commercial version of Trapis, the new textile pigment transfer printing system whose concept version was introduced at ITMA Milano last year, will be exhibited for the first time at FESPA Global Print Expo (GPE) 2024 at the Mimaki booth in Hall 12 F10. This commercialized version offers an environmentally friendly and easy-to-use solution for textile applications, saving almost 90% of wastewater compared to conventional methods.
The new pigment transfer textile printing system Trapis whose name is derived from the words ‘Transfer’, ‘Pigment’ and ‘System’, has advantages that differentiate it from both traditional and existing digital printing methods. TRAPIS, which produces almost without using any water, stands out as an environmentally friendly and easy-to-use solution for textile applications.
The complex processes of traditional analog and digital systems, which take seven and eight steps, can be achieved in Trapis with only printing and transfer steps. In the first step, the design selected by the user is printed on transfer paper with a special dye on the printing machine and in the second step it is transferred to the textile surface via a calender. Moreover, thanks to the reduced number of steps, there is no need for the specialized skills needed for complex processes. In addition, the new system eliminates the need for time-consuming and intensive maintenance as there is no fabric conveyor belt. Therefore, the system, which is easy to use and maintain, contributes significantly to accelerating the daily workflow and increasing productivity.
Saving 14.5 liters of water per m2 in textile printing
Both analog and traditional digital printing methods available on the market consume large amounts of water. Trapis, however, uses no water at all, except for automatic maintenance of the press. In addition, the fabric does not need to be pre-treated or washed, saving around 14.5 liters of water per square meter compared to other digital printing methods. This is a significant advantage both in terms of lowering operating costs and reducing environmental waste.
Mimaki’s innovative system Trapis not only further simplifies the process, but also makes it possible to expand the range of applications. A wide range of textile substrates can be printed with a single dye type, including natural fibers such as cotton and silk, as well as fabrics made from blended fibers. This makes the process flexible and easily adaptable to customer demands, even in low-volume multi-material production.
Another element that makes Trapis advantageous for users is its special paints. Mimaki paints, which have ZDHC MRSL Lv.3 certification, also meet the bluesign® Approved standard. This guarantees a safe and environmentally friendly process and final product for both the personnel involved in production and the end consumers. As with Mimaki’s existing textile solution portfolio, prints produced with Trapis can stretch and maintain color fastness for a long time without affecting properties such as breathability and water absorbability, which are important for sectors such as home textiles, sportswear and fashion.
Mimaki Eurasia General Manager and Mimaki Europe Sales General Manager Arjen Evertse explained that they received very positive feedback in this process. Evertse continued his words as follows: “In the past year, we have continued to develop Trapis and created a strong perspective, and we are pleased to share our solution, which is now ready to meet the market commercially, at FESPA GPE 2024. Aware of evolving sustainability standards and customer demands, we have developed an innovative and seamless system for our users. As a complex process-free textile printing solution that can be easily operated by anyone and installed anywhere, Trapis will become the solution of choice for print service providers to produce textile applications in vibrant colors while keeping cost, time and environmental impact to a minimum.”