Innovative Product Developmentin

Digital Fabric Printing

Hitoshi Ujiie

Director of The Center for Excellence of Digital Inkjet Printing of Textiles

Philadelphia University

State of Art (1)• Worldwide Print Production

Source: Stork Textile Printing Group, Developments in the Textile Printing Industry , 2002.

20+ Million linear meters per year

State of Art (2)• ITMA 2003 - Introductions of Production Inkjet Printers• Dupont, Konica / Minolta, Kornit, Osiris, Mimaki, Mutoh,

Reggiani, Robustelli, Shima-seiki, etc.

State of Art (3)

• Globalization1. Global Outsourcing - smaller community2. Global Information Access - high speed internet / search engine

Design Development, Workflow, Supply Chaining, as well asScience and Engineering.

3. Global Skills - development of PC and graphic softwareWindows 95, PowerMac, Photoshop 3.5, ICC, Apple ColorSync after 1995.

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator - pen and pencil in design.

Competitive Key Factorsof

Innovative Product Development

1. Cost reductions2. Rapid market responsiveness3. Capacity for design creativity

1. Cost Reduction

• Short to medium run with Digital Textile Printing• Sustainability

Lack of excess inventory (screens and colorations)Less effluents

• Engineering after ITMA 2003Refinement of digital printing technologyAssurance of printingUpgrading printing speed

• Demand - Supply principalMore demand of technology - reduced the cost of technology

2. Rapid Market Responsiveness

• Traditional manufacturingDigital strike-off workflowDigital production workflow

• Alternative manufacturingMass CustomizationPersonalization

Market TrendsSKUs changes more rapidly over shorter seasons.Much shorter product lifetime.

Digital Strike-off / Production Workflow

• Most popular use of digital printing technology today.• Market testing - Engraving - Conventional production printing.• Market testing - Digital production printing.• Reduce S/O (sampling) time and engraving cost.• Quick response to the market.• Simulation of conventional printing looks ---- digital S/O

(color separations, penetration, hands, etc.)• Precise color matching.• Digital S/O is a part of design development processes. (designers responsibility)

Most designs are still done by hands-on.Requires color separation to retain good image quality.

© mantero

Color separation

• Bit map based rastercolor separation.

• Similar to conventionalengraving separation.

Color Separation

• Adjust to Grayscale separation from Rasterseparation. (more true to the image)

Alternative ManufacturingMass Customization with digital printing

• To provide maximum desired choices of the products• To create seamless digital automation (order-to-delivery)• To establish seamless digital supply chains

Alternative ManufacturingPersonalization with digital printing

3. Capacity for design creativityImportant niche factor for the success after ITMA2003

Reasons1. Aesthetic Movement (US)2. Design Products in Global Market

Critical issue:Global information access / skills - presentable designs.

New Styles of Designfor

New Digital Printing Technology

Elevation of Aesthetic Consciousness• Apple: Reinvention of computer: gray-box - - iMac -- iPod

• Home improvement shows - UK, US.(Trading space, Changing rooms, Crib crashers, etc.)

• Designers Products for middle end (to lower) to the market.Martha Stewart - Kmart, Michael Graves, Issac Mizrahi - Target,WalMart in Vogue.

Global Culture / Market / Design ??• A majority of design products are regional to their cultures.

Success of the printed design products =Aesthetic design variables + External factors + Functionality factors

Success of the printed design products: sales - publicity

Aesthetic design variables: theme, scale of motifs, color, coverage, tactile, rendering, etc

External factors: culture, price, branding, economy, demographics, marketing, etc.

Functionality factors: printing speed, functional colorants, finishing, materials, etc.

• Conceptual design process is the last element to be out sourced.Innovative Designs require cultural maturity.

New Design Stylesas a competitive edge

• Photographic• Diminutive• Unlimited use of color• Simulation• Digital effect• Engineered

No screen - No repeatProcess (hifi) color printing

Photographic

Diminutive

Unlimited Use of Color

Simulation

Digital Effect

Engineered

Into the future

• Neo Cottage Industry• Textile Printing - Surface Printing• Research - Design and Engineering

Neo Cottage Industry

• Paradigm shift of product development

Analog designer - Service Provider - Manufacture - Creative Manufacturee.g. fine art print maker, photographer, etc.

• Increasing numbers of small short to medium run print manufactures.

Textile Printing - Surface Printing

• Printing - Colorants and Substrates(old term: textile printing - localized dyeing)

Universal inkUV curable inkNon-Woven is most growing textile sector (US)

• A key factor for Innovative Product DevelopmentIntegration of Design and Engineering (including Workflow)

• Future Development -more innovative productsUniversal ColorationUniversal Design (algorithm)Specialty Textile Printing (discharge, devore, plisse, etc.)3D Textile PrintingFunctionality of Printing - pre treatment ( with functionalcolorants, anti-UV, anti-microbial, electroconductive-)Integration of Non Woven industry

Design and Engineering

The Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for TextilesPhiladelphia University (2000)

To provide information in neutral position.The technology was still early development stage and manycommercial advertisement as information sources.

To conduct design / engineering research.Research projects (design and technology)Proof-of-concept projectsTestingProduction printing

To conduct educational events.

PrintersThermal Head: DisplayMaker FabriJet (McDermid ColorSpan)

TX-1500 (Encad)DesignJet 500 (HP)

Piezo Head: TX-1, TX-2, GP-604 for Flat bed garment (Mimaki)Amber (Stork) x2Falcon, Falcon Plus (Mutoh)Hifi Jet (Roland)Epson 3000

Scanner Contex 42” large format scanner

Software ErgoSoft, Wasatch, etc.

Colorants Ciba Specialty Chemical, Dupont Inkjet, DyStar, Rohm and Haas, Sensient, Trident, etc.

Others Digifab, Improved technologies, Jacquard inkjet,Test Fabrics, etc.

Research• Design research

New design stylesNew product application and production workflows

“Smart Algorithm for Printed Textile Design”• Engineering research

“3D Digital Printing on Fabrics to Produce Surface Texture”“Encapsulated Specialty Ink for Digital Ink Jet Technology”“Integration of fabric formation and coloration processes“Universal Set of Dyes for Digital Inkjet Textile Printing”“Work Flow Solutions for Digital Printing of Textile Fabrics”“Nonoparticulate Textile Colorants for inkjet textile printing”“Inkjet printing textile archives - Barnes Museum”, etc.

• Proof-of-concept projectsInkjet printing for Army Camouflage printingInkjet printing narrow bandPrinted nonwoven product developmentChemical Impregnations, etc,

• Testing (Print performance, Line acuity, optical density, fastness, etc.)Various inks and substrates

• Production (samples to short runs) Scarves, ties, umbrellas, bags, T- shirts, yardages.

Education

• Conferences and workshops

Digital Inkjet Printing 101 (2002)Digital Inkjet Printing Workshop (2003)Designer Meets Technology (2004)Digital Textile Design and Printing Workshop (2005)

UPCOMINGDesigner Meets Technology: Europe (Sep 26 -28)

at KrIDT, Copenhagen, Denmark.by KrIDT (Kreativt Institut for Design og Teknologi)

Philadelphia University

www.Kridt.dk/conference

List of Contributors

Cannon (Japan)DP Innovation (US)Dupont Ink Jet (US)ErgoSoft (Switzerland)GA Technology Institute (US)Konica / Minolta (Japan)University of Leeds (UK)Lee Nicole Design (UK)Mimaki Industries (Japan)

NC State University (US)Philadelphia University (US)Reggiani Macchine (Italy)Rohm and Haas (US)Taiwan Textile Institute (China)TC2 (US)U. Mass-Dartmouth (US)UMIST (UK)VCE Solutions (US)

It is my prediction that digital textileprinting will become a daily commodityafter 5 years just like the development ofthe internet and textile CAD software.All of us involved in this technology willtarget the next engineering challenges.However, until then, we still have muchhome work to do.