Blanket Printing www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 1
Blanket Printing Basics General Printed Mink- and Fleece blankets are popular throughout the world. ZIMMER AUSTRIA s MagnoPrint flat screen printer dominated the high quality blanket printing market for many years, and now Zimmer leads again the booming market with its next generation of digital blanket printing technology. Blanket Constructions Polar or Coral Fleece Blankets These are relatively thin blankets with a very low pile. Most fleece blankets are made out of polyester micro fiber, but there are also higher quality cotton and wool type fleece blankets in the market. Raschel (Mink) Blankets Raschel technology is a kind of knitting process, which produces a high quality blanket with a very soft touch. Fibers used for Blankets In the past, blankets were mainly made out of acrylic fiber. In the last couple of years, more and more polyester is used for the face fiber (mainly for price reason). In some cases also easy-dye polyester or blendings out of different fibers like Acrylic/Polyester or Cotton/Acrylic are used. Cotton and wool blankets can be found in the market, but they are not popular for printing. Dyes and their Processing The printing process depends on the type of fiber and the applied family of dyes. ChromoJET printing process for blankets from acrylic or modified polyester using cationic dyes: 1. Printing 2. Steaming at saturated steam for about 10 minutes 3. Washing 4. Drying by using a conveyor belt dryer, a hot flue or a stenter dryer ChromoJET print process for polyester blankets using disperse dyes: 1. Printing 2. Drying at about 130 C 3. High temperature fixation using superheated steam or hot air with about 180 C for 2-4 minutes 4. In-line or off-line reductive washing 5. Drying by using a conveyor belt dryer, a hot flue or a stenter dryer www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 2
Process Color Printing ChromoJET printing is the digital printing method for blankets which is overturning the traditional concept in the blanket printing industry: ChromoJET process color printing process any color or shade is possible No limitation in size of artwork Designs can be nested freely to optimize the usage of raw material Samples can be printed at any time with any size, also during normal production and pile weight between 300 and 1000 g/m 2 How does it work? In process color printing a set of 10 or 12 basic shades are used to generate all colors on the blanket. Individual dots of base colors are mixed on the surface of the blanket and form the new shade. Raster Imaging Processing (the RIP) This software is the key of the print process. The color information from the artwork is split into the available base shades of the printer. By combining the right base shades, the desired color is generated during printing. Color-book on the way to the steamer Dyes and Chemicals The right combination of dyes and chemicals is the key for a trouble-free operation. ZIMMER AUSTRIA and their partners from the dyestuff and thickener industry have developed high performance recipes for all kinds of dyestuff families. The dye is actually mixed on site. The basic ingredients are water, dyestuff, dispersing agent and PP7 powder thickener. Easy drying and easy washing are essential for a good printing result. The type of thickener plays a major role. CombiPrint PP7 is the latest development for this type of high performance thickeners but has been in the market since 5 years. Powder type thickener - easy to ship and store No sedimentation Stock paste can be stored for months High shear thinning effect for good penetration and definition Easy to dry - because of no oil Easy to wash Only 25% of COD in waste water (in comparison to oil based synthetic thickeners) www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 3
Drying and Dye Fixation Methods There are a number of fixation methods for Polyester blankets: Drying and HT Steaming This is today the most common method for continuous production The printed material is dried first at a relatively low temperature of about 130 C. After drying the material enters a high temperature loop steamer operated at about 180 C. ChromoJET printing with low pick-up SupraPRESS Press-Station to get full penetration at low pick-up Drying at about 130 C using a 1-pass or 3-pass double impingement dryer Steaming at about 180 C for about 10-20 minutes in a loop steamer Drying and Fixation using hot air Drying and disperse dye fixation happens at the same time in the same dryer and within a single process. Zimmer developed a special 3-pass flow through dryer where the air is actually sucked through the pile material. This has the advantage of very short drying time and a short dye fixation time (Thermosol process) and a moderate but constant air flow throughout the length of the pile. The process time is in the range of 2-4 minutes only! ChromoJET printing with low pick-up SupraPRESS Press-Station to get full penetration at low pick-up ThermoCURE-FT for drying and dye fixation at about 180 C - 210 C using a 3-pass flow through dryer Superheated steam drying and fixation (SHS) A new development is Zimmer s SupraFIX unit. This is a combination of a dryer and steamer working with superheated steam. The polyester fabric is first dried with superheated (water-hungry) steam and during the same process also steamed. This reduces the process time to about 2-4 minutes. The main advantage of SupraFIX is that it can be used for all kinds of materials and dyestuff classes (from saturated steam at 99 C to high temperature steam at 200 C). ChromoJET printing with low pick-up SupraPRESS Press-Station to get full penetration at low pick-up Drying and steaming with SHS steam at 180 C www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 4
ChromoJET Line Layout for Polyester Blankets The layout shows a complete ChromoJET printing line for polyester using a flow through dryer for drying and fixation This is also a typical layout where ChromoJET is replacing a flat screen printer. Washing and a stenter dryer can be off-line. Entry Unit Butt seam to sew on roll to roll J-Box to store greige blanket material and to give time for sewing Lint removal system - to remove lint from the surface and back-side (optional) Pre-wash and vacuum to remove spin oils; remove wrinkles (optional) Centre guiding to keep the greige material in center track Pull-roller and synchronization ChromoJET Printer Print speed up to 6.5 m/min at 76 x 38 dpi in 2.6 m width Wet gluing device - to hold the material stable in place 38, 50 or 76 dpi resolution - for high efficiency 10 or 12 digital process colors 1024 jets per color Blanket washing and lint removal - for a trouble-free operation SupraPRESS- Penetration Station The penetration enhancer for low pick-up applications High precision rollers with individual drive and adjustable gap or pressure Permanent washing, cleaning and drying of the press rollers Laser controlled synchronization with ChromoJET printer 4 ThermoCURE-FT Drying and Fixation Unit Removes the humidity before the fabric/material enters the high temperature steamer or dryer section. With Zimmer's flow through technology it is also possible to reach a full fixation in one process step. Drying and fixation happens at 180 C in a 3-pass flow through dryer. High performance flow through type dryer with 3 passes Gas, oil or steam heating Material is supported by conveyor belts throughout the drying process First pass = Drying of the disperse dye Second pass = Thermofixation of disperse dye Third pass = Relaxing and curing Exit Unit Plaiter at the exit of the dryer www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 5
ChromoJET printer ChromoJET is a well established technology used in the carpet industry. Zimmer adapted this concept for blanket printing and developed a tailor made printer for the blanket industry. In the following an overview about some specific parameters: Print width Depending on the type of printer and line layout - any print width up to 260 or 340 cm is possible. Number of colors 10 basic process colors are used to create thousands of shades on the blanket. Jets We use our HSV800 jet type model with 200 µm nozzles. The advantage of this jet is its reliability and it can be self-repaired. Conveyor The blanket material is fastened to the belt using a wet glue applied just before the material enters the printer. Conveyor washing At the end of the printer we use an efficient 'belt washer' to remove the glue, overprints and residue of the gluing process. Print resolution The printer can run with different settings - depending on raw material, design and other parameters. Most of the time it can run using 76 x 38 or at least 76 x 50 dpi. Specification and Technical Data of ChromoJET CHR 800 2600 10 x 1024 CHR 800 3400 10 x 1024 Print width up to 265 cm up to 345 cm Pile weight of knitted pile products Number of base process colors 300-1000 g/m² 10 (12 colors optional) Achievable colors on substrate >5000 Repeat size Jets per color Unlimited - restricted by memory size 1024, type HSV800 Max. linear production speed 76 x 38 dpi 5.3-6.3 m/min 3.7-4.4 m/min Max. linear production speed 76 x 50 dpi 4.2-5.0 m/min 2.6-3.1 m/min www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 6
SupraPRESS - to minimize Dye Pick-up at maximum Penetration Basics In digital blanket printing we want to get minimum ink and dye pick-up and consumption at maximum penetration - this is especially a must on polyester pile products (for quick drying). SupraPRESS Function: The printed dye and ink is squeezed into the pile by two rollers either by a constant gap (for high pile products) or using a constant pressure (for low pile and flat products). To avoid ghost stamping and printing effects we are cleaning and drying the rollers very efficiently using a combination of scrapers and wipers. The SupraPRESS is installed directly behind the printing unit, before steamer or dryer. In case of polyester carpet or polyester blanket printing it is a must to use the SupraPRESS system to minimize pick-up and drying time and to maximize penetration. Little space needed - can be elevated or on ground floor between printer and steamer / or dryer Can work with constant gap or on constant pressure Amount of pick-up can be reduced by about 80% (in comparison to normal ChromoJET printing) - saves thickener, chemicals and energy Maximum penetration also on high pile products No frosting - undyed fibres are dipped into the dye No smearing or ghost printing - rollers are washed and dried continuously Minimum maintenance required Available for ChromoJET as well as for Colaris digital printing systems SupraPRESS with additional pull roller and spreading roller in combination with a ChromoJET polyester blanket printer. www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 7
-FT Flow Through Drying and Fixation To fix disperse dye a temperature between 180 and 200 C is needed. This means that first all humidity must be evaporated before the temperature can raise. The new developed FT dryer is a combination of a dryer and a fixation unit. In normal dryers the hot air is blown from top or bottom onto the fabric. On the ThermoCURE-FT the air is actually sucked through the fabric. The result is a much higher drying performance and even heating-up of the pile from top to bottom. In the first pass the print is dried. This takes about time (sec)/temp ( C) 1-2 minutes 200 In the second pass the temperature raises up to 150 fixation temperature and the 100 disperse dye migrates into the fiber. This takes also 50 about 1-2 minutes. 1st pass 2nd pass 3rd pass In the third pass the 0 temperature is kept to 0 50 100 150 200 guarantee a full fixation. Impingement 8-10 kg/h/m² Compact and space saving 3 pass construction Compartment length of 2 m Gas heated Conveyor belt throughout all 3 passes High air volume Equal temperature throughout the width Moisture controlled exhaust air (optional) Dye fixation can be reduced from drying and steaming to a one step process Drying methods and their water evaporation capacities Double Impingement 12-16 kg/h/m² For carpets and blankets without backing (air permeable) Flow Through 25-30 kg/h/m² www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 8
Washing and Cleaning After the dye is fixed into the fiber the material must be washed to remove unfixed dyestuff and other chemicals. Washing can be done either in-line after fixation but most of the time it is done off-line, just before a stenter. Washing of disperse prints is normally done as follows: 1. Cold spray with vacuum extraction or squeezing to remove most of thickener and unfixed dye 2. Hot (about 60-80 C) reductive wash (clearing) with vacuum extraction or squeezing - here the remaining unfixe dye is neutralized and removed. To increase the washing effect we use a underwater beating roller which adds a lot of mechanical movement and water turbulences. 3. Cold wash and neutralization followed by vacuum extraction 4. Adding of softener followed by squeezing or vacuum extraction (optional) Pull roller Squeeze roller Vacuum slot Water scraper Spray bar Dancing roller This drawing shows the function of a modular 3-stage SupraWASH unit for polyester prints. This unit is specially developed for ChromoJET and COLARIS digital prints. Water supply/drain Backside beater www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 9
Dye Preparation To get a good printing result it is essential to use the right dyes, thickener, chemicals and preparation method. Water To get the best result we recommend to use water from reverse osmosis (RO). RO water does not contain any minerals and electrolytes which could influence the dye negatively. Ro water is constant all year round and independent from location. Stock thickener As thickener we recommend an oil-free powder type synthetic thickener. This thickener has very high thickening properties, does not hold the water during the drying process and is easy to wash out from ChromoJET system and also from the printed pile material. Dyestuff selection For polyester blankets high energy disperse dyes with excellent wash, light and rub fastness are recommended. Disperse dyes are either available as powder or as liquid dyes - which we recommend. Dispersing agent To keep the dye paste stable and to avoid the blocking of jets and agglomeration, adding a dispersing agent to the dye paste is a must. Thickener preparation using 20 g PP7 per liter: 1. 30% RO water 2. PP7 powder is sucked through a lance into the thickener mixing tank 3. Fill up with RO water 4. Mix properly 5. Pump the stock thickener into the holding tank Dye preparation: 1. 30% RO water 2. Add 5 g/liter of recommended dispersing agent 3. Add liquid dyestuff or dissolved powder dye 4. Add stock thickener according to the recipe 5. Fill up wit RO water 6. Add caustic soda (10% NaOH solution) to a ph of about 6 www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 10
Thickener and Dye Preparation - Layout Proposal www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 11
ChromoJET in operation at Textiles Mora, Spain Sampling and product development becomes easy. There are no screens to be made, no putting screens into repeat, no minimum number of repeats, www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 12
ChromoJET printer operating at 76 * 38 dpi ChromoJET printer Dye coupling- and pump station Color kitchen installed on a mezzanine Dye preparation system www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 13
ChromoJET installation at Apolo, Puebla, Mexico left: Color kitchen right: Entry unit with guiding From photorealistic designs to vector-art designs to typical blanket designs - everything is possible! Sample printing at Textiles Mora, Spain www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 14
Applications ChromoJET blanket printing opens new applications and sales opportunities for high quality blankets because there is no minimum quantity and no screens are needed. Club Blankets Local sports team Sport clubs Universities Schools License Blankets Movie blankets Music groups Cartoon blankets Disney blankets Promotion Blankets Hotel blankets Company logos blankets Food and beverage industry Baby Blankets Nice graphic and photo designs Endless patterns Decorative Blankets There is no limit on design and color. There is enough space for each artist but also personalized blankets with unique and individual designs are possible. From paintings, illustrations up to photorealistic prints - everything is possible. www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 15
ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL BLANKET PRINTING Maximum efficiency in short runs No screens necessary - no limitation in repeats Just in time delivery - lower cost for stock goods Design change on the fly Low paste cost due to standard commercially available dyestuff Brilliant shades with best fastness Adjustable penetration Integration into existing screen printing lines is also possible Less waste water compared to screen printing... from the leading company for digital carpet & textile printing systems INNOVATION QUALITY SERVICE Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH DIGITAL PRINTING SYSTEMS Eibergstrasse 2-8 6330 Kufstein AUSTRIA Phone +43 (5372) 648 93-0 info@zimmer-austria.com www.zimmer-austria.com 24 February 2016 page 16