Three industry greats—Summa, Epson, and Multi-Plot—will collaborate at Texprocess 2024, to create a textile workflow, guiding visitors through entire production line.
A micro-factory will demonstrate the benefits of a well-aligned textile production workflow on a customer’s business. Summa, Multi-Plot, and Epson believe that in today’s competitive landscape, creating an efficient and fast workflow is not just advantageous but imperative for ensuring the success of any business endeavour.
Visitors can learn how to boost productivity, reduce operational costs, and deliver better products by streamlining processes, optimizing resource allocation, and minimizing production delays.
The micro-factory will recreate a complete real-life production workflow on a smaller scale. This way, we can accurately show our visitors the production process and how the right equipment in a smooth-running workflow can greatly benefit their business.
First step is choosing the correct material.The production process starts by choosing the suitable material for the job. We chose Greentex by Sutex because they deliver a high-quality textile and they are eco-friendly. In fact the materials we are going to use are Oeko-Tex certified. For the production of shirts, we will use Tomine Eco fabric, made out of 100 percent recycled polyester and for the production of pillows, we will use Universal Eco, which is 65 percent recycled polyester and 35 percent normal polyester.
The next step is to print the design. Epson chose the SureColor F9400H dye-sublimation printer. The design will be printed using Epson’s Edge Print software solution. Edge Print includes a complete colour management solution (incl. SD-10, SD-10 Automated Scanning Table and Edge Color Lite software). It creates media profiles and performs colour matching and verification for Epson printers quickly and easily. The design is mirror-printed onto transfer paper.
Once that is done, the third step is to calendar. The fabric and transfer paper are simultaneously fed into the calendar, a Kalander HJ 75 provided by Multi-Plot. The materials are positioned in such a way that the printed side of the transfer paper faces the fabric, with the design appropriately aligned. As the fabric and paper pass through the machine, heat and pressure are applied. The heat activates the ink, causing it to transfer and fix onto the fabric, while the pressure facilitates this process, ensuring the good adhesion and durability of the print.
After printing and calendaring the design, the fourth step is cutting fabric. Summa’s L1810 laser cutter with Caron feeder cuts the material. The new Caron Cradle feeder makes media loading and switching easier while also lowering media waste. The feeder ensures that the material is fed perfectly aligned and that there is no tension on the material to perform a perfect cut. Summa laser cutters are fast and efficient. After cutting, the material has a thin, sealed edge, which avoids fraying and makes finishing, such as sewing, easier.
The finished products will be on display at the booth of Summa and Multi-Plot, however, sewing is not shown live. With the micro-factory, we want visitors to experience what a modern production workflow can look like, requiring minimal operator intervention by automating steps in the process.
Epson is a world-leading technology company committed to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities through the use of its efficient, compact and precise technologies.
Multi-Plot is an expert dealer in advertising technology and digital printing. The company offers a single source of specialist advise for digital textile printing and enables complete solutions. Stand 8 – C38 | www.multiplot.de
Summa is a market-leading manufacturer of innovative digital cutting equipment that helps clients cut their applications to the highest standards.
Three industry greats to create a textile workflow at Texprocess 2024
