Monday, 16 Nov 2015 10:50 GMT

Konica Minolta unveils 'game-changing' NASSENGER

Konica Minolta has launched what it has billed as a “game-changing” piece of digital print technology in the form of its new NASSENGER SP-1 ultra high-speed digital textile printer

Being showcased this week at the ITMA event in Milan, Italy, the manufacturer says that the new piece of kit has been launched in response to the increasing use of digital on-demand printing for textiles where reducing downtime between jobs has become more important.

Printing in the single-pass system is straight on to fabric, which is fed under a fixed print unit at the same speed as that of a screen printing machine.

Also on display at this week’s event will be the NASSENGER 10 and NASSENGER 8, two new scan-type high- and medium-speed inkjet textile systems.

NASSENGER 10 boasts a print speed of 580 sq m/hr that the manufacturer says can replace a conventional flat screen printing machine, while the NASSENGER 8 can hit speeds of 240 sq m/hr.

Reducing downtime is critical; our new systems do this and open up huge new opportunities for customers, who share our belief that this is game-changing technology

Akiyoshi Ohno, senior advisor to the Konica Minolta inkjet division, says: “In the global textile market, there are ever-increasing demands for low-volume high-mix production to cope with shorter lead times, improved print quality, saving resources and environmental considerations.

“Reducing downtime is critical; our new systems do this and open up huge new opportunities for customers, who share our belief that this is game-changing technology. 

“As an example, while screen printing machines with print speeds of 2000-3000 sq m/hr are used for high-volume printing in most cases, users of these machines are now calling for inkjet textile printers with the print speed of screen printing machines. 

“NASSENGER SP-1 was developed to meet the needs of these users in the fast-emerging market of textile printing.”