The Milton Keynes-based clothing fulfilment business bought the Storm Hexa incorporating a NeoPigment process suitable for nearly all fabrics to bump up production capabilities on a wide range of garments, including hoodies and aprons.
The £200,000 machine was fired up in early July and coincided with a move from a 250sqm to 500sqm premises on the same industrial estate. The 10-staff company turns over more than £1m.
An existing user of two of Kornit’s Breeze machines, this new addition will improve throughput rates and work with a wider variety of garments. Other kit includes a Graphtec CE6000 cutter.
All Kornit systems were supplied by Adelco Screen Process. The Digital Storm Hexa has 16 printheads and two additional colours to support CMYK and white plus red and green.
It is suitable for producers needing to match specific brand and corporate requirements, and can output up to 170 garments per hour in high productivity mode.
Its recirculation system reduces ink consumption, and optimises reliability while double the number of nozzles increases throughput by up to 40% compared with its predecessors.
Timed for installation to fit in with DTGUK.com’s premises move, the Storm Hexa is producing custom-printed products with no minimum order number.
Workwear, jumpers, aprons and speciality clothing as well as more typical t-shirts, hoodies and sweat-shirts are rolling off the kit.
Co-directors of DTGUK.com Nick Davis and Phil Walker started their original textile printing business seven years ago to concentrate on the DTG market.
Davis said: “We are ramping up production so wanted more capability. What really sold it was the two extra inks, red and green.
“They increase the range of colours we can hit. With the CMYK process red and greens can be hard to hit and come out brownish.
“With this kit we can get a Ferrari red, which is what everybody wants, but is almost impossible to hit with the CMYK process.”
Davis and Walker worked with supplier Adelco Screen Process on all aspects of the purchase, training, supplies and service.
The new DTG printer is good for heavy-duty production cycles with a variety of garment products including items such hoodies, aprons and t-shirts, according to Kornit.
DTGUK.com is the first company in the UK to install the system, which was launched at Fespa Digital.
“The Storm Hexa gives us the heavy duty production levels we need with our new business model and adds the benefit of a wide gamut with its CMYK plus red and green colour palette,” added Davis.
“Our two Kornit Breeze printers have been ideal for our existing direct-to-customer market but, with the move to higher mixed volumes with our new trade service, we needed an industrial-strength platform for longer, versatile runs of personalised and versioned products.”
Walker added: “It’s also vital we don’t want to be restricted by only printing to cottons and mixes. Kornit’s NeoPigment process frees us up to work with virtually all textiles without requiring specialist pre- and post-treatment routines.”
