Xennia's Dr. Tim Phillips gave a talk at the Textile Coating & Laminating Conference in Cannes, France in Nov 2010, titled "Revolutionising textile decoration and finishing with digital inkjet technology". The talk discussed the great benefits of inkjet technology for textile decoration and finishing, with placement of precise quantities of fluid accurately on the substrate leading to increased productivity, reduced waste and environmental impact, combined with the possibility of adding advanced functionality.

1. REVOLUTIONISING TEXTILE
DECORATION AND FINISHING WITH
DIGITAL INKJET TECHNOLOGY
Dr Tim Phillips
Xennia Technology Ltd
Presented at Textile Coating & Laminating Conference
Cannes, France, November 2010

2. TALK OUTLINE
1. Introduction to Xennia
2. Market drivers for digital textile printing
3. Technology pre-qualifiers
4. Key application drivers
5. New solutions
6. Outlook

3. Section 1
INTRODUCTION TO XENNIA

4. BACKGROUND
Xennia is the world‟s leading industrial inkjet solutions provider
14 year history, over 300 customer development programmes
World class reputation underpinned by a strong IP portfolio
Unique expertise in inkjet chemistry with strong engineering capability
Headquartered in UK, offices in US and China
Offering reliable inkjet process solutions:
Inkjet modules and inks for OEM partners with market access
Printing systems and inks for end users

5. Xennia helps customers lower
operating costs, increase productivity
and simplify mass customised production
by revolutionising manufacturing processes

6. FROM INKJET IDEAS ...
TO PRODUCTION REALITY
ink formulation & test evaluation tools system design production solutions

7. Section 2
MARKET DRIVERS FOR DIGITAL
INKJET PRINTING

8. BENEFITS OF INKJET
Reduced production costs
Efficient use of consumables
No requirement to produce new screens
Minimal set-up costs – short runs are economical
Cost per print same for 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10,000
No requirement for inventory
Increased productivity
No time for set-up – printer is always printing
Faster response
Print on demand
Just-in-time customisation/personalisation
Much quicker introduction of new designs
Applicable to all types of fabric

9. TEXTILE APPLICATIONS
Digital decoration of textiles:
Garment personalisation
Reel-to-reel textile production
Flags, banners, awnings
Soft furnishings
Applying functional coatings
Dirt repellent
Water repellent
Fire retardant
UV blocking
Conductive

10. GENERAL MARKET DRIVERS
Key market driver
Need for economic short print runs
Faster and more frequent design changes
Increased number of niche products
Increased demand for personalisation to add value

11. TEXTILE MARKET
Over 21Bn metres printed globally
Market value $165Bn
Overall growth 2% CAGR
Technology (2007)
40% rotary screen printing
40% flatbed screen
19% other traditional
1% digital
Regional mix
50% Asia,15% Europe, 11% North America
Digital printing growing rapidly (20% CAGR)
Source: Gherzi Research 2008

12. PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES

13. DIGITAL TEXTILES
RTR digital textile market 2010
Hardware $137m (6% growth)
Ink $454m (15% growth)
Printed output value $1.3Bn (13% growth)
DTG digital textile market 2010
Hardware $184m (23% growth „opportunity for ~10,000 high end units‟)
Ink $145m (32% growth)
Printed output $2.45Bn (35% growth)
Systems from
Mimaki (and Mimaki based), Roland, Mutoh (low end)
Robustelli, Reggiani, Konica Minolta, Osiris (high end)
Inks from Huntsman, Dupont, Dystar, BASF, Kiian, Sensient etc
Source: IT Strategies Spring 2009

14. INKJET TEXTILE PRINTERS
Reggiani DReAM
Konica
ZTT
Jeti Du Pont Artistry
Mimaki
Robustelli Monna Lisa

15. TEXTILE MARKET DRIVERS
Drivers towards digital printing
Reduced time to introduce new designs (few hours versus several days)
Lower energy, water and materials consumption
Reduced cost to introduce new designs (no requirement to make screens)
Competitive for shorter runs
Example: lower cost below1,200m for 8 colour screen versus typical digital
Current typical digital cost €3-5/m2
Average run length decreasing
Now below 2,000m, was 3,500m in 1994
(average run length still analogue territory)
Promise of even lower digital costs, lower at all run lengths
Huge potential for digital textile printing
Source: Gherzi Research 2008

16. REDUCED RUN LENGTH
Inkjet competitive for
short runs
Long run cost due to ink
price
Competitive at all run
lengths when inks
priced for mass
production

17. INKJET VS. SCREEN
Opportunity
Currently

18. SIMPLIFIED PRODUCTION

19. BARRIERS TO ADOPTION

20. TEXTILE MARKET NEED
Market requirement for RTR textiles
Printing system
High productivity (>300 m2/hr)
High reliability (>98% up time)
Cost effective (Cost (€)/productivity(m2/hr) <2000)
High quality (600+dpi, greyscale, 6+ colours)
Inks
Excellent colour performance (competitive with analogue)
Excellent fastness performance (competitive with analogue)
Ink costs that give printed cost < analogue for required run length

21. Section 3
TECHNOLOGY PRE-QUALIFIERS

22. PRE-QUALIFIERS
Digital textile decoration & finishing solutions MUST have the following:
User friendly and powerful software
Excellent colour & image quality
Good fastness of the printed image

23. INKJET PRINTING SOFTWARE
System integration
Interacting with users
Managing system components
Receiving external commands
Image processing
Geometrical transforms
RIP
Colour management
Printhead-specific data
Variable data printing
Generating each image
Tracking and verification

24. SOFTWARE COMPONENTS
ICC
Config file
profile
Image pipeline
Image Colour Datapath
Bitmap/pdf Screener Splitter
Transforms Management electronics
Variable
Label
data
template
generator Printer State Stage Stage
Machine Driver electronics
CSV data
file
Job
manager Ink system
peripherals
Driver
User interface Web server
Plug-in IO
Remote
External
Interface
computer
TCP/IP
Plug-in API

25. PRINT QUALITY
INK
(& Ink system)
PRINT
PRINTHEAD SUBSTRATE
QUALITY
IMAGE
MOTION
PROCESSING

26. INK/MEDIA INTERACTION
•Stable solvated colorant
•Wetting Feathering
•Spread Dot gain Intercolor bleed
•Capillary flow
•Colorant-colorant interactions
•Interactions with substrate
•Solubility changes
•Diffusion
•Solvent loss
Dot gain •Solvent absorption
Optical density
Drying

27. MOTION SYSTEM FACTORS
Accuracy & repeatability of the motion system
Will affect the registration between dots
Will cause artefacts (stitching lines – banding)
Wobbling/juddering of the motion system
Will cause artefacts – banding, waves, density fluctuations
Resolution of the encoder
Will cause vertical banding if not accurate enough
Motion errors usually systematic so very important to control

28. PRINTHEAD FACTORS
Printhead resolution
Native resolution
Drop volume
Greyscale capability – higher apparent resolution
Jet straightness
Nozzle design – architecture, production consistency
Nozzle reliability
Ink/printhead effect – transient or permanent
Printhead alignment
Printhead-printhead (X/Y/ )
Inter-colour
With substrate (in 3D)

29. INTERLACING
16 passes
1 pass
Defects caused by
Jet misalignment 4 passes
Jets missing
Potential solution
Interlacing in scan and nozzle direction

30. IMAGE DURABILITY
Durability of the printed image is vital
Durability must be sufficient for the application
Effects on durability from
Substrate
Material
Surface properties
Surface treatments
Dirt/grease/dust
Ink
Dyes
Binders
Monomers/oligomers
Process
Pre-treatment/post-treatment

31. PRINT DURABILITY:
FASTNESS
Fastness requirements
Water/wash fastness
Humidity fastness
Rub fastness/crock fastness (dry/wet)
Perspiration fastness
Light fastness/UV fastness
Ozone fastness/dark fastness
Highlighter smear fastness
Standard tests for all these

32. Section 4
KEY APPLICATION DRIVERS

33. KEY APPLICATION DRIVERS
Drivers
Ink chemistry
Reliability
Productivity/Speed
Cost (system and ink)
Key developments
UV/pigment inks
Advanced dye-based inks
Recirculating ink technology
Greyscale printheads
Inkjet modules
New system configurations

34. RECIRCULATING PRINTHEADS
High speed single pass/fixed array printing
Greyscale variable drop size for fine lines/features
Architecture allows ink to flow continuously past nozzles
Used with recirculating ink systems
Suited for difficult fluids
High ink/printhead jet reliability

35. INTEGRATION
– THE KEY CHALLENGE
Wetting, drying, curing Fluid control
Ink chemistry
Substrate Print heads
Material handling
Encoder accuracy Drive electronics, software

36. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
SPEED/PRODUCTIVITY
Printhead/ink drop ejection frequency
Print resolution
Number of printheads/nozzles
Motion system
Post-treatment (drying/curing) system
Maintenance requirements

37. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
RELIABILITY/PROCESS UPTIME
Ink/printhead/nozzle
Printhead assembly/wires/electronics
Ink system/pipework
Maintenance system
Software
UV systems
Verification system?
Motion system/substrate handling

38. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
COST
Capital cost
Development cost/number of systems
System supply cost
Running cost
Ink cost
Ink usage efficiency
Productivity/uptime
Consumables
Maintenance/spares
Utilities

39. INKJET MODULES
Mechanical
Alignment
Print XenJet
Electronics Aquarius
XenJet • Re-circulating
Auriga fluid
controller
• Modular print XenJet
engine
Cygnus
Print • Print Software
Heads
PRINTING
SYSTEM XenJet
Corvus
UV cure • Integration
support for
OEM partners
XenJet Lyra
Motion • Automated
System printhead
maintenance

40. INK CHEMISTRY
Development of new fluid technologies required
Application fragmentation
Requirement for specific inks to meet each application
Key technology developments
UV cure technology
Pigment dispersion
Advanced dyes
New polymers designed & tailored for inkjet
Binders for textiles substrates
More reliable drop formation
Ink cost competitive with analogue inks
At equivalent usage

41. Section 5
NEW SOLUTIONS

42. SYSTEM DESIGN DECISION
Single pass fixed array wide area swath continuous web printing
High productivity
High complexity and cost
High risk (missing nozzle shows up)
Maintenance difficult without stopping
Single pass
No error tolerance
Scanning XY systems
Low productivity
Low complexity and cost Multiple passes
Low risk (nozzle redundancy)
Maintenance easy
Error tolerant

43. NEW CONCEPT
Reciprocating diagonal continuous single pass printing
1.6-3.0m
Two print bars printing complementary patterns
WO 2009/056641

44. DIAGONAL PRINTING
High productivity
All nozzles are used efficiently
Continuous substrate motion
Quality
Greyscale high resolution printing
Disguise missing nozzles & head variability through software algorithms
Redundancy in software, not spare nozzles
No banding
Maintenance without stopping line
Same proven technology as XY systems
High reliability printheads
Flexibility to vary time spent on maintenance

45. SYSTEM IN ACTION

46. FLEXIBLE SOLUTION
Industrial inkjet is reliable & cost effective
Production dispensing for finishing
Production printing
Options for
Continuous printing up to 20 m/min
High resolution (600+ dpi greyscale)
Functional material dispensing
Multi-colour decoration
Print widths from 1.6 m to 3 m to 5 m
Range of web based fabrics and inks

47. XENNIA TEXTILE INKS
Reactive dye inks
Suitable for cotton and cotton/polyester blends
High optical density even in single pass applications
High stability and fixation
Acid dye
For high quality silk printing
Disperse dye
For durable printing onto polyester
Pigment inks
UV cure inks
Including white for printing onto dark coloured textiles
Broad textile application - no post treatment required
Heat set inks
Advanced chemistry means competitive costs

48. PIGMENTED TEXTILE INKS
Innovative pigmented inks for textile applications
Patent protected - WO2009034394
Uses binder to physically bind pigment to fibres
Use of traditional textile pigments and binders
Enable high speed printing in single pass onto wide range of fabrics
Universal textile applicability
No affinity to substrate required
Exceptional wash and dry/wet crock fastness
Excellent light fastness
Simple process
No pre-treatment of cotton required
No steam fixation - energy saving

49. Section 6
OUTLOOK

50. INKJET TEXTILE FINISHING
Inkjet printers for textile finishing processes
Standalone
Integrated in existing finishing lines
Dust cleaning unit
Textile Finisher
UV IR Conventional Dryer Conventional Dryer
Printing blanket

51. TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN
Current textile production technology is labour intensive
Process automation will reduce labour content in costs
Variable costs currently high for inkjet
Inkjet machines will consume tons of ink
Economy of scale dictates lower ink prices
No fundamental reason for prices being higher
Low cost location becomes less important
Logistics will be the key component to control

52. OUTLOOK
from
Inkjet will
revolutionise an
outdated industry to
deliver production
reliability &
productivity at
lower costs
to

53. INKJET OPPORTUNITIES

54. DIGITAL FINISHING
Major benefits of “digital finishing” provided by inkjet
Benefits
Multi functionality
Single sided application possible
Two sides can have different functions
Patterning
Functionality applied efficiently to textile surface only
Highly consistent coat weight
Environmental and energy savings
Not influenced by underlying substrate variations
Not influenced by bath concentration and dosing variations

55. DIGITAL FUNCTIONALITY
Functional Patches
Functional coatings
Devices
Encapsulation
Surface Modification
Skin Smootheners

56. INKJET FINISHING
Inkjet approach to digital finishing
Modelling droplet interaction with textile and patterning processes
Pragmatic experimentation with new functionalities
Monitoring of textile and the jetting process
Applications
Slow release technology
Digital dyeing
Hydrophobic coatings
UV
Antimicrobial

57. SLOW RELEASE TECHNOLOGY
Approach
Novel scaffold structure holds molecules for release
Release rate can be controlled by an external stimulus
e.g. temperature
Rechargeable by reapplying molecules to be released
Application example
Insect repellent
Toxic materials, undesirable for skin contact
Single sided coating, material held away from skin contact

58. DIGITAL DYEING
Approach
Methods developed to use “difficult” aggressive dyes (VAT dyes)
Not usually used in “printing” but give higher end user performance
Benefits
Environmentally friendly, efficient use of natural resources
Very high fixation, with low discharge of unfixed dye
Low water and energy usage compared to traditional dye baths
Consistency of product quality
Consistent quantity of dye is laid down
Does not rely on pick-up of dye from dye bath
Different colour possible on each side of the textile

59. OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Hydrophobic
Comfort of cotton material on skin side
Water and dirt repellent function on outside
UV/EB cured coatings
More rapid, compact in-line processing
More energy efficient than thermal curing
Antimicrobial
New functional materials possible to create effect
Selective deposition, efficient usage
Single sided, patterned to required areas

60. CONCLUSIONS
Inkjet technology will transform the textile industry
Higher productivity/lower cost
Higher flexibility
Allow economical shorter runs
(Mass) Customisation
Faster product design introductions
Higher quality
New functionality
Environmental benefits
Digital decoration and finishing enables process automation
Extensive R&D effort is needed for adoption
Will strengthen the competitive power of the Western textile industry