The aim is to show how much more quickly and accurately garments can be produced with a fully automated, digital workflow, with garments produced from lay-out to finishing in just half an hour, on the booth.
“Time pressures are now increasing significantly in the fashion industry,” said Andreas Stephan, business unit business development manager at Epson. “Whereas before there would be around four collections released a year, now it’ll be ten, 15, 16... Also the issue now is that the guys design the garments in Europe but the production is mostly done not in Europe, but maybe in Asia or Turkey. With digital production you can shorten the process by around 80%.”
The on-stand production line includes design, pattern editing, 3D modeling, proofing, dye sublimation printing, heat transfer and final garment construction.
The workflow has been devised in partnership with the German Institute for Textile & Fibre Research (DITF), ErgoSoft RIP solutions, Assyst 3D modeling software and German fashion association Deutsches Mode Institute (DMI).
Patterns are produced using cad.assyst which imports customer measurements from body scanners or tables of measurements to show on screen how a design fits and drapes. “Adjustments can then be made which automatically alter the 2D pattern being produced,” reported Stephan.
Colour preparation is aided by digitally prepared and dye sub printed swatches, to ensure the result is consistent with designer expectations. “The issue at the moment is getting consistent colours on fabric,” said Gerd Willschutz, director at DMI. “People in fashion are working digitally but have not optimised workflow. There is a huge gap between the creative design side of the business and production.”
Proofs are printed on an Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer, with EFI Fiery RIP. Final designs are printed on Epson’s SureColor SC-F7100 dye sublimation printer, launched in April, with Ergosoft Professional RIP.
After heat transfer, garments are constructed using a Flamis flatbed welder, which works not by stitching, but fusing the fabric with heat and adhesives. “That’s excellent for sportswear because it means it’s very flat and flexible,” said Stephan.
The end-to-end demonstration has attracted plenty of interest already, he added. He reported that Epson was looking at showcasing a similar set-up at future trade shows, including those targeting designers.
“It’s about designers and printers talking to each other more,” he said. “A large percentage of people at Fespa will be printers but hopefully they will then show the designers further up the chain how this could make things easier for everybody. And vice versa with the designers at fashion trade shows.”
