Mimaki has announced a new digital textile printer, the Tiger-1800B, capable of direct to textile or transfer dye sublimation output.
This makes is the latest wide format technology developer to launch a digital textile printing solution, as the market opens up for short run on demand work. The company says the Tiger-1800B can deliver large-scale production at manufacturing sites and small-scale production at on-demand sites, making it the ideal printer for digital textile applications.
The 2m Tiger-1800B digital textile printer includes an adhesive belt transport system with belt washing technology and in-line heat drying unit for an all-in-one process for direct-to-textile printing. It uses 16 print heads in a staggered array for the direct-to-textile model (or 8 print heads for the transfer dye sublimation model), resulting in print speeds of up to 105sqm/hr. The company says operators can achieve usable quality even at these high print speeds to meet volume demands, or to quickly produce shorter-run projects such as for regional or seasonal fashion requirements.
Brad Creighton, national sales and marketing manager of Mimaki Australia says, “We have got availability of the product, but it is being focused more on the European, Asian and other markets. How we are approaching it is a bit more targeted, it will not have as widespread marketing and be at the demonstration level here.
“It is a production oriented machine, we do not see multiple uses from a local perspective. For direct textile printing, we have two other machines that are more suited in the mid-tier market, and that are more suited to production capacities here.”
Mimaki says the Tiger-1800B brings operational efficiencies and reliability to large companies that are currently using analogue screen-printing processes – or multiple, smaller digital units – to produce high volume textile runs for internal vertical markets sold via business-to-business or business-to-consumer avenues. The company adds that the printer enables businesses to overcome quality, cost and time to market issues by offering more efficient operations, higher resolution printing, consistent quality for repeat orders, and reduced operating costs.
Mimaki says digital textile printing has grown by an average of 30 per cent over the past five years, and says it is set grow even over the next couple of years.
