Whole pigment solution reduces environmental impact

Sponsored by MS Printing Solutions and JK Group

Sustainable innovation has been the guiding light for MS Printing Solutions and JK Group in the past few years. It forms the basis of their new products, evidenced at ITMA 2023 in Milan, Italy.

Among these products, MS Printing Solutions and JK Group displayed their Pigment Solution, which is a whole system made up of four different components. Together, the technology has proven to be exceptionally innovative.

Part of the system, Digistar Pigment 4K is JK Group’s newest and patent pending digital pigment ink. A new formula that doesn’t require pre and post treatment, it is one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable ink options due to a 50% reduction of the printing process steps. If compared to the same process made with reactive inks, environmental impact is reduced, on average, by 95%. This is in terms of decreasing water and energy consumption as well as chemical waste. As per hydric resources impact, for example, the ink has a measured reduction of 85% and CO₂ emission is reduced by about 15 times. These data points come from a study developed by Next Technology Tecnotessile Società Nazionale di Ricerca.

Digistar Pigment 4K boasts a significant general fastness: as per EN ISO 20315-M (alkaline and acid perspiration) EN ISO 20615 – M (domestic washing at 40°C) all tests showed 5 as results. As per EN ISO 2035 (dry and wet rubbing), a 4 was scored. These were achieved while maintaining a high printability. Textile Standard certifications are an extremely concrete and tangible guarantee of the sustainable and ecological production of JK Group’s latest ink formula and its low hazardous profile: Digistar Pigment 4K is certified Ecopassport (certificate nr 22EP00004) and ZDHC L3.

A completely re-engineered version of MS Printing Solutions popular digital scanning printing machine – the JP7 – is another fundamental component of the full pigment solution. Together the companies have revolutionised the JP7, both in electronics and mechanics, so that in combination with its new water-based pigment ink it could give the best achievable results. With an aim of process sustainability, MS Printing Solutions implemented a new zero-wastewater recirculation system that will internally recycle a, previously filtered, fixed amount of water in a dedicated tank. Pigment printing is already a waterless process – the only water involved is the one used to clean the belt; with this system the companies reduced the amount of cleaning water by up to 95%.

In addition, the machine has undergone other various improvements. An Ink Recirculation and Nozzle Shooting System, both developed to work on IDLE and while printing, have been added. These upgrades help the customers to keep the ink running constantly, avoiding any sedimentation. Keeping the nozzles active results in an improved printing quality and enhances and elongates print head lifetime. Such enhancements also increase the life of filters and degassers and allows for reliability in printing quality and nozzle performance within different printing jobs or printing designs. This is because the Nozzle Shooting System keeps the nozzles active even when they are not used for a specific job or during the night.

Easy-Clean, the new carriage plate, is a further upgrade. It improves the cleaning process of the carriage plate, significantly avoiding damage, while also empowering printing quality and efficiency.

Last but not least, the company has also changed the appearance of the JP7. The new casing is lighter, with an interior space layout made even more rational than before, thus assuring the best positioning of the new electronic and mechanical components.

Meanwhile, Gradus is a new dryer designed to work in-line with the system. It enables drying and curing one step. This is a unique machine where a white roll can be inserted and be ready to be sold. A faster time to market, an almost print on-demand flow and reduced waste are all collateral effects of this solution. Moreover, Gradus has minimal energy consumption, the best achievable emission control and a modularity that contributes to CO₂ emission reduction in the whole process.

What’s more, a new software which integrates both calibration and printing software has been designed to make the entire calibration procedure easy and intuitive. The full integration of such software into the system allows calibration time to be halved. It also increases colour yield up to 20% and colour brightness up to 15%.

With MS Printing Solutions and JK Group’s innovative solution, pigment printing becomes an easy and waterless process, which enables customers to produce more sustainably whilst ensuring a cost-effective printing output. One of the main advantages of the solution is that it is a full inline printing system which makes pigment printing almost on demand, as no time goes by in between the order and the production.

MS Printing Solutions and JK Group say: “Our customers have the chance to exploit this inline system, whose pieces have been developed to work together to maximise their output, with a significant reduction in costs, emissions, energy and water consumption. When we started the project, we had sustainability in mind: 45bn garments, in the fashion industry alone, are unsold and wasted every year. This is due to overproduction: companies produce more and more to respond to market demands and to exploit the advantages brought by the economy of scale.

“Nowadays, it is fundamental to be careful towards our own environmental impact as companies. This is a merit the European Parliament values and it is evident in the commitment to policies and laws created to prevent and ultimately to end, the waste of fast fashion.”

The EU’s microplastics restrictions, the EU waste framework directive, the EU Ecodesign Directive, the EU Ecolabel for textile and clothing products, the directive on Green Claims are all clear signals of sustainable requirements becoming more and more urgent day after day.

The lack of clarity in the definition of what greenwashing actually is may mislead members of the textile value chain who would like to rely on truly sustainable partners but have troubles in identifying them. On the other side, customers who are becoming more and more aware of the importance of supporting companies that work transparently, by working for them, buying from them and investing in them, find themselves with little to no guidance at all. MS Printing Solutions and JK Group conclude: “There are some key factors to recognise the authenticity of a company’s commitment to sustainability, such as consistency, tradition, action and certifications. The next steps companies must take in this industry are clear: no more time to walk, let’s run to a greener future.”

For more information, please visit: www.j-k-group.com and www.msitaly.com

To know more about the Pigment Solution, please write an email to info@j-k-group.com

Have your say. Join the conversation and follow us on LinkedIn