Archroma, a global leader in colour and specialty chemicals, has officially introduced its new Inkpresso® system for digital printing. The company is present at ITMA to showcase an array of solutions that combine performance, cost optimization and responsible textile production, under the motto: “IT’S WONDERFUL. Color enhanced. Performance enhanced. Sustainability enhanced.”
The company hosts “Innovation Sessions” that take place every day at its booth in Hall 8 – Stand F101 at 11:00 am to allow visitors to take an in-depth look at what some of these innovations will mean to the textile industry. At the session on November 14th, Mr. Rainer Roesch, Head of Global Business Development, Archroma Textiles Specialties, will introduce for the first time to the public Inkpresso, a pioneering system that Archroma believes will mark a turnaround in the textile digital printing market.
Developed together with Ink-Situ, a Swiss technology provider, Inkpresso will change the way inks are supplied to digital printers. The system brings together benefits that were unattainable so far in inkjet printing, production flexibility, no shelf-life problems, a larger colour spectrum and the possibility of an individual coloristic fingerprint. More than 20 billion linear meters of printed textiles are produced every year. Currently, only around two percent of these are made using digital printing techniques.
Mr. Roesch comments, “A major component of ready-mixed inks is water. This, however, leads to higher transport costs, increasing environmental impact and reduced shelf life. The Inkpresso system enables mixing of the required ink on site and on demand.”
The central component of the system is the Inkpresso Ink Formulation Unit (IFU), where eight colour modules are available. The colours can be mixed to meet manufacturers’ specific needs, at any time.
Depending on the size and complexity of the printing company, inks can be sent directly from the Inkpresso IFU to the printer through a piping system, or several printers can be supplied simultaneously using a special distribution unit. In addition, colours can be stored for several weeks in a storage unit.
“Inkpresso is driving the digital printing revolution by bringing ink manufacture back to the printers themselves,” Mr. Roesch concludes.