Images Magazine Digital Edition July 2018

Schulze premieres dryer and mug press Schulze had a couple of new launches at Fespa this year, first of which was the KN75200 UD DTG drying channel. Equipped with what the company says is a "highly effective air circulation system for optimum and uniform drying", the dryer has a double belt that allows the garment to be automatically taken back along the lower belt to the user after drying. "With the KN 75200/75 UD, working distances can be shortened and production times optimised," Schulze added. It can be used for drying both DTG and screen printing ink. The cover has thick thermal insulation, which is said to result in a significant reduction in power consumption, features a touch display, and is equipped with rollers and brakes for easy movement. Also from the company is the BluePressLine Mug 15 Turbo, a rotating mug press. Users simply place the mug on the machine and the mug is automatically taken into one of the 15 heating elements, which can heat up to 220°C. The transfer time is 3.5 minutes, after which the mug is placed on a cooling surface. Schulze reports that the press can produce 257 mugs an hour. www.schulzeshop.com The new KN 75200 UD dryer from Schulze T Shirt and Sons has become the first business in Europe to take delivery of the Vulcan system, Kornit’s flagship direct-to-garment (DTG) printer. Said to be the fastest printing system on the market with speeds of 250 garments an hour reported, the Vulcan was installed last month at the printer’s Westbury facility in Wiltshire. The DTG printing system promises photorealistic quality and has 60 new-generation print heads with an advanced recirculating ink system in a six-colour plus white configuration. It has been developed around Kornit’s NeoPigment patented printing process, and has an integrated pre-treatment unit. Andy Lunt, who co-founded T Shirt and Sons with his brother Jon in 1989, said the Vulcan is everything it was T Shirt and Sons becomes the first European printer to buy the Kornit Vulcan promised to be. “We have printed 220 garments per hour so far and feel confident we can probably get it to print faster once we fully understand the operation of the machine.” He continued: “The Vulcan represents a turning point in the industry. We are pleased once again to be at the cutting edge of this change. The Vulcan is the solution for digitally printing short to medium runs; printing a run of 200 T-shirts now takes less time than it takes to prep and make screens. This is the solution the industry has been waiting for.” The new machine will allow the company, which already has 16 Kornit Avalanches at both its Westbury and Netherlands facilities that are expected to print two million one-off garments this year, to move into the traditional screen print marketplace, Andy confirmed. “A 10-colour job is printed and packed less than an hour after receiving artwork, before the emulsion would have even dried on the screens! The Vulcan will enable us to rapidly scale the business and take opportunities that were not available to us before. The Vulcan is a game-changer.” Andy added: “We are planning to install more Vulcans in the UK this year, with a view to installing in our European facilities next year.” The Lunt brothers are currently in the process of setting up a new facility in Spain. It will open in the first quarter of 2019 and will initially house Kornit Avalanches. www.tshirtandsons.co.uk Absolute Apparel stars in two business reports Multi-brand wholesaler Absolute Apparel has been included in the London Stock Exchange Group’s 1,000 Companies To Inspire Britain 2018. The company has also been placed at number 22 in the fastest growing mid-sized companies based on turnover growth in The Black Country Growth Barometer. The report, which was carried out by accountants and business advisors BDO, shows that the Wolverhampton-based business recorded a turnover of £17 million and an average growth of 27% over the past three years. www.absoluteapparel.co.uk [Below left] T Shirt and Sons is printing 220 garments an hour on the Kornit Vulcan [Below] The company plans to buy more Vulcans this year INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 16 images JULY 2018