The 3.2m wide MTEX 5032 direct-to-textile printer by POD Iberia was launched earlier this year at FESPA Digital London, to much acclaim. Why? Let us have a look under the hood and find out.
Manufactured at its facilities just outside Porto, Portugal, the 5032 is based on the Mimaki JV5 print engine, but with a custom built chassis and inline integrated heat fixation unit. The MTEX is a complete one-piece industrial steel chassis with industrial unwinds and, according to POD Iberia, the, ‘print technology is proven’.
Likened to a Formula 1 race car, the engine is Mimaki and the chassis, feed system, and accessories are all designed and manufactured to industrial standards. The result seems to be a finely-tuned printer, which is stable, robust, and reliable.
Manufactured at its facilities just outside Porto, Portugal, the 5032 is based on the Mimaki JV5 print engine, but with a custom built chassis and inline integrated heat fixation unit”
It has four Epson DX print heads (magenta, yellow, black, and blue), and seeing it in action, the latter gives a punchiness and vibrancy of colour required for textile printing—as the inks are heavily pigmented. The printer currently runs off water-based direct disperse ink designed for polyester-based fabrics, aimed at the sign and display market, but there will soon be a pigmented ink version available for printing onto polycotton fabrics and suited to interiors.
Where the MTEX’ print quality stands out especially is in flag and backlit display applications. This is because its blacks are ‘solid black’, which helps to deliver top-class vibrancy without its usual price tag. Visually assessing the output of the machine, such as complex graphics on products such as flags, the colours also really punch through on both sides.
Staying in-line
Recently installed at major UK sign-maker Hollywood Monster, one of the first jobs
of the textile printer was an enormous backdrop print for the Birmingham REP
Theatre
When it comes to setting up a print project, the material is back-loaded onto a quick release shaft, which instantly locks. The fabric is then fed underneath an electro-pneumatic bar that is independently controlled to precisely feed the material to achieve the correct tension left-to-right.
Where the MTEX’ print quality stands out especially is in flag and backlit display applications”
Three further rollers ensure even feeding to the print bed. Once printed, the material is fed through the contactless heat fixation unit to a roller where the fabric is collected and wound. The heat fixation unit contains ten independent infra-red heaters that can be heated to 200 degrees. Most fabrics are fixated at around 140 to 170 degrees, depending on materials, ink coverage, and speed. The dwell time, the period that the material spends passing through the fixation unit, also depends on coverage, materials, and print speed.
Looking at some of the 5032’s other clever features, it also has an integrated suction extractor unit. When the material passes through the fixation unit, oils, water vapour, and naturally occurring gasses from the heat process occur. The in-line suction unit extracts these by-products safely by pulling them through its three filters—Hepa, oil, and carbon. The oil filter is washable according to POD Iberia, while both the carbon and Hepa filters are consumable items.
Big claims
The POD Iberia MTEX 5032 is back loaded via a quick release shaft, with the fabric
then feeding underneath an independently controlled electro-pneumatic bar to
achieve the correct tension
Putting the machine through its paces and testing various jobs, the MTEX’ key statistics seem to stack up, as it can output at flag quality up to 58sq m/hr, frontlit graphics at 42 to 46 sq m/hr, and backlit graphics at 24 to 28sq m/hr. It is also backed up by a solid software solution in the form of Ergosoft’s Texprint RIP and PC.
Speaking to the managing director of Digital Print Innovations Stewart Bell, exclusive MTEX?distributor for the UK, after the 5032 had output its last demonstration job, he explained why it is proving a popular choice: “The MTEX 5032 is one of the most environmentally-friendly digital textile printers on the planet. The in-line fixation unit works differently to other stand alone two-process print and fix solutions. Printing with the MTEX means you can print at the same speed as you fixate, and you can see the quality and density of the print as you are printing. Having a separate device will take 30 to 40 percent longer and you can only see the results once the fabric has passed through the secondary heat device.”
Perhaps the most lasting impression this piece of kit leaves you with is that it really does fulfil the idiom: ‘good design is the perfect expression of function’”
Bell goes on to explain the significance of this design choice: “Separate heat presses are essentially great big radiators—taking a lot of energy to heat up and stay at temperature, which it then kicks out whether you are using it or not.
“This in turn dries the air, which can lead to static issues that are associated with printing polyester fabric, and so you must install humidifiers to counteract the damage this may cause. The MTEX, because of its clever design and integration works differently. The printer is heated up when you need it, taking only minutes to get to temperature and does not kick out ambient heat, vapour, or gasses. This ensures that your printing processes can continue without hindrance or inconvenience.”
Perhaps the most lasting impression this piece of kit leaves you with is that it really does fulfil the idiom: ‘good design is the perfect expression of function’. And with demand for soft-signage products in the UK now reaching levels only previously experienced in Europe and the US, it certainly seems a piece of technology worth some considered investigation.
