Technology

Lectra supports the transformation of fashion, automotive and furniture players by providing them with technological solutions that accelerate their transition to a more efficient and more sustainable Industry 4.0. The Group announces the launch of a new generation of intelligent, connected low-ply equipment for the fashion industry, VectorFashion iX2 and VectorFashion Q2. They are particularly well suited to ensuring a quick, easy transition from small-volume production to larger order volumes, while maintaining optimal cutting quality. Developed with an eco-design approach, their environmental and social impact has been significantly improved.

In fashion, the current trend is towards capsule collections and the constant renewal of products. Manufacturers therefore have to produce smaller volumes of the same design and the number of orders to process and materials to cut is increasing. VectorFashion iX2 and VectorFashion Q2 allow manufacturers to cut variable volumes in an agile manner, in all types of materials.

“As economies of scale are increasingly difficult to achieve, fashion manufacturers need to gain flexibility while controlling the costs associated with the production of the orders they receive. With optimized running costs and enhanced performance, the new generation of VectorFashion iX2 and VectorFashion Q2 cutting solutions offers them a better return on investment, and helps them increase their margins while also reducing their environmental footprint. As corporate social responsibility is a major priority for Lectra, we have reinforced the integration of eco-design principles in the development of this new range. This enables our customers to meet the fashion industry’s two major challenges: reducing energy and material consumption,” explains Maximilien Abadie, Chief Product Officer at Lectra.

A reduced environmental footprint
Fashion players also have increasingly high expectations regarding the environmental footprint of their business. Lectra meets their needs by applying eco-design principles. VectorFashion iX2 and VectorFashion Q2 use 30% to 40% less energy than the previous versions, which were already renowned for their energy performance, for superior efficiency. They weigh 200 kg less than their predecessors, and are more compact in size. As a result, the carbon footprint associated with transporting the equipment, and with the resources used in its production and maintenance, is also significantly reduced.

Ergonomics and operator protection, Lectra’s key concerns, have been completely reconsidered, with the introduction of new standards for electronic cards, the integration of motion detection radars, and the reduction of equipment noise levels. This guarantees optimum operator comfort and safety, while minimizing equipment downtime.

More connectivity, more intelligence, more efficiency
VectorFashion iX2 and VectorFashion Q2 offer a high level of connectivity thanks to numerous built-in sensors, which makes them fully compatible with Industry 4.0.

Thanks to data intelligence and improved connectivity, manufacturers have all the data they need to increase the efficiency of their processes, boost productivity, improve product quality and better meet the challenges of tomorrow.

They also benefit from new associated services, as well as predictive maintenance with enriched digital content for greater autonomy. Maintenance operations are halved, resulting in lower consumable costs, and a significant increase in equipment availability compared to the previous generation.

A pioneer in digital fashion solutions, Style3D was established in 2015. Through the use of its Original Simulation Engine as the foundational technology, industrial-grade software and a platform for 3D design integration and collaboration, Style3D has created a digital infrastructure for the fashion industry. Currently, Style3D offers a comprehensive digital solution for various businesses in the fashion industry and has assisted thousands of fashion companies worldwide. This includes fabric measurement, simulation design, design review, online modification and visual effect display.

Style3D is a multinational company with operations in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region as well as a research and development center in China. Scientists, engineers, designers, and artists are just a few of the diverse and global talents that the team has access to.

Style3D is one of the leading digital solution providers in the global fashion industry and has developed a digital fashion infrastructure. Thousands of fashion companies around the world have worked with Style3D, which currently provides a complete digital solution for various businesses in the sector. Fabric measurement, simulation design, design review, online modification, and visual effect display are all included in this.

The needs of the upcoming 3D adoption boom are met by Style3D, a full-service provider of 3D solutions for the manufacturing sector that includes a Fabric Design Studio, 3D Design Studio, High Resolution scanner, Fabric Testing equipment, and the Style3D Cloud Collaborate Platform. Users can test and design fabrics by simply scanning in a swatch, creating 3D prototypes, managing that data, sharing, collaborating and even connecting directly to an e-commerce site from the cloud platform.

Making it simple for users to create, visualize, and sell seamlessly is essential if you think that e commerce will continue to grow. In terms of financial reward and return on investment, an inventory-free digital e-commerce workflow can boost profitability. For instance, an online and offline company might want to design all of its styles virtually, approve them for sale virtually, and then launch the styles for sale on websites right away. By organizing production, calculating order volume, and other things, brands using Style3D could help them better forecast sales.

Style 3D is brought to you in India by SAMR Technology Private Limited, a Digital & Automation Solutions provider in the field of Apparel, Footwear & Home Furnishing industry segment. Started in the year 2020, it represents the synergy between knowledge acquired in academic and years of experience in providing solutions to these industry segments. It provides Digital & Automation Solution in product development & manufacturing aiming to reduce production-costs and ensure sustainability. The company has now evolved to offer both ready-to-use products and technical services supported by hardware and software solutions. We have grown in this environment which has turned our passion for automation into our job.

For Live Demo, Visit us at Hall No. H-3, Booth No. N-32 at Gartex Texprocess India from 3-5 August 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

More details@
rahul.prabhakar@samrtechnology.com
sajith.kumar@samrtechnology.com
https://www.samrtechnology.com/Style_3D_Cloud.html

First of all, Wiser would like to thank all visitors for visiting our stand at ITMA 2023 Milan and showing your trust in us. Wiser products were highly appreciated and there was great interest in the exhibition. We believe Wiser Wash will be the future of this industry and opens new doors for denim finishing. We want you to be a part of this futuristic project. Wiser Tech is delighted to be a part of ITMA, the world’s largest international textile technology fair. Visor unveils the future of textile technologies that will revolutionize the industry.

Wiser Tech is a motivated high-tech company that has set out to change the current practices in textile industry by developing smart systems. Based in Turkey, the world-class R&D center has been working on advanced technologies that will revolutionize the finishing processes. Wiser create a family of machinery seamlessly put together to make the finishing technologies fully traceable and accessible, powered by Wiser Tech artificial intelligence on cloud. Our goal is to provide textile manufacturers total control over their production, offering them sustainable solutions that boost resources, such as manpower, skillset, knowledge, equipment and technology. In ITMA 2023 Milan, Wiser highlight:

WOX – WISER OZONE X- PERIENCE

Consists of an ozone drum and generator, but in its spirit, it was designed as a network object that provides data to artificial intelligence algorithms. With this feature, it is a first in the industry.

A Wiser way to achieve the best denim bleaching with ozone

Easy-to-use
· User-friendly Wiser Tech interface
· Front inclining drum for easy loading and unloading
· Adjustable ozone concentration
· Auto-eject and easy-accessible filter drawer

Fast ramp & stable capacity
· Stable ozone capacity in all cycles
· Decrease in the fluctuation in one unique cycle and between different machines

Shortened destruction phase
Accelerated destruction period with the help of patented pend

Visibility
Wiser Tech Indicator (LED Progress Ring) on the door allows an easy-monitoring on site using color coding which represent different stages of the process and indicate the cycle duration.

Safety
Special sensors located in different sections of WOX gather continuous data during the process. The data is used by Wiser Tech AI for detecting operational abnormalities.

WOX is awarded with its futuristic and practical design at 2021 Good Design Awards, one of the most prestigious design awards in the world.

Technology group Xeros has announced a strategic partnership with Yilmak, a global manufacturer of garment-finishing equipment to develop a new garment-finishing machine that significantly reduces the environmental impact of the task.

The centerpiece of this partnership is the Xeros Finishing Technology (XFN.) XFN utilises patented polymer spheres called XOrbsTM, which are integrated into a closed-loop system featuring an XDrumTM. This technology not only washes and finishes textiles and denim but also offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional methods.

By utilising XFN, the new garment finishing machine minimises water, chemistry, energy, and time required in the finishing process. Furthermore, garments treated with XFN exhibit enhanced qualities such as a softer feel, improved tear strength, and shorter cycle times.

“The apparel industry is under increasing pressure from both consumers and legislators to reduce its impact on the planet,” said Neil Austin, CEO of Xeros. “We are pleased to have signed this contract with like-minded partner Yilmak which enables us to bring our technologies to the global market.”

Real-life testing of Xeros’ finishing technology has demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing water consumption by over 50% during the finishing process, positioning it as a powerful tool in sustainable fashion manufacturing.

Yilmak specialises in manufacturing original equipment for dyeing, ozone treatment, washing, and drying. The incorporation of Xeros’ XFN technology into Yilmak’s existing range of garment-finishing machines marks an exciting milestone in their joint efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the apparel industry.

Under a global distribution partnership with KRM Tekstil Boya San, a specialist in garment dyeing and washing based in Turkey, the Xeros-enabled Yilmak machines will be made available worldwide.

M. Furkan Civelek, General Manager of Sales and Marketing of Yilmak, echoed Austin’s sentiments, on the importance of the collaboration and added:” This partnership seeks to minimise water, chemical, and energy usage throughout the denim garment creation process, thereby reducing our environmental footprint. By joining forces, Yilmak and Xeros are committed to spearheading the transition towards more sustainable fashion practices.”

The first Xeros-enabled Yilmak machine, the Ecogreen EGW-500, a 5000-litre finishing machine, unveiled the ITMA Milano event in June 2023.

Japanese technology provider Konica Minolta has been included in 2023’s list of the World’s Top 100 Most Sustainable Corporations, from the Canada-based Corporate Knights. The company has also received a Gold-level recognition medal in this year’s EcoVadis Sustainability Ratings, and the 2023 Sustainable Yearbook by global market intelligence provider S&P Global listed Konica Minolta in the top 5 percent of the most sustainable companies in its industry. Mattia Perri, Inkjet Textile Sales Manager, Konica Minolta, said: “It is the 13th consecutive year Konica Minolta has been named in the sustainability yearbook, which demonstrates our commitment to the environment.”

The company’s ITMA 2023 showcase focused on eco-friendly manufacturing resulted from those achievements. The company demonstrated its new AccurioTex700 solution. Sublimation printers reduce the amount of water and energy consumed in the digital textile printing process.

Many ITMA 2023 visitors are looking for solutions that streamline productivity, reduce lead times and cut costs. To meet this need, Konica Minolta also introduced the Nassenger 8 equipped with its in-line pretreatment technology for direct-to-fabric printing. The equipment minimises maintenance requirements which, the company said, reduces ink and fabric waste.

Perri added: “The entire textile industry is moving towards technologies that are as sustainable as possible. In order to facilitate this revolution, the tools used must be adequate. It is essential to have products that can safeguard the environment, but at the same time avoid lowering the quality standards of the production chain.

“We prioritised modularity when developing our technologies to respond to various needs. This enabled us to cater to all print volumes from small start-ups to more structured, industrial-grade operations.” The digital textile printing industry was once praised for being more sustainable than traditional analogue processes. But, since inkjet textile printing technology became commercially available two decades ago, some critics argue the sector has not done enough to reduce its environmental footprint.

Many commentators highlight ink chemistry as an environmental vulnerability, but Perri believes inks are just one part of a much larger process. “They are very important, but other points in the process can also be worked on. Our technologies, both new and old, aim to reduce water consumption and CO2 emissions along the entire production line,” he said.

Printing efficiencies

Konica Minolta has been emboldened by an uptick in demand for energy efficient technologies following the economic crisis. In response to soaring inflation, print service providers are examining novel techniques to reduce expenditure – many subsequent solutions benefit the environment.

The trade-off between cost, sustainability and performance was once a barrier to the implementation of greener technologies, but Perri believes these issues have been alleviated as a result of research and development and the economic crisis.

“If customers choose our solutions, it is because they want printers that are efficient, reliable and sustainable. More and more businesses are asking us about sustainability, including one of our most important collaborators,” he said.

Sustainability has been a prominent issue for many years. To instigate change, governments turn to legislation, and this has been happening more in recent years.

Perri said Konica Minolta complies with the strictest regulations and the growing demand for sustainable technology, which is not limited to advanced economies but is also coming from developing nations.

“It is not easy to change a long-established process. It can take decades before substantial improvements are achieved across an entire manufacturing industry,” he said.

“The small steps taken years ago are now leading to big environmental wins. Even those technologies that seemed ill-suited to their market segments are coming to fruition. Important steps have been taken and the market is changing, but more can always be done to reduce our environmental impact. We continue to make positive decisions as an industry and, over the next few years, we will realise their benefits.”

Inkjet printer maker DGI showcased at ITMA 2023 following its recent acquisition of its Korean counterpart d.gen.

Both DGI and d.gen are leaders companies in the digital textile printer market, and over the years they have developed a diverse range of printing technologies.

DGI says the relationship between the two companies will transition from competition to collaboration.
d.gen has strengths in the pigment and soft signage markets, while DGI holds a high share of the high-speed direct and transfer equipment sector. d.gen has a competitive sales network in Europe, while DGI has a strong foothold in the United States, Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Both brands are now based in DGI’s existing headquarters in Yangju City, Korea. The DGI and d.gen names will also remain unchanged and the existing business relationship will continue. DGI displayed its APOLLON Direct-To-Textile Printer in Hall 7. The printer was introduced using pigment inks which DGI recognizes as a high growth segment of the industry. This is because the inks don’t require fabric pre-treatments which remove energy and water intensive steps from the printing processes.

DGI said APOLLON is a premium product that enables precise high-speed productivity and enhanced printing stability. It also improves user convenience and offers a combination of high-speed and high-quality production.

The machine is equipped with 16 Kyocera print heads and achieves a top speed of 335sqm/h. It also utilises a magnetic linear motor system to ensure high-speed precision. The implementation of linear motors and scales increases productivity and mechanical precision. It especially enhances print quality when compared with belt-type systems.

APOLLON is also equipped with a collision sensor which prevents costly print head damage, a wrinkle detection sensor to mitigate print head scraping and a carriage dust discharge service to remove dust from the print carriage.

DGI said a high-capacity ink supply system for high-speed production is another advantage of this equipment. It can print up to eight colours and has an ink capacity of 10 litres per colour. There is also an optional pigment dedicated dryer, which is a compact, high-speed hot-air drying system that can control temperatures up to 120oC.

d.gen

Despite the acquisition, d.gen is still developing technology for the digital textile printing industry and demonstrated its new pre-treatment Color Boosting Solution (CBS). Re-treatments are commonly applied using industrial coating machines but with CBS the pre-treatment is jetted directly onto the fabric during the fabric printing process. The CBS liquid is both colourless and odourless and will be applied before the inks are jetted. CBS can be applied again after the inks to further enhance the print quality.

The technology has been designed with pigment printing in mind and saved cost and time, according to d.gen.

CBS is compatible with d.gen’s OMNI series, which includes ATRIX OMNI PRO, TELEIOS OMNI PRO and TELEIOS GRANDE OMNI.