SPGPrints has announced that Tekboy Tekstil, of Istanbul, Turkey, has installed a JAVELIN digital printer to supplement production capacity and meet increased demand for shorter-runs, rapid turnarounds and on-demand sample production.
Established in 1981, Tekboy is one of the country’s leading suppliers and has dyeing and printing facilities in Istanbul and Lüleburgaz, where the JAVELIN has been installed. The JAVELIN printer is Tekboy’s first high-volume digital machine investment, complementing a large number of conventional printing lines that have met the company’s output requirements until now.
The JAVELIN printer uses the Archer technology which enables the firing of variable drops (2pL-10pL) to the substrate. The 4mm distance from print head to substrate eliminates head damage and is ideal for printing the knitted fabrics produced by Tekboy.
The precision of JAVELIN’s ink delivery system provides the repeatable and consistent quality that will enable Tekboy to meet the demand for frequently changing designs with lead-times often measured in weeks. Furthermore, Tekboy can produce samples, usually in 10m lengths, economically and instantly, enabling its customers to speed up product development phases.
JAVELIN’s six-colour (CMYK, Blue and Orange) system can reliably and repeatedly reproduce a wider gamut than any currently available eight-colour system and achieve fine tonal gradations, thanks to the variable dot sizes. Tekboy’s JAVELIN is using reactive inks, developed and manufactured by SPGPrints.
“We had been looking at digital textile printers when we saw the JAVELIN demonstrated live at ITM, in June,” said Süha Artun, Factory Manager at Tekboy. “The JAVELIN’s outstanding quality and productivity were important factors in our investment decision. It is the fastest printer we have seen to achieve a resolution of 1200 x 1200dpi, and we were very impressed with the results when it produced challenging designs such as geometrics and blotches at relatively high speeds. But other important factors put the SPGPrints offering in a league if its own.”
First of all, SPGPrints had a well-established, comprehensive support network, to help us adopt the technology as smoothly as possible. This included its regional base, SPGPrints Baski Sistemleri Tic., nearby in Istanbul, providing training and fast-response technical help, and staff from the headquarters in the Netherlands offering valuable consultancy, in-depth know-how of the total digital printing production flow, as well as testing facilities.
The Factory Manager added: “Secondly, SPGPrints develops and manufactures its own inks, including those specially for the JAVELIN. This means we would be dealing with one company for the printer, its service and inks. This one-stop-shop offering from SPGPrints is a huge plus for us. Finally, we were impressed by the two-and-a-half-year warranty on the print heads that reduces risk and accelerates the return on investment. The combination of high-performance technology and guidance has enabled us to start offering high value solutions to our customers from the moment of installation.”
Thanks to SPGPrints’ recent investment in an expanded JAVELIN production plant at its Austrian facility, Tekboy has benefited from a fast installation schedule. The machine was delivered at the beginning of September 2016, which is only a few weeks after the final deal agreement was reached.
Tom Janssen, Area Sales Manager – Digital Textiles at SPGPrints, said: “It is very exciting to see an important company like Tekboy take its first step into high-volume digital printing with the JAVELIN printer. We look forward to supporting the company at every step to ensure they exploit the full scope of opportunities this technology brings.”