The machine was launched by Podiberia at Viscom in October as a result of an OEM agreement with Mimaki. It is an addition to the MTEX range, which includes the MTEX3200 and MTEX1600.
It is available with disperse inks for polyester, reactive inks for cotton, acid inks for silk and nylon and pigmented inks for mixed fabrics.
Digital Print Innovations’ managing director Stewart Bell said it bridged the gap between machines that do very short runs and long-run industrial machines.
"It prints at 100sqm per hour so it’s perfect for companies moving into sign and display printing or else haute couture fashion brands that do short runs of their designs," he added.
The MTEX500, which costs around £120,000, uses Ricoh Gen5 heads, which produce variable drops in four or eight colours with resolutions of up to 1200dpi.
It features an adhesive belt system, which drives the fabric through the machine in synchronisation with the print carriage. The belt has a continuous wash and dry system to avoid ink, dust and waste fibre contamination and water marks.
Bell said the MTEX machines had a separate calendar section for setting the ink, which meant users could choose the right one according to what the machine would be used for.
"If you’re using it for reactive inks you need to steam the textile at the end but other processes use heat to set the ink. Having a separate calendar section gives the user the flexibility to decide which process they want to use," he said.
The machine will be exhibited in Podiberia’s display room in Porto, Portugal early next year and at the company’s stand at FESPA 2013 in London in June.
