Several solutions are available that enable one to print directly onto garments and reduce printing costs using advances in digital technology like chemically designed inks and critical computer programs. Digital Printing Direct on Garments is a process and controlling the process is the key. When Kornit Digital fi rst began engineering the Kornit line of digital printing equipment in 2003 there was an understanding of what was needed to control the process. Develop a line of equipment from the ground up and prepare for the inevitable changes in technology. Only then
can you gain control of the process.
Understanding the dynamics of the digital printing process is like arranging a row of dominos on end to form a continuous action when set in motion. When Kornit made the decision to build an industrial solution to the direct on garment industry, Kornit engineering sought out the fi nest components available. First the components needed to be robust and second; they must be capable of being manipulated to allow for the certainty of future demands for greater speed. Before the actual printing components could be brought together it was essential to begin with a rigid steel box beam frame to combat vibration. The rapid oscillations of the printing pallets and the print heads will lead to vibrations that would compromise print quality. When you are working with drop locations measured in microns it is critical that the platform is stable to guarantee a quality print. The mass of the frame in the Kornit printers is by far the most stable platform in the market.
As print head technology improves, this gives us the ability to control more rapid fi rings of the piazo ink jets in the
print heads. Kornit Digital uses the fi nest printheads available from Spectra®. The faster you can fi re the print heads the
further you can expand the goal of building the most effi cient, high speed digital printer in the industry. The ability to increase the firing speed of the inks jets can be disastrous unless you can control the composition and characteristics of the ink. If the ink is not manufactured at the perfect viscosity with the perfect surface tension, the ink droplets will destruct prior to reaching the material leaving you with soft, muddy prints. Digital ink must be chemically designed to be projected at high speeds. Kornit Digital develops and manufactures it own line of digital inks so changes can be made to the ink to adapt to changes in the mechanical aspects of the equipment. Technology
Once you have the heads fi ring rapidly and the chemistry of the ink under control then you can accelerate the printing pallets to match the fi ring of the ink jets. By using magnetic linear drives in place of conventional motors to drive the motion of the pallets and the print heads, Kornit can alter the speed of the printing pallets on demand. These linear drive components offer unparalleled accuracy, stability and variability to adapt to changes in the printing speed, print head and ink chemistry technology.
Finally, as the ever developing computer industry offers new capabilities, the ability to control complex computer
driven functions in unison saves valuable seconds on every print. Designing all of these critical computer programs by in house Kornit computer engineers allows the constant development of more effi cient programs to take every advantage possible to produce a more productive machine.
Now that the process is controlled, printing can take place. We all know the garment industry is plagued with
variables. Each garment manufacturer has a slightly different process that will directly affect the quality and durability of
the product. Kornit’s approach to controlling this variable is not to print on the garment but rather to print on a controlled
wetting solution (sometimes referred to as a primer or fi xation solution). A wetting solution that is applied off line can lead
to variables in the durability and quality of the print. If this off line wetting solution has dried out or has been affected by other conditions in the surrounding conditions where the garments are stored, the prints may wash out, crack or prematurely fail. To control this variable Kornit has designed an automatic spraying system that is built into the Kornit digital printers that applies the wetting solution to the garment just prior to printing. This reduces labor costs as the garment is handled one time by the operator and not once by an off line person to prep the garments and then by an operator to load the garment to the machine. By applying the wetting solution inside the machine and then printing directly wet on wet, inks to wetting solution, a strong chemical bond is formed between the fabrics, the wetting solution and the inks. This is especially critical when printing white inks, the bond between these materials must be strong and fl exible to withstand stretching and many, many washes. This unique process between the chemistry of Kornits proprietary wetting solution and Kornit’s inline application process has lead to many new advances by Kornit Digital in the digital market. The ability to print not only on 100% light cotton garments but directly on light and dark colored 100% polyester and polyester performance fabrics, pigment dyed fabrics and many other materials with a single ink line has brought fl exibility to digital printing companies. These companies can now offer a multitude of high quality products in single and short run prints for the retail market or produce hundreds of one off prints in the on demand internet based industry. As the speed of the digital equipment continues to improve, this ability is expanding the quantities that can be profitably produced.
Kornit digital is a truly research and development company that is constantly redefi ning the digital printing process.
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