Summa, Epson and Multi-Plot Showcase Textile Production Micro-factory at Texprocess 2024
17 July 2024: At Texprocess 2024, the epicentre of the textile industry, three industry greats – Summa, Epson, and Multi-Plot have collaborated to create a textile workflow, guiding visitors through a production line from A to Z. The micro-factory demonstrated 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 following companies are work closely together to create a fast and efficient micro-factory:
– Epson – Printing | epson.de | Stand 8 – C32
– Multi-Plot – Calendars for dye sublimation and transfer printing | multiplot.de | Stand 8 – C38
– Summa – Laser Cutting | summa.com | Stand 8 – D35
Step-by-Step Guide to the Textile Production Process
The micro-factory recreated a complete real-life production workflow on a smaller scale. This way, Summa, Epson and Multi-Plot accurately showcased the production process and how the right equipment in a smooth-running workflow can greatly benefit their business.
Step 1: Choosing The Correct Material
The production process starts by choosing the suitable material for the job. Greentex by Sutex was chosen because they deliver a high-quality textile and they are eco-friendly. In fact the materials used was Oeko-Tex certified. For the production of shirts, Tomine Eco fabric was used, made out of 100% recycled polyester and for the production of pillows, Universal Eco was used which is 65% recycled polyester and 35% normal polyester.
Step 2: Printing The Design
Next step is to print the design. Epson chose the SureColor F9400H dye-sublimation printer. The design 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 created media profiles and performs colour matching and verification for Epson printers quickly and easily. The design was mirror-printed onto transfer paper.
Step 3: Sealing The Design Onto The Fabric
Once that is done, it’s time to calendar. The fabric and transfer paper were simultaneously fed into the calendar, a Kalander HJ 75 provided by Multi-Plot. The materials were positioned in such a way that 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.
Step 4: Cutting The Fabric
After printing and calendaring the design, Summa’s L1810 laser cutter with Caron feeder cuts the material. 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.
Step 5: The Finished Product
The finished products were on display at the booth of Summa and Multi-Plot, however, sewing was not shown live. With the micro-factory, Summa, Epson and Multi-Plot wanted visitors to experience what a modern production workflow can look like, requiring minimal operator intervention by automating steps in the process.
www.epson.de, www.multiplot.de, www.summa.com
