Japanese company Konica Minolta will officially launch a commercial inkjet printer for high-speed printing on clothing fabrics in the Chinese market. In the apparel industry, “Fast Fashion”, which invests in new products in a short period of time, is currently on the rise. Konica Minolta believes that China, as the world’s factory, will pay more attention to corresponding technologies, so it decided to invest in related products. . First, it plans to open up the Shanghai market this summer and set up a warranty service base. The target is to sell 30 units per year.
Previously, in the clothing printing process, the “screen printing” method of producing printing plates according to different patterns was the mainstream. Although it is suitable for mass production, every time the design is changed, it needs to be re-produced, so it takes about a month before it can be put into mass production.
If you use inkjet printing, you only need to re-enter the design data when changing the pattern, and production can be implemented immediately. Its advantage is that it requires less water drainage during printing and can print precise patterns like photographs. Konica Minolta sells the cloth winding machine, dryer and other related equipment together, and the whole set is priced at about 100 million yen (approximately RMB 6.09 million).
In China, due to the strengthening of environmental protection requirements, the large-scale use of dyes is becoming difficult. Many manufacturers have moved their dyeing and printing processes to developing countries outside of China such as Southeast Asia. In the future, if inkjet printing methods that are less stressful on the environment gain popularity, the number of factories that handle all processes from printing to sewing is likely to increase again.
“ZARA” and other European clothing manufacturers that advocate “fast fashion” are actively promoting the use of inkjet printers, and the relevant market size is believed to reach about 2,000 units per year globally. Konica Minolta launched its most advanced model in Europe in September 2011, with sales exceeding 10 units.
