The show, which will take place from 10-13 January at Messe Frankfurt, is expected to attract printers from across the world looking to tap into or expand their presence in the quickly growing textile printing and interior decor markets.
69,000 visitors from 137 countries came to see nearly 3,000 exhibitors at Heimtextil 2016 and similar numbers are expected for this year’s event.
The show is divided into three segments: home textiles, which includes flooring, upholstery, wall and window; household textiles, which encompasses bath, bed and table; and services, which covers textile design, digital print technology and media.
SPGPrints will introduce new digital printers for the interior decor and wallcovering markets based on its Archer technology. This technology is said to accurately fire variable drop sizes to create sharp detail, fine lines, solid blotches and smooth gradations on a wide range of substrates.
The manufacturer’s new 3.2m-wide Javelin digital inkjet printer, which prints up to six colours at 550sqm/hr, is suitable for decorative textile products including bed linens, curtains and upholstery, while its new Pike decor printer can be used for home decor applications.
Mimaki will show its new Tiger-1800B direct-to-textile industrial printer, which uses reactive inks, for the first time at a global exhibition. Mimaki EMEA general marketing manager Mike Horsten will also speak at the event about how digital printing is going mainstream and the impact this is having on the textile market.
“There is a big change happening in textile printing. This is being driven by a number of factors, including the advancements in digital textile printers and inks, as well as the demand for shorter runs, faster cycle times and more customised textile-based products for home and fast fashion," said Horsten.
“Heimtextil visitors will be able to quickly understand how they can incorporate digital printing into the mix for their benefit and that of their customers."
Heimtextil will also mark the European debut of Italian digital ink manufacturer J-Teck3’s recently launched J-Cube PNF series.
The new inks, comprising four high-density colours – Cyan Extra, Magenta Extra, Yellow Extra and Black Extra – are specifically engineered for Panasonic printheads and are said to offer high-quality coverage.
“Digital printing is becoming increasingly important in the textile industry where colour, durability and rapid turnaround times are essential,” said J-Teck3 brand R&D manager Luca Guggiari.
“Heimtextil is a great platform to introduce our next generation ink to the textile market. Our high-performance portfolio offers textile printers accelerated time-to-market thanks to its quick-drying capabilities.”
Kornit Digital will bring an Allegro system to Heimtextil for the first time to demonstrate live the end-to-end production of digitally printed home textiles, without any pre-treatment or finishing steps.
The manufacturer claims the machine is the only true digital textile printing device that includes pre-treatment and full finishing within a 7m production line.
“Over the years we have steadily increased our Heimtextil presence as this event is one of the most significant platforms for us to meet manufacturers, retailers and designers from all around the world,” said Kornit Digital vice president of marketing and business development Guy Zimmerman.
“Kornit’s Allegro brings new business opportunities to the home textile industry. It is a true standalone roll-to-roll system that prints direct onto a broad variety of fabrics with vivid results, accurate colours, an excellent hand and good durability.”
HP, meanwhile, will be showing its Latex 365, Latex 3500 and DesignJet Z3200 printers on its booth, which will have a New York meets Cape Town theme. Flavor Paper and Robin Sprong Wallpapers will design a lounge area fully printed on Latex machinery.
Other print industry names set to exhibit at next week's show include Durst, D.gen, EFI, Epson, Kiian Digital, Mimaki, Mutoh, Sun Chemical, Veika and Xeikon.
