Tecno TMA TextilBy Pier Guiseppe Bullio, European Correspondent 

Bologna Fair Acquires International Flair
Tecno TMA Textil 2001 offered excellent chance to make, seal deals. With the only,
though undeniable, limit of being a fair that is substantially aimed at the knitting sector, Tecno
TMA Textil in Bologna, Italy, became a truly international affair this year.A lot is said and
written about exhibitions, and much of it is frequently far from favorable, often not without good
reason: there are too many fairs; they cost too much; they absorb excessive company resources (in
terms of people and means); too often, the number of visitors is insufficient; and those who come
lack interest and are not professionally prepared.The list could carry on, with dates failing to be
ideal, and host towns lacking the background of an attractive market.But at the same time, it is
evident that, especially for the textile machinery industry, a machinery exhibition that is
well-organized in terms of place, times and marketing (aimed not only at exhibitors but also at
visitors) remains a means of communication for manufacturing and trading companies. It also offers
an opportunity to sow seeds and an unrivaled chance to set up or seal deals, especially for small
or medium size companies.These benefits apply especially to the category of exhibitors that can
reap considerable additional advantages, such as the opportunity to compare their products with
those of larger competitors or to contact agents and representatives for new areas. More generally,
these exhibitors are able to view the general situation of the sector, drawing some often
inspirational ideas from a discreet glance at other operators exhibits.For visitors, on the other
hand, there is no more convenient, faster and safer system for comparing the best products in a
particular segment. On some occasions, a few hours suffice in order to make a choice, guaranteed by
the fact that potential suppliers are all gathered under the same roof just a few meters apart. So
the knitting mill from Carpi, the finisher from Prato and the dyer from a small woolen mill in
Biella find they have the same chance to examine and select products as managers from larger groups
(for example, Benetton, Marzotto, Zucchi, Miroglio and others), who are regularly visited by
salesmen from major manufacturers.Therefore, the conclusion is disarmingly simple: when a fair is
well-organized, highly specialized, and truly international, the opportunity exists to provide
maximum satisfaction for both exhibitors and visitors.The sting, however, is that exhibitions that
really meet these basic requirements are becoming increasingly rare. Fairs such as INDEX,
Techtextil and FAST meet these standards, all three of them being pipeline fairs, and therefore
somewhat different from conventional textile machinery exhibitions. The directors of the Italian
Association of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) came to this same conclusion on returning
from ITMA 99 in Paris after the decision to move to Birmingham in autumn 2003.Deciding to set aside
the gentlemens agreement that has been in force for decades, according to which the national
associations of the eight member countries of The European Committee of Textile Machine
Manufacturers (CEMATEX) would not hold competing events on their own territory, ACIMIT decided to
compete wholeheartedly by developing existing machinery fairs in Italy.  ACIMIT
InitiativesExcluding the so-called local fairs, such as the latest held in Busto Arsizio and
Biella, as well as niche events, which are not influential for the majority of associates, the
choice remained to reinvigorate long-standing fairs FAST in Verona and Tecno TMA Textil in Bologna.
In Verona, there were no extraordinary needs. FAST is a fair for hosiery machinery, a sector in
which Italian manufacturers are unrivaled leaders on the market, holding more than 80 percent of
the world market. The great relaunch of Tecno TMA Textil was a more involved affair. The fair has
good tradition to its credit, but it still lacked credentials for being truly international. The
efforts based on modern ideas and large investments systematically made by Bologna Fiere, ACIMIT
and the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) combined to hit the mark and render the event convincing.
Indeed, during the five days of the fair at the end of May, and due to a significant increase in
the number of exhibitors, exhibition spaces and visitors, the managers of the three organizing
bodies met with significant success.The fair was lively, interesting and rich with innovative
products; and run by a highly professional staff in the lavish stands. The fairs image was also
well-thought out it attracted a crowd of interested and professionally qualified specialists, many
of whom came from abroad.The chairman of ACIMIT, Alberto Maria Sacchi, said he was very pleased.
His company, HTP Unitex, was an exhibitor at the fair. [There have been] numerous visitors, with
articulated and concrete needs; many new contracts that will certainly prove interesting in the
short term; positive confirmation from important professionals we met, he commented. We have reason
to be satisfied! 

Obem booth at the show.

A synergy of roles between Loris Bellini and Gualchierani in dyehouse automation. Sacchi
was also a protagonist in the additional events that ran parallel to the fair. He participated as a
speaker at the congress organized to highlight the importance of the Italian textile machinery
industry to support Italian fashion as a world leader.Sacchi once again underlined the value of
integration between the two categories of manufacturers and textile specialists (their customers
and partners). These two sectors have, especially recently, set up intense and convincing forms of
collaboration in developing new machinery, equipment and production technology with concrete,
important and enviable results.From other speakers, a clear picture of the current market situation
on a world level also emerged. On the whole, orders for manufacturers are slowing down, and for
many, this situation has meant meeting (finally) delivery times after months of frantic production,
leading to inevitable delays.The fact would be worrying if it were not for two precise
circumstances related to high-level economic policies, both of which should soon disappear. In
Italy, it is no mystery that the wait for a new Tremonti law (which will create new tax advantages
for companies) has practically frozen many orders that were only a step away from a successful
conclusion. The law is expected to come into force within the next few months.On the other side of
the Atlantic, the United States is expecting a refuel from a tax reduction amounting to around $100
billion. This is an enormous amount even for the giant U.S. industry, which hopefully should as a
consequence return to full steam in the second half of 2001, dragging the entire world economy with
it. Furthermore, many of the textile operators interviewed had just come for the opening of the
fair, their plane ticket already safely in hand for China, where Shanghaitex 2001 was to open the
following Tuesday. China is in a period of substantial renewal of its textile plants, and has
almost doubled machinery imports from Italy in the past two years, purchasing at a rhythm that
alone could cover all the growth needs of the textile machinery industry. In the orders placed by
the Chinese, the most significant demand is for modern, reliable, versatile machines and systems,
especially those equipped to process fine fibers such as cashmere and silk. A Close LookAs
mentioned previously, one of the best-appreciated tangible advantages for all the participants at a
successful exhibition, which Tecno TMA Textil certainly was, is having the chance to meet a large
number of important operators and to profitably exchange opinions, information, experience and so
on.Exhibitors and attendees at Tecno TMA Textil were generally satisfied, but they were somewhat
restrained by the bounds of a limited presentation of the knitting sector. In particular,
professionals in the finishing segment said it was time at last for Italy to offer a large
exhibition to host all the sectors in the pipeline spinning, weaving and technical textiles
included.Naturally, for insurmountable reasons of logistics and district traditions, such an
exhibition would have to be held in the north of Italy, where the majority of spinners, weavers,
and cotton and woolen mills are based. This is an age-old problem, but a solution could be strongly
stimulated by two highly probable and contingent factors, the first being the low-profile forecast
for ITMA 03 in Birmingham.The second, which is making progress in this period, is the building of a
site external to the Milan fairgrounds. Once the problems of space and access are eliminated, the
project for a new high-level textile machinery exhibition could take shape, and certainly meet with
favor from foreign professionals.This conclusion was expressed by entrepreneurs and managers who
visited Bologna and whose credentials are unquestionable.
August 2001

Printing Without Boundaries
Digital printing offers possibilities for sample production, mass customization in global
environment. Digital printing is not a new concept. MillikenandCompanys Millitron® and
Zimmers ChromoJet have been commercially successful for carpet and upholstery markets for more than
20 years. Stork introduced the first digital jet printer developed specifically for textiles at the
1989 International Exhibition of Textile Machinery (ITMA) in Hannover, Germany.Many of these early
machines were extremely slow. Recent developments, though, promise true innovation in the way
textiles are developed, printed and brought to market. Much progress has been made in machine
reliability and speed, as well as in the formulation of dyes and inks. The ConceptPerhaps what
is more important than the digital ink-jet printer itself is the way designers and textile and
apparel companies can interact to bring new products to market almost in the blink of an eye.
Instantaneous data transfer over the global Internet and similar data exchange via local area
networks (LANs) make it possible to exchange ideas faster than ever.Actual fabric samples of new
designs are possible at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time formerly needed. For
example, one prominent textile printer put the cost of an individual screen at $350 to $1500
depending on whether the image originated from hand art or CAD. Thousands of dollars must be
invested in a pattern that may never be accepted or once accepted, never sell enough yardage to
recover the cost to develop the original set of screens. Inventory and maintenance are also costly
overhead expenses for screens. Digital printing enables the designer and customer to tweak the
design for little cost. Once a design is finalized, short yardage can be printed digitally, and
large orders still can be printed economically by traditional flat and rotary screen equipment.Even
so, the new technology is not without its limitations. At this time, digital printing is unable to
print metallics and pigment whites from the CYMK and related machines. The color gamut with these
spot-color systems is not as wide as with process colors. Process colors are often referred to as
CMYK (Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and Black) but seven to 12 colors are actually used in practice,
including, for example, light cyan, light magenta, orange, and green. Since our eyes are not as
sensitive to changes in yellow, there is no light yellow.According to Roland Zimmer, president and
CEO, Zimmer Machinery Corp., Spartanburg, S.C., high resolution (up to 1440 dpi) is required to
prevent color areas from appearing granular and pixel-like. The resolution actually achieved on
fabric is much coarser, because several droplets can wick together to form super pixels. Pastel
shades can have a dithered look, as too few droplets are printed for the eye to merge them into one
cohesive image.Digital printing, compared to rotary screen printing at high production speeds, can
actually be too perfect. Printing wet-on-wet allows the print to merge and have track marks. Slow
digital printing freezes the design exactly where placed. Sample table printing using one screen at
a time has had the same problem. When one color is printed, it dries before the sample printer is
able to change screens and print the second color. The sample is much sharper than what will be
achieved on a production machine. Todays software, however, has gone to great lengths to dumb down
the design so it wont be too perfect just as carpet manufacturers of machine-woven Oriental-design
carpets have for years deliberately introduced errors in their designs to simulate the natural
errors in handmade carpets. The MachinesThe Netherlands-based Stork, a pioneer in textile
ink-jet printing, has three commercial machines available. The Amber is the oldest, most versatile
and most compact of the current line. It is most suitable for samples and one-of-a kind boutique
designs. It is capable of printing 1.8-square-meters-per-hour (m2/h) at 720-dpi resolution using
six inks: cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow and black (CYMK plus). These colorants
are available as reactive dyes for cellulosics and as acid dyes for nylon and related
polyamides.The new Zircon II enables the rapid and economical printing of samples and short
production runs onto a variety of polyester substrates, including textured and embossed upholstery
fabrics. Eight-color printing is standard. Print width is up to 1600 millimeters (mm). Print speed
is 10 m2/h in the high-speed, lower-resolution mode. The intended market is flags, banners,
backdrops and fashion. Direct output from CAD files, scanned images or digital photographs allows
the customer to respond quickly to the market.The Amethyst is the continuous ink-jet flow machine
for rapid, economical coupon printing in conventional volume textile manufacturing operations.
Printing on substrates up to 1650 mm wide, the Amethyst can produce 350 square meters (m2) of
printed fabric per day. Rolls of up to 250 meters (m) in length can be loaded, while a print buffer
allows continuous running for up to 16 hours without intervention by an operator. Reactive dyes are
used to print cellulosics and polyamides.Stork and France-based Lectra Systs have established a
worldwide cooperative agreement to provide Lectra CAD creative software and the Stork color
management systems for digital and rotary screen printing. With a distribution and service network
covering more than 100 countries, the two organizations provide comprehensive support to customers
around the world. The globalization of the textile and apparel market becomes much more secure when
a printer has local support and can confidently transfer design ideas from New York to print
locations around the world in a matter of minutes.  

Zimmer, the pioneer in ink-jet printing for carpet, recently introduced the Chromotex© SPM, a
true color printer, at the American Textile Machinery Exhibition-International (ATME-I) 2001 in
Greenville, S.C. The use of true mixed colors and the fact that Zimmer developed this machine for
textile printing rather than modifying a paper print machine separate this printer from the rest of
the field.The Chromotex uses a continuous flow system and prints through 80-micron-diameter
nozzles, which stand 60 mm above the moving apron. The likelihood of clogging is low. The volume of
ink delivered, 1,400 picoliter, is up to 10 times greater than other systems with smaller nozzles
can deliver. The resolution is much coarser equivalent to 125-mesh rotary screen printing. Print
speed is said to be 15 m2/h using eight colors and 30 m2/h using four colors across a
225-centimeter (cm)-wide bed. Colorant supply has been opened to multiple vendors, including
DyStar, Ciba, BASF and others.Later this year, Zimmer plans to introduce the Chromotex PM, a true
production model capable of printing 100 m2/h using 48 jets per color. 

The Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Artistri Color Control and Management System with the Ink
Jet 3210 digital printing machine was also introduced to the U.S. market at ATME-I 2001, following
its world premiere at Heimtextil 2001 in January. The 3210 prints 3.2-m-width fabrics roll-to-roll
in eight colors CYMK, light C, light M, orange and green at 30 to 60 m2/h. The current version will
print pigment inks and binder, which dry and cure as they exit the machine. The Ink Jet 3210 is
aimed at the home furnishings industry, and beta site work is being conducted at a leading home
furnishings company. Apparel printing using other dye systems should follow at the end of the
year. Rapid PrototypingMass customization is based on the idea of modifying or enhancing
previously designed products how, for example, to make a customized dress and deliver it to the
customer a few days later. Rapid prototyping, on the other hand, is the ability to conceive an
original design idea and see a physical creation of that idea in a very short time.How are people
using these new machines Home furnishings companies use them to generate one-of-a-kind sets of
sheets, comforters, drapes, and all soft goods to take to market shows. Boutiques use the machines
for one-of-a-kind scarves, pennants, flags, banners and custom apparel.In the summer of 1998,
researchers at the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, N.C.,
began digital printing on soft goods with a small Encad TX1500 digital thermal printer using
polyester substrates. A Digital Design Center opened in January 2000 following the purchase of two
Stork Amber printers and a Stork TCP 4000 sample printer. The concept of rapid prototyping using a
TC2 BMS full-body scanning system, coupled with Gerber CAD design and the printers, has come to
life. Students create new designs on CAD and port the designs to markers within the Gerber system.
The printers print only on the markers, thereby saving ink and eliminating color on the trimmings.
Within a short time, the final garment is ready to wear. Scarves, place mats, neckties and anything
else imaginable are quickly ready with this integrated system. The fabric is pretreated with an
alginate, an alkali and urea, then dried and trimmed to width for the printer used. After printing,
the reactive dyes are developed in a Xorella autoclave/steamer. Following drying, the creations are
cut and sewn as needed. Elsewhere, Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, has just announced the
creation of a Digital Design Center as well.Also at NCSU, Dr. David Hinks has a project to develop
and evaluate disperse-dye ink formulations for piezo ink-jet printing on polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) and poly trimethylene terephthalate (PTT) polyester fabrics. There is no doubt that digital
printing has moved from being a curiosity for textiles to finding its place on the production floor
as a true production method both for short runs and for samples.
August 2001

Teijin To BoostPara-Linked Aramid Fibers Production Japan-based Teijin Ltd. has announced plans to
expand its production of para-linked aramid fibers. Under the plan, annual production of Twaron®
fiber at Teijins plant in the Netherlands will increase by 7,500 metric tons, to reach 18,500
metric tons, by the year 2003.Teijin is also investing money to expand Technora® fiber production
by 600 metric tons at its Matsuyama plant in Japan.The plant expansions in the Netherlands and in
Japan will result in an annual output of 20,500 metric tons of para-linked aramid fibers by Teijin.August 2001

Marjorie Hoyne was honored at a dinner party to commemorate her retirement as president of the
Spectrum Fabrics division of Covington Industries Inc., New York City.The private dinner party,
hosted by Abby Gilmore, president and CEO, Covington, was attended by Hoynes colleagues, family and
friends. Hoyne had been president and creative director of Spectrum Fabrics since 1994, when
Covington acquired the division. Although retiring from her presidential role, Hoyne will remain
with Spectrum as senior creative director of the Spectrum Designer Gallery, a collection of
higher-end, highly decorative fabrics. The first line will be introduced in September of this year.July 2001