Kornit Discover Event – Highlights business opportunities in digital textile transformation
Kornit Digital, a global market leader in digital textile printing technology, has successfully concluded the Kornit Discover Event in Hong Kong. Kornit Discover Asia Pacific was a three-day event, which began on April 15, 2019 at Kornit’s Experience Center located in Hong Kong. An estimated 100 guests have joined and shared the excitement of the company unveiling the Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro as well as reviewing the latest product line-up from Kornit. The guests also enjoyed the privilege of a sneak preview of the company’s yet-to-be-launched next generation direct-to-fabric solution, the Kornit Presto.
The event was kick-started by a welcome speech and overview of market trends by Gilad Yron, Executive Vice President Global Business of Kornit Digital followed by a presentation from the event’s keynote speaker, Ron Gilboa, Group Director of Production Technology, Key point Intelligence. In Gilboa’s presentation, he discussed the changing dynamics of the apparel industry and shared some trends that were favourable to digital textile printing. He further analyzed different suppliers and demands in the market; and concluded that selecting the right supplier was critical for success.
Kornit’s latest technology & innovation was presented by Omer Kulka, Vice President of Marketing & Product Strategy from Kornit’s headquarters. On top of the features and advantages of the two latest products, he deep-dived into the innovation and R&D capabilities of Kornit. In addition, he introduced the ecosystem that has been built around Kornit’s digital printing systems. These were the reasons why Kornit was able to stay ahead of its competitors.
Experts from different areas were invited to present at the event. On April 15, Jane Singer, Director of Inside Fashion Magazine, discussed the topic “Tech vs. Fashion – Becoming Faster, More Flexible and More Creative,” sharing how the fashion industry was affected and at the same time progressed by the technology advancement. On April 16, Bruce Li, CEO of www.zigeer.com, discussed the importance of content creation and customer engagement in E-Commerce. On April 17, Martin Tsang, Business Development Manager of Pantone, introduced the new extension to Pantone Fashion, Home and Interiors Collection.
Unveiling the Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro, Executive Vice President of Global Business at Kornit Digital, Gilad Yron, shared his enthusiasm about the expansion of the Kornit product line, stating: “Today, we celebrate a breakthrough technological innovation. Polyester is the second largest category in the overall T-shirt market, and it is growing in the athleisure and functional apparel. Currently, polyester is printed predominantly by analog solutions, which creates major technological, cost and sustainability challenges. The new ground-breaking Kornit NeoPoly Technology addresses these challenges with a new process and ink set implemented in the renowned Kornit NeoPigment™ process. Kornit’s new process handles polyester applications without compromising on design, run size, substrate or labour. This is a huge leap forward, not only for Kornit, but also for the direct-togarment industry as a whole.”
The event also provided a tour of Kornit’s Hong Kong Experience Center as well as several hands-on sessions for the visitors to experience the printing technology of Kornit. The guests were organised in small groups and had the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops with Kornit Atlas, Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro, Kornit Avalanche HD6, Kornit Storm HD6, and Kornit Presto. The event was ended with success stories from Kornit customers from China (Macy Yau, CEO of Kanetop Group), Japan (Toshihiro Tanaka, General Manager of Operation Center, and Yusuke Masuda, Chief of Preprocessing Group from Retail Net Co., Ltd.) and Australia (Jared Fullinfaw, Founder & Managing Director of The Print Bar). Guests found the event educational, practical and inspirational.
Andy Yarrow, Kornit’s President for Asia Pacific, spoke in a media group briefing, highlighting the amazing growth opportunities in the region. “We are looking to expand the business in new segments that include brands and private labels, promotional printing, and more. We introduce new technologies and capabilities, like polyester printing which will for sure shake the market with a solution that answers a lot of the printing problems, same with Atlas speed and HD technology launched earlier this year. The digital textile printing revolution is set to transform one of the most exciting regions in the world. We’re excited to bring advanced and innovative solutions that will make life better for businesses and end the customers in the area.”
Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro
The long-awaited dark polyester solution, Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro, features an innovative ink set and a physical and chemical process specifically developed for low temperature curing, and polyester enhancing functionalities developed to maintain fabric characteristics and provide superior fastness. This unique process prevents dye migration on polyester. The inks are Oeko-Tex and Eco-Passport certified and do not contain PVCs or other toxic ingredients. The single-step Poly Pro is the perfect system for the industry, enabling easy and cost effective shortruns and on-demand printing on polyester garments.
Kornit Atlas
The Kornit Atlas is a heavy-duty system created for super-industrial garment decoration businesses. It was designed to deliver a typical annual production capacity of up to 350,000 impressions, optimizing production efficiency and cost of ownership. The Kornit Atlas is aimed at highly productive garment decorators, mid to large size screen printers and innovative businesses looking to combine state-of-the art technology with lowest cost of ownership. The system is equipped with new recirculating print heads and comes with a newly developed ink, NeoPigment™ Eco-Rapid. The Kornit Atlas is equipped with a unique printing engine, featuring an enhanced version of Kornit’s HD technology, complemented by a professional RIP (raster image processing) software solution, and produces prints that meet the highest standards of retail quality and durability.
Kornit HD line of industrial direct-to-garment printers
Kornit’s HD systems, now comprising the Kornit Atlas (highlighted in above paragraph), Kornit Avalanche HD6, Kornit Avalanche HDK and Kornit Storm HD6, enable new levels of print quality, well suitable for the fashion and retail markets. Kornit’s NeoPigment™ Rapid ink, specifically developed for Kornit’s HD technology, offers an improved hand feel, as well as increased opacity and saturation of white ink. The print quality is further enhanced by ColorGate’s Professional RIP solution, adding advanced color management and screening capabilities, improved white base creation and pre-defined colour libraries for ultimate colour matching.
Kornit Presto
Kornit’s next-generation direct-to-fabric printing system is an environmentallyfriendly, all-in-one solution for roll-to-roll printing. Benefitting from its unique and advanced technology, Kornit’s direct-to-fabric printing system eliminates the need for external process steps and enables users to achieve the best results from PFP (Prepared-For-Print) to finished digitally printed fabric in just minutes.
FESPA Global Print Expo 2019 New possibilities across speciality print come to life
Thousands of visitors travelled to the Bavarian capital from 14 to 17 May 2019 to attend FESPA 2019 to see the latest innovations from more than 700 exhibitors who highlighted technologies and consumables for digital wide format, screen printing, textile printing and garment decoration and non-printed signage. Visitors to FESPA Global Print Expo 2019 also had free access to European Sign Expo, the dedicated event for non-printed signage and visual communications. Visitors to European Sign Expo discovered the latest products from over 100 exhibitors showcasing solutions for channel lettering, illuminated signage, neon and LED, sign systems, engraving and etching and dimensional signage.
FESPA Global Print Expo is established as the sector’s leading platform for launching innovations and a number of exhibitors already confirmed plans to introduce new products at the 2019 event. Announcements made to date include HP’s first products for textile printing with the new Stitch S series of dyesublimation printers, and swissQprint’s first roll-to-roll printer, Karibu.
Colour L*A*B*
FESPA’s newest visitor feature, Colour L*A*B*, helped visitors to improve colour management practices in their print businesses. The interactive showcase offered visitors an end-to-end overview of the individual elements that contributed to good colour management, including technologies from suppliers including Barbieri, CMA Imaging, EFI, Eizo, HP, Just Normlicht, Pantone, Techkon and X-Rite. Visitors to Colour L*A*B* also attended daily expert conference sessions and joined guided tours by Paul Sherfield, Laurel Brunner and Paul Lindström, providing more detail on the technology on show.
Printeriors
Printeriors, FESPA’s interior décor showcase, highlighted the opportunities of print for interior décor. Within the feature, visitors discovered applications from a range of suppliers including: Adobe, Canon, Mad Chair, Mimaki, Mitwill Textiles, Off the wall coverings, Printfab, Rex Frame and many more. For the first time in 2019, Printeriors also featured exterior décor applications displayed in the outside hospitality areas of the Messe, showcasing the extensive scope of printed decoration.
Technologies and applications
Print service providers (PSPs) and sign-makers gathered once again in Munich to experience a wide variety of print technologies, consumables and materials from both leading brands and smaller businesses.
Textile Print
With Print Make Wear one of the key features at this year’s Global Print Expo, textile was talking point at the event, counting over 160 exhibitors showing textile solutions. First time exhibitor Omniprint used FESPA 2019 as a platform for displaying its range of direct-to-garment (DTG) printing technologies, including its latest system, the Cheetah Industrial DTG. With quality prints up to 1800dpi, the Cheetah is one of the fastest industrial DTG printers on the market, boasting high print quality and compatibility with a wide range of materials, including 100 per cent polyester and cotton/poly blends.
Digital sublimation and direct-to-textile printers were also a key feature on the Mutoh stand. Visitors were able to see first-hand the high speed ValueJet 1948WX digital dye-sublimation printer, with print speeds ranging from 125 m²/h to 195 m²/h. The system is ideal for businesses looking for a printer capable of handling high volumes and intensive use.
Screen print
SPS Techno Screen introduced the new SPS ASTRON QX, a full servo-driven cylinder machine designed for high-end industrial screen printing applications. The key features of the new system reflected the gradual introduction of camera control and registration systems that’s been taking place in the screen printing industry for the past decade. The SPS ASTRON QX series can be equipped with a camera registration system that matches the image position within the screen frame to the image position on each individual sheet. It is available for a maximum sheet size of 550 x 800 mm and features a single sheet front-pick-up feeder.
Workflow and Colour Management
As a developer of software applications for sign-making, screen printing, garment decorating and digital printing, CADLink is promoting the latest version of its Digital Factory OKI™ Edition RIP software, which enables users to manage their print workflows more efficiently. The latest build of the software includes newly engineered custom printer drivers, along with modified colour profiles, supporting a wider variety of printers than ever before. The new driver architecture optimises RIP and print speeds, reducing job processing times by up to 2-3 times while also providing incredibly vibrant colours, including rich black reproduction.
The Epson Edge Print software for its S-series and F-series printers was a highlight on the Epson stand. The software supports Epson’s Precision Dot technology, including its halftone module, look-up tables and micro-weave combining to make an instantly noticeable difference to the final print quality.
Sustainability
As more print technology providers continue to embrace greener practices, Brand Management Group, the official partner of HP Large Format Media, placed special focus on HP’s latest sustainable solution for printed canvases, a huge market segment in the wide format print industry. HP’s Recycled Satin Canvas performs similarly to other digitally printable wide format canvases on the market, except it is made from 100 per cent recycled water bottles. One of only a few sustainable options available to designers today, the canvases can be used for residential and commercial décor.
Roz Guarnori, Exhibitions Director at FESPA, comments: “The best feedback we’ve received from our visitors in the past is that they learn something new at every FESPA event and we are confident that they will once again be inspired by what’s on show. FESPA is known as a platform for product launches and innovation, and we’ll be expecting more announcements from our exhibitors before the beginning of the event.”
Highlights from Print Make Wear microfactory
The products highlighted within Print Make Wear were provided by 19 exhibitors and presented within two separate tours, one focused on roll-to-roll technologies and the second on garment decoration. The technology demonstrations were supported by a programme of talks and catwalks to enhance the visitor experience.
Roll-to-roll technologies
The roll-to-roll tour was split into two separate workflows, one on pigment printing and the other on dye-sublimation printing. The pigment printing workflow route included:
• Design software from Adobe Textile Designer and EFI Fiery DesignPro with Adobe CS • Fabrics provided by Premier Textiles • EFI Optitex pattern design and marker making • Pre-press production files from EFI Fiery • RIP and pigment printing inks from Mimaki • A Klieverik dryer • Cutting solution from Gemini
The dye-sublimation printing workflow included:
• Adobe Textile Designer design software • Fabrics provided by Premier Textiles • A selection of transfer paper from CANAPA • Gemini will supply its product design and decoration software, Gemini CAD pre-press production files and a cutting solution • RIP and dye-sublimation inks from HP • Klieverik heat transfer machine
Running alongside the roll-to-roll tour were the garment decoration tour, which included digital printing technologies as well as automatic and manual screen printing solutions. The exhibitors on the garment decoration tour included: • Grafco colour separation technology and inks for the Vastex manual screen printing press • Fair Trade fabric garments provided by Neutral • A Chiossi e Cavazzuti dryer • Folding and packaging system by Thermotron • Easiway screen reclamation • An MHM automatic screen printing press • Magna Colours’ inks for the automatic screen printing press • A manual screen printing carousel from Vastex and a Vastex Little Red dryer • A Tesoma tunner dryer will be used for the automatic screen printing
Fireside Chats’
Print Make Wear also featured daily ‘fireside chats’ where visitors heard from experts on key industry topics including:
• The Micro Factory and Customisation, moderated by Jenny Holloway from Fashion Capital and including speakers from EFI, Mimaki, HP and Gemini
• Sustainability and Efficient Manufacturing, hosted by Elissa Decker of Moss Inc., and Lars Bech, CEO of Neutral, featuring speakers from Premier Textiles and Magna Colours
• Automating the production workflow, comprising speakers from Gemini, EFI and HP
• Designing for digital print and colour management, to include speakers from Adobe, AVA and EFI
Sustainability was the key theme at FESPA 2019 this year and FESPA champion a number of initiatives within the Print Make Wear featured to be more environmentally responsible. The garments used for the direct-to-garment textiles were provided by Neutral, a market-leading producer of sustainable apparel and accessories to the B2B market, which usds FairTrade cotton and have been awarded the EU Ecolabel for meeting high environmental standards. Water-based inks from Magna Colour were also used on the automatic screen printing press.
Graeme Richardson-Locke, Technical Support Manager at FESPA, commented, “Over the years FESPA’s commitment to textile printing and garment decoration has developed and we’ve considerably expanded visitor proposition in this area in line with growing industry demand. For Print Make Wear 2019, we have put together a programme that represents the different facets of the garment manufacturing community and are confident that this will help garment manufacturers understand the range of technologies at their disposal.”
Also announced at were the winners of the three following categories:
The Young Star Award, was presented to design student, Antonio Tsigonias, of T.E.I. Athens, Department of Graphic Arts Technology in Greece for his entry titled “Garden Team”. The Young Star Award is marked across all print related categories and open to entrants aged between 16 to 25 working as a junior employee, trainee or student.
This year’s People’s Choice Award winner, which is voted for online by FESPA’s global speciality print community, was presented to PVG’S Maharashtra Institute of Printing Technology in India for their entry titled “Screen Printing Graphics” submitted in the Young Star category.
The Best in Show Award is judged across all categories on the work that the judges felt represented the most outstanding example of print. This year the award was presented to two companies, Atelier fuer Siebdruck from Switzerland, for its screen printed entry “Creativ Verpacken” in the Serigraphies and Fine Art category and VGL from the United Kingdom for its digitally printed entry “Beefeater Gin Underground Poster Campaign” in the Posters category.
The winners of this year’s FESPA Awards
Some of the gold winners of the application categories are:
TIMTAS appoints Magnum as agent for Indian market
Timtas Konfeksiyon Malzemeleri, one of the leading complete warehouse solution provider in the world, has appointed Magnum Resources Pvt. Ltd. as its agent for sales and after-sales services of its products in India. Magnum will be marketing its rack system, hanger system and cutting tables with pins in the Indian market. Besides, the company also manufactures cutting, spreading and fabric inspection machines in Turkey.
Timtas has been serving industrial and commercial customers since 1995. Its goal is to offer the best quality product to customers with reasonable prices within short time and to be their solution partner. According to Ridvan Ismail, Timtas, “By appointing Magnum as our agent, we are trying to get more involved with our Indian counterparts. To complete a project, we need teamwork. Our target is to provide the right solution at the right price on the right time to the Indian customers.”
“When compared to other competitors, our system is manual. Of course the labour cost is cheap here and we don’t need to invest in such system but I don’t agree with that. I think we need to train the people and make them more knowledgeable. When we install new systems, we teach the people how to use them, to increase their knowledge and their quality. We are also saving time not only for the production but also for them. The workers’ lives will get easier,” says Ridvan Ismail.
Speaking about their presence in world market he said, “We have been present in China, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and in Europe for last so many years. We’ve been late in coming to India but I think that this is a good opportunity to start. Factories in India are accepting our technologies, they have been asking about the system. For me, India is important because it gives me a chance to bring my knowledge, to share it with my colleagues. Also, in term of business, India is the next country with big opportunities. The power of India is the availability odf raw materials and knowledge of workers here. The country is more organised than Bangladesh,” says Ridvan.
When asked about the ROI for the factories who are investing in this system he said, “In Turkey, it’s between 14 and 20 months. In India, I don’t exactly know the labour costs but I believe that it won’t be more than 30 months. I check the productivity in all the systems. The lowest productivity that you can get when you sell this kind of system is 35 per cent, which is really good to invest for.”
Commenting on the association Akshay Sharma, of Magnum Resources says, “Our company is duly recognized in the apparel and home textile for world best brands we represent. For achieving client satisfaction, we bring technology as per the future need of garment manufacturers. There is need for economical material handling and warehouse solutions and this is the reason why we have associated with TIMTAS from Turkey. It offers economical solution with simple to install system. We are focusing on providing sales and after-sales service for Titmas product. Their systems are ideal for Indian factories and very easy to handle by the operator,” says Akshay Sharma.
Magnum Resources Pvt. Ltd. India provides service and solutions along with technology and consultation to apparel and home textile industry. Established in 2004, Magnum Resources Pvt. Ltd offers manufacturing machines that includes industrial sewing equipment, industrial cutting equipment, embroidery, finishing and processing equipment.
Juki launches Simply Series at Garfab-TX Surat
Juki recently launched a new line of sewing machines – The Simply Smart SeriesduringGarfab-TX Surat exhibition held at Surat International Exhibition & Convention Center (SIECC) from April 5-7, 2019. The technology was launched by Juki with its agent for Gujarat region Bapu Traders. JUKI advances its activities to create the most suitable factories by making innovative efforts to solve the various problems a customer faces, through the further evolution and systemization of products and IoT. JUKI’s Digital Sewing Machines can respond actively to changes in sewing items and materials. These sewing machines are capable of digitalizing “seam” adjustment functions and setting parameters can be stored as a pattern. Apart from this the Simple Series has inbuilt production display function in the panel to display the current production status. The same production data can be taken to the cloud with addition of IOT along with the machine i.e. Janet (Juki advanced network system).
The new Simple Series machines will voice guiding system which assists the operator, Supervisor during the setting of the machine. When the amount of oil changes to empty or full, the machine informs at voice guide. Though it has voice guiding function will announce the production status of the process in fixed time intervals. Other than production one will also be able to get machine utilization percentage of the machine too. Most importantly this machine is much user-friendly than any other machines in the industry. Simply Awesome technology for apparel makers. The Juki Simply Smart Series currently composes of 4 models which are mentioned below:
LK-1900S: Computer-controlled, high-speed, bartacking machine
The machine has been designed to have simplified and narrowed down capabilities that are essentially required to produce JUKI’s established seam quality. This sewing machine shortens the total cycle time with its improved capabilities such as the maximum sewing speed of 3,200 sti/min, quick acceleration at the beginning of sewing and quick deceleration at the end of sewing, increased thread trimming speed and work clamp foot lifting speed.
DDL-8000A: Direct-drive, high-speed, 1- needle, lockstitch machine with automatic thread trimmer & auto – lifter motor driven
The machine is the new lockstitch and the flag ship model in the Simply Smart Series of machines. This model is a perfect combination of advanced sewing performance and economical design. With a powerful internally build motor both space and costs are saved over traditional eternal motors. The DDL-8000A comes with a USB port for the charging of personal electronics right in the machine head. With the advanced dry technology of enabling operation without being lubricated, a frame which does not need lubrication has been developed. It is provided with not only a high-speed sewing capability, but also a safety feature for preventing oil stains.
LK-1903S: Computer-controlled, high-speed, lockstitch, button machine
The machine has been designed to have simplified and narrowed down capabilities that are essentially required to produce Juki’s established seam quality. The machine’s starting, stopping, thread-trimming, up and down of button clamp jaw lever and the jump speeds have reducing to total cycle time. The machine is provided as standard with 50 different sewing patterns. The machine permits easy changeover of sewing patterns for effortless execution of an inexhaustible range of sewing specifications.
LBH-1790S: Computer-controlled, high-speed, buttonholing machine
The machine has been designed to have simplified and narrowed down capabilities that are essentially required to produce Juki’s established seam quality. This sewing machine achieves higher productivity with its improved capabilities such as the maximum sewing speed of 4,200 sti/min, quick acceleration at the beginning of sewing and quick deceleration at the end of sewing, increased thread trimming speed and the auto-lifter performance. Thanks to Juki’s unique multiple-times knife dropping function, the knife replacement is no longer required even when the buttonholing size is changed.
Bapu Traders providing latest technological solutions for garment industry
Established in June 2017, Bapu Traders provides stateof- the-art garment factory set-up with all major international technology brands to its customers in Surat, Gujarat. The company is quite professionally managed and in a short span of time it has become a prominent name in the industry for its very good sales-and-aftersales service support, which is very important for machinery business. According to the company, its vision is to provide customer satisfaction by delivering nothing but the best, to be customer focused and globally competitive through better quality and latest technologies. Its mission is to attain highest level of efficiency & integrity by providing world class products that gives its customers a competitive advantage.
The company offers various types of technologies like Cutting technology from Eastman, Garment CAD/CAM technology from Richpeace, Automated Cutting Solution from Yin Science & Technology including Spreader and Fully Automatic Fabric Cutting Machine, Fusing Machines from Hashima like Compact Press and Straight Linear Fusing Press, Sewing Machines from Juki, Multi Needle Chain Stitch Machines from Kansai Special, Finishing Machines from Sunshine Garment Finishing Equipment. The company also offers all types of spare parts & needles.
The man behind the company Chandrabhan Madhugiri Gosavi has more than 26 years of experience of working in this field. He started his career as a helper in 1991. From 1995-2003, he worked in garment companies’ production department. Lateron, he shifted to Surat and started with small works, and slowly moved to providing technology solutions for garment factory setup in 2006.
“Bapu Traders is known for its 4 pillars i.e. ethics, quality, service, commitment. We provide 24/7 service, and our team work as a family which is the reason why many big clients are attached with us due to our positive attitude. We always strive hard to achieve satisfaction.
Caron Italy focusing on advance technology and design
Innovation, passion and a quality product entirely designed and realized in Italy, these are the values on which is based the exponential growth of Caron Technology, Italian company that from more than 35 years designs and produces spreading and cutting solution for flexible materials on clothing, furniture and technical fabrics sector.
“The strength of our company – explains Giulio Gallo, CEO of the company – is that we’ve never accepted compromises on quality and we’ve always put all our know-how at the service of our customers to create customized, performing and future-oriented solutions. From the beginning we’ve always lived the company as a gym for new ideas and projects, this has allowed us to be protagonists and winners of new challenges and, among other innovations, to file a patent for the automatic identification of fabric defects. We create concepts before thinking about the project.
”From here it’s born Mask, the new Caron spreading solution that will be presented at Texprocess 2019. Design and technology are the protagonists of this creation, united for the first time in a new aesthetic concept that fully reflects the Italian attention to taste and beauty.”
Today, thanks to its vast of experience in the design and production of fabric spreading and cutting machines for fashion apparel, furnishing and technical textiles, Caron Technology is able to meet the most various requests of prime industries offering high quality products: That’s why it is considered to be a reliable partner at an international level for all those companies looking for customized, strong and precise solutions, with innovative systems that are able to optimize the efficiency and performance.
Its various and complete range, goes from valued Caron brand automatic spreaders up to a series of equipment made for those who want to focus on a fluid and efficient production cycle, able to guarantee speed and perfection. Thanks to these cutting edge and price competitive equipment exclusively made in Italy, the company is able to succeed on the Italian market, as well as on the most important foreign markets that actually cover 40 per cent of its turnover. Its success stems not only from a continuous research of new usages, but also from its attitude towards our customers. It is always side by side, ready to offer them both, suggestions regarding the optimization of the cutting room as well prompt maintenance assistance.
