FespaDaily news round-up, day three: Kornit; Texo Trade Services; Zünd; Agfa; J-Teck3

The PrintWeek FespaDaily team’s round up of some of the stories from Day three of the show at the Hamburg Messe.

Kornit sells first Avalanche Hexa R at Fespa
On the opening day of Fespa, Kornit (B6-D10) secured the first sale of its new high-volume direct-to-garment printer, the Kornit Avalanche Hexa R. It was bought by German web-to-print t-shirt specialist Shirtracer.de. Denny Kühne, managing director of Shirtracer decided to buy the machine, which is capable of printing 180 white and 140 dark shirts an hour, to increase his 30-staff company’s productivity. “At the moment, we use five smaller textile printing systems, but they are really maintenance-intensive,” said Kühne.
“With the new Avalanche, we want to remain competitive and also be able to continue producing in Germany without personnel costs getting too high.” He added that the impressive print quality was also a deciding factor, as was the recirculation system.

Texo Trade Services shows off new products
Texo Trade Services (TTS, A1-D65) is showing a range of new products on its booth.
The manufacturer’s new SX20HS-EC transfer paper, which has been tested on printers including Durst’s Rhotex 325, EFI’s FabriVu and Mimaki’s TS500P-3200, is a stable, fast-drying paper. The business is also showing a textile called Evolution, a non-woven 140gsm textile product with white coating, which is said to make it easy to print with UV, eco-solvent and latex. Additionally the company is showing its HCS100/2-DPR transfer foil for digital transfers, whereby the colours are applied using a laser.

Zünd shows new modules
Zünd (B7-D30) is using Fespa to showcase a number of new modules for its digital cutting systems. The main advance is a new laser module for its G3 series, the LM 100W, intended for the cutting and sealing of polyester fabrics up to 2mm. It cuts at a maximum speed of 745mm/s. Zünd is also demonstrating a new camera, which simultaneously scans all registration marks. Both modules will be available from September.

Agfa launches new LED machine
Agfa (B5-E20) has launched an LED version of its Jeti Tauro H2500. The 2.5m-wide roll-to-roll hybrid UV printer features continuous and automated feeding, taking a wide range of flexible and rigid media, including corrugated board. The machine can reach 275m2/hr and prints in six colours with optional white or primer. Agfa product manager Reinhilde Alaert said the UV LED lamps come with a number of economical and environmental benefits: “All of that has a positive effect on the ROI of the system.”

J-Teck3 debuts new pigment inks
J-Teck3 (A1-B64) has launched a new series of digital textile pigment inks for Epson and Kyocera printheads. The J-Tex Pigment Textile series are water-based and designed to work with piezo-electric printheads. The inks are available in two different versions: J-Tex P-E, for Epson printheads, and J-Tex P-K, for Kyocera printheads. The inks are designed for direct printing on a variety of fabrics including cotton, cotton/poly blends, synthetic fabrics and viscose for applications including fashion and home furnishings. J-Teck3 business operations manager Rosaria Pozzoni said: “We’ve been working on this for some time but decided to launch it at Fespa because it’s a very important show. This new offering gives good light fastness and stability.” The inks are available in one-litre bottles, which can be used with J-Teck3’s feeding system, as well as 1kg bottles and 5kg bottles for industrial printers.