What does the machine do?
Kornit’s Avalanche series of direct-to-garment printers are designed as industrial machines for continuous use, able to print directly to products such as blank t-shirts for cost-effective short runs and on-demand printing. The basic design features two platens so that an operator can load or unload one platen while the other is printing.
When was it launched and what market is it aimed at?
The Avalanche PolyPro was launched in April 2019. It prints directly to polyester and polyester blends, with polyester being the second largest category in the overall t-shirt market, which is valued at $29bn (£22.5bn), with something like 2 billion t-shirts being produced annually. As such it’s directly aimed at the sports segment, and the growing athleisure and functional apparel markets.
How does it work?
The key to the PolyPro printer is Kornit’s new NeoPoly ink. This inkset is made up of inline fixation, a white base layer, followed by CMYK and then a new Poly Enhancer channel. The main advantage is that there’s no need for any form of pre- or post-treatment. The fixation is sprayed in the area of the print and holds the ink in place so that it doesn’t soak into the fabric. It chemically bonds the ink pigments so that the colours sit on top of the white layer. The final layer, the poly enhancer, reduces the thickness of the print and gives a special protective layer. This is then followed by the curing. The Poly Enhancer is a clear fluid, which acts like a catalyst to reduce the drying temperature from Kornit’s usual 160°C to 100-110°C, which eliminates the risk of dye migration where the colorants from the polyester diffuse into the white layer. A further advantage is that the inks are odourless.
How does it differ from previous models?
The PolyPro is built on Kornit’s familiar Avalanche platform with the principle difference being the new inkset. This is also Kornit’s first polyester DTG printer
How productive is it?
It can produce up to 85 dark shirts or 106 light shirts per hour, assuming A4 image size and High Productivity print mode. All DTG printers take longer to print to dark materials because of the need to lay down the white ink layer first. This is slower than some other models in the Avalanche series, but does include the time needed to spray on the fixation, which eliminates the need for pre-treatment.
What is the USP of the product?
The main USP is that it prints direct to polyester garments; most DTG printers are for cotton, silk, wool or other natural fibres and most polyester printing is via dye-sublimation. The PolyPro prints on a variety of polyester fabrics, including woven, knits, with poly blends (poly-Lycra, poly-cotton) and different fabric textures.
How easy is it to use?
It’s relatively straightforward as all the hard work is done inside the machine by the various chemical layers reacting against each other. It can be run by a single operator. However, it appears the operator does need a degree of skill to judge how much fixation to spray on the garment.
What training and support is on offer?
Sharon Donovich, product marketing manager at Kornit, says that, as with all Kornit DTG printers, it comes with six months of warranty and various levels of SLA, including an empowerment plan in which Kornit trains the customer to be self-sufficient and maintain the product to ensure the highest productivity and availability.
How much does it cost?
The printer costs approximately £406,000 though this is subject to currency fluctuations.
Sales targets and installations
Although the Avalanche PolyPro was announced earlier this year, and Kornit says that it has taken many orders, Kornit is only just starting to deliver these printers now.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max print resolution 1,200dpi
Colours CMYK plus white
Print area 600x900mm
Platens 2
Productivity 85 dark/106 light t-shirts/hr
Substrates Polyester, polyester blends
Pre-treatment needed No
Price £406,000
Contact Kornit Digital Europe +49 211 200550 www.kornit.com
ALTERNATIVES
Aeoon Compact series
This is the most direct alternative to the Kornit machine, though it’s a dry process. It lacks the pre-treatment but is much cheaper and faster.
Max print resolution 600dpi
Colours CMYK plus white
Print area 500x700mm
Platens 2
Productivity 150 dark/ 650 light t-shirts/hr
Substrates Polyester, polyester blends
Pre-treatment needed Yes
Post-treatment Yes
Price £161,000
Contact Sanco Technology 01623 238220 www.sancotechnology.com
DTG M6
The M6 is much slower than the other two printers, which is reflected in the price. But its large print area does make it quite a flexible choice.
Max print resolution 1,440dpi
Colours Dual-CMYK, CMYK plus four white channels or CMYK, orange, violet, red and grey
Print area 1,150x750mm
Platens 3, 6, or 12
Productivity 25 dark/ 50 light t-shirts/hr
Substrates Cotton and cotton-rich
Pre-treatment needed Yes
Price £20,000
Contact Impression Technology Europe 01623 861173 www.impressiontechnologyeurope.com
