As is the case for many other trade shows that were supposed to take place during the first half of this year, FESPA 2020 has been postponed due to the coronavirus. Originally scheduled for March 24 – 27, the event has been rescheduled to October 6 – 8. This postponement didn’t stop EFI Reggiani from announcing its new textile solutions, and FESPA attendees will hopefully get to experience these innovations firsthand later this year. FESPA October will also enable the company to introduce further innovations as the product lineup continues to evolve.
EFI Reggiani, an Italy-based provider of complete solutions for the global textile market, has unveiled some solutions that change the way textile products and apparel are designed and produced. Under the theme Innovation in Green, the company is highlighting its continued commitment to the environment with its sustainable solutions. EFI Reggiani is placing a particular focus on direct-to-textile printing for home textiles as well as fashion and sportswear applications.
A Pigment Ink Solution for Natural Fabrics
Originally launched in 2018, EFI Reggiani’s TERRA pigment ink platform comprises a range of high-performance digital production printers. These devices use an internal polymerization process that occurs while the fabric goes through the on-board dryer. The process uses less water and energy and reduces time to final print without needing external stentering or steam/wash processes like other digital direct-to-fabric printing processes.
AT FESPA 2020 in October, EFI Reggiani plans to highlight its platform of four devices, which feature the company’s innovative pigment ink with binder and pretreatment chemistry as well as optional post treatment solutions. The TERRA pigment ink, which incorporates the binder, now extends to 8 colors (incorporating orange and green in addition to the existing offering of CMYK plus red and blue). Using Kyocera printheads with Reggiani ink recirculation technology and inbuilt printhead maintenance, the technology is designed to provide print durability, longer printhead life, and reduced maintenance costs on nearly any type of fiber. The EFI Reggiani TERRA pigment ink solution includes benefits that are not always associated with pigment ink solutions, including strong wet- and dry-fastness, intense colors, and excellent printing definition.
The TERRA range comprises 4 multi-pass models, ranging from the TERRA Silver (producing 150m2 per hour) all the way up to the TERRA Titan (producing 1,000m2 per hour with 32 single-channel printheads). This comprehensive lineup enables businesses to invest at the most suitable level and scale up to mass production as business expands. EFI Reggiani has seen a recent take-up of its TERRA pigment ink solutions in China, Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, and Poland as companies gain confidence in switching to digital pigment technology. Interest in the higher end Platinum and Titan models has reportedly been especially high. Customers that have implemented the TERRA pigment solution cite numerous benefits, including the fact that the binder is laid down only where the pigment ink is. This reduces the need for major post-treatment, saving on chemistry and time.
Of particular significance to customers of the TERRA Titan has been the robustness of the device and the handling of the fabric. The device also enables high quality, even with one pass at very high speeds. With prices ranging from €130,000 – €150,000 for the TERRA Silver and €500,000 – €600,000 for the TERRA Titan, EFI Reggiani has reported adoption for all types of applications. These include high volume home textile fabrics, outdoor parasols, printing on leather, and even cork-based fabrics for fashion accessories.
A New Direct Sublimation Printing Solution for Fashion and Sportswear Applications
For polyester printing requirements, EFI Reggiani also plans to unveil its new improved direct-to-fabric sublimation solution in October. A new range of inks will be demonstrated with the company’s established fashion printer, the EFI Reggiani Vogue. At the core of the new process is EFI Reggiani’s IRIS range of sublimation inks, which now ensure superior color brightness and penetration, improved softness of hand, and the ability to print directly on polyester-based fabrics. Although these dual-use IRIS inks are suitable for transfer paper sublimation printing, they can now also be used on all Reggiani direct-to-fabric belt printers (including the Vogue).
With the Vogue, EFI Reggiani is working to address a concern of fashion and sportswear manufacturers alike—the need to sustainably print directly onto polyester fabric while achieving the deep penetration of high energy direct disperse printing needed for more elastic fibers. In addition, the solution offers the benefits of a waterless sublimation printing process (which fixes through heat calendaring) rather than the water-intensive steaming and washing processes associated with high-energy direct disperse printing. Direct sublimation is also more environmentally friendly as it saves on paper use.
Although direct sublimation printing in the flag, sign & graphics, and even home textile sectors is not new, EFI Reggiani has specifically developed a more sustainable digital printing solution that can target high-volume fabric printers in the fashion and sportswear industries. Many of these businesses are accustomed to the high vibrancy and penetration of direct disperse printing, but they may want to move away from water-intensive steam and wash fixation processes. The IRIS sublimation inks are available in CMYK plus orange, blue, fluorescent yellow and magenta, light cyan and magenta, and light grey.
The Bottom Line
EFI Reggiani’s FESPA lineup launch appears to aim toward enhancing the company’s ink and chemistry solutions together with its diverse range of digital textile printers. These solutions will bring greener, more efficient direct-to-fabric digital printing opportunities to customers and help the company expand into new markets by developing solutions that respond to customer requirements. Companies like EFI Reggiani continue to fine-tune their digital printing solutions in terms of reliability, productivity, and sustainability. Keypoint Intelligence believes that these enhancements will ultimately help transform the fabric printing manufacturing industry so it can operate more efficiently, less wastefully, and more cost-effectively. The current climate only enhances the requirement for fabrics to be produced as needed, where they are needed. Production processes will also need to be increasingly flexible and sustainable as the industry moves forward.
For more information about EFI Reggiani’s portfolio of solutions for the textile and apparel industries, please visit www.efi.com/reggiani.
