Kornit Digital unveils new DTG system

The Kornit Apollo is expected to be available in mid-2023
The Kornit Apollo is expected to be available in mid-2023

Kornit Digital has launched the new Kornit Apollo direct-to-garment (DTG) system at an event in Israel today (4 April).

At Kornit Fashion Week Tel Aviv 2022, which is taking place until Wednesday (6 April), the manufacturer unveiled the machine, which uses its Max technology to offer “the highest retail quality combined with full automation control and integrated smart curing processes”. The printer also utilises technology from Lichtenau, Germany-based Tesoma, Kornit’s recent acquisition.

Kornit said the single-step end-to-end system addresses accelerated post-pandemic market trends for streamlined supply chains and production nearshoring. It is expected to be available in mid-2023, following early customer engagements in the second half of 2022.

“These accelerating shifts to nearshore and short- and medium-run production, in addition to the breakthrough digital advancements we are introducing with Apollo, should allow Kornit to address significantly more of the annual global decorated apparel jobs, generating a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for our customers and partners,” said Kornit CEO Ronen Samuel.

“The fashion and textile industry is at a critical inflection point. As the design, technology, and fashion worlds converge, there’s a tremendous opportunity now created. Kornit is writing the operating system for fashion – and today, we are introducing game-changing technology for mass production that will offer a powerful alternative to screen printing.”

Also unveiled at the event was the Kornit Atlas Max Poly DTG production system, which the company described as “the industry-first high-volume digital decoration solution for polyester and polyester-blended apparel”.

It said that as the fashion and sport apparel markets come together, a significant new opportunity for fashion on polyester is emerging and Kornit Atlas Max Poly “creates new possibilities in an industry where black and greys are the norm”.

This kit, which is expected to be available later this year following successful deployment across four global beta customer sites, also incorporates Kornit’s XDi decorative applications, creating new styles for multiple effects and unlimited combinations such as threadless embroidery, high-density vinyl, screen transfer emulations, and 3D simulation.

The four-day Fashion Week event is being attended by designers, retailers, brands, fulfillers, and e-commerce players, among others, and aims to demonstrate the confluence of the design, technology, and fashion worlds, which are central elements to Kornit’s 4.0 strategy.

Last month Kornit Digital and not-for-profit social enterprise Fashion-Enter opened a new innovation centre in London.