Konica Minolta Unveils a New High-Speed Inkjet Textile Printer,
Nassenger VII
Tokyo (April 2, 2009) – Konica Minolta IJ Technologies, Inc. announces the launch of Nassenger VII, a high-speed inkjet textile printer equipped with newly developed high-performance inkjet printheads. Sales of the printer will begin in the European market in mid-April, 2009.
The new Nassenger VII, is characterized by newly developed 512-nozzle high-speed drive inkjet printheads to deliver a maximum print speed of 210m2 per hour (about 3.6 times faster than its predecessor, Nassenger V) making it one of the fastest inkjet textile printers in the world. This printing speed allows Nassenger VII to be highly productive, comfortably meeting the needs of print works for short-run production of a variety of printing in small lots. Furthermore, equipped with a multi-gradation recording mode to control droplet size, the new printer enables the reproduction of a wide range of tones from the lightest to the darkest. Whereas it is quite difficult to produce a subtle gradation using the conventional screen textile printing, the new mode allows to meet varying design needs of the textile industry while constantly ensuring high-quality printing.
To secure high productivity, the new printer is equipped with a high-capacity ink tank that can hold 10 liters for each color. The inline degassing unit incorporated in the ink supply system ensures greater stability during long hours of operation. Capable of printing on a maximum fabric width of 1,850mm, Nassenger VII is also suitable for printing fabrics used for curtains and bed linens.
Konica Minolta will exhibit and demonstrate Nassenger VII at FESPA DIGITAL 2009, a major exhibition of screen printing and textile printing systems, to be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from May 12 to 14, 2009.
Main features
1. Newly developed high-speed, multi-nozzle inkjet printheads (KM512) are mounted for speed and precision.
The printer installs 24 newly developed 512-nozzle high-speed drive printheads, to enable a maximum print speed of 210m2 per hour, putting Nassenger VII among the fastest digital textile printers in the world. Incorporating Konica Minolta's drop-on-demand piezo printheads, developed in-house, Nassenger VII is an energy-saving, environmentally-sound system capable of printing the exact volume precisely in the designated space at a lower voltage level.
2. The multi-gradation recording (multi-drop) mode enables the reproduction of a wide range of tones from the lightest to the darkest.
The multi-gradation recording mode controls the ink droplet size and enables to reproduce a subtle gradation of tones that is difficult with the conventional screen printing method. A unique character of the inkjet printers to precisely reproduce a gradation of tones from the lightest to the darkest supports a variety of emerging design needs in the textile industry.
3. High-capacity ink tanks (10-liter for each color) are loaded in the ink rack to improve productivity.
A high-capacity 10-liter ink tank for each color is incorporated in the ink rack to support printing long hours. Continuous printing for longer hours is possible by simply refilling ink from the dedicated ink bottle (5-litre capacity for each color). The in-line degassing system ensures stable continuous ink supply.
4. New printhead nozzle-check function ensures high print quality at all times.
Nassenger VII is equipped with a new printhead nozzle-check system to ensure stable jets from all the nozzles, thus delivering high productivity and print quality at all times.
5. Capable of printing on fabric width up to 1,850mm.
Nassenger VII is capable of handling fabric width up to 1,850mm, making it ideal for a greater variety of applications, such as curtains and bed linens.
6. Safety inks are used for human health
The inks developed exclusively for Nassenger VII satisfy Konica Minolta's stringent safety standards and overseas safety regulations and are safe for human health. They contain no carcinogenic materials, so are also safe for use by operators.
Unlike the conventional screen textile printing system, an inkjet textile printing system does not need plate-making and ink-mixing processes. Instead, it only uses the amount of ink necessary to print images in the designated space, thus requires the least amount of resources including power, color paste, and water, and minimizes waste generation. Inkjet system is also capable of making additional prints whenever necessary, therefore eliminating the problem of disposing dead stock during the distribution stage. With its environmental friendliness and the ease of operation achieved through recent technical innovations, the inkjet textile printing system is expected to gain greater popularity among users in the textile industry.
The Konica Minolta Group acknowledges environmental initiatives as one of the prior issues of our corporate management. Special emphasis is placed on environmental measures from the development stage of new products. We will continue our group-wide efforts toward preventing global warming and creating a low-carbon society.