#Digital Printing

2023-11-16

KRONOS and Covestro demonstrate pigmented ink solutions for more sustainable textile printing

With harmonized raw material solutions from KRONOS and Covestro, inkjet digital printing can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry. © KRONOS

The textile industry aims to reduce its environmental footprint. Switching from analog printing to digital printing using pigment inks can enable an 85 percent reduction in waste materials, a 55 percent lowering of energy consumption, a 60 percent reduction of water consumption, and a 95 percent decrease of CO2 emissions, and represents an opportunity to make textiles more sustainable.

Digital textile printing also enables efficiency benefits such as shorter times to market and single-digit lot sizes produced close to end consumers. These advantages mean the adoption of inkjet printing is growing, but the technology will only reach its potential if it is supported by advanced formulations and carefully selected raw materials, specially designed for digital textile printing. Not all polyurethane binders are suitable.

Digital inkjet printing technology enables CO2 emission reductions by up to 95 percent

Remaining challenges are the pigment ink formulation and the threat of sagging in connection with the application

KRONOS and Covestro confirm the compatibility of their aqueous titanium dioxide pigment concentrate and waterborne polyurethane binders, respectively

Ink manufacturers can benefit from several advanced formulations for white inks that enable excellent jettability in the process

KRONOS, a leading provider of titanium dioxide pigments, and Covestro, a global leading manufacturer of high-quality polymers, are collaborating to demonstrate how innovative new material solutions can support the uptake of digital inkjet printing on fabrics, advancing the textile industry’s sustainability transition. Following testing by the two raw material suppliers and validation by industry partners, the collaboration successfully demonstrates that Covestro’s waterborne INSQIN® portfolio of Impranil® polyurethane binders and Imprafix® cross-linkers is compatible with the white pigment dispersion KRONOS 9900 Digital White. No significant sedimentation was observed, and all formulations showed good stability even after four weeks of testing at 50°C.

As such, the proven compatibility of the four Covestro binders Impranil® DL 1602, Impranil® DL 1618, Impranil® DL 1620, and Impranil® DL 1623 with KRONOS 9900 Digital White is an exciting development, opening the door to increased uptake of inkjet fabric printing. Together, these ingredients create a suitable formulation for a reliable printing process.

A new state-of-the-art binder tackles sagging

Covestro also developed a new polyurethane dispersion, Impranil® DL 1606, specifically to address the particular problem of sagging – a well-known quality issue resulting from the relatively high ink loads needed for direct-to-foil (DTF) printing, which was identified in the context of the collaboration. This state-of-the-art binder offers excellent anti-sagging properties and enables high white ink loads, making it a winning choice for white pigment inks used in inkjet printing. Its performance in compatibility, stability, printability, and image quality has been validated by Covestro’s innovation partners, meaning textile manufacturers can reap the environmental and efficiency benefits of digital printing with full confidence in a high-quality result.

Dr. Torsten Pohl, Head of Global Textile Coatings, Covestro: "By joining forces with another raw materials supplier, we can address two key pigment ink challenges facing the growing digital inkjet printing market: formulation and sagging. Working together with KRONOS brings us another step closer to a more sustainable textile industry!"

Jürgen Bender, Global Market Development Manager, KRONOS: "Thanks to this collaboration, we’ve ensured that our innovative KRONOS 9900 Digital White aqueous pigment concentrate is compatible with Covestro’s INSQIN® polyurethane binders – ideal for direct-to-foil textile printing. Moreover, the new KRONOS development addresses the need in inkjet applications for highest stability in bottle, drum, printhead, in-flight and on-substrate. Together, we’ve cleared a barrier to the uptake of more sustainable digital printing technologies."

Covestro showcases monomaterial concept in autonomous SUE People Mover

UE | STUDIOS has unveiled the fully autonomous electric minibus “Self-driving Urban E-Shuttle” (SUE), placing strong emphasis on sustainable material design. Developed within a project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the European Union, the vehicle will begin public road testing this year. At the core of the concept is the consistent use of recyclable monomaterials to improve circularity at end of life.

Covestro and Heraeus Precious Metals collaborate to enable safer, more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings

Laboratory tests reveal that AGXX antimicrobial surface technology from Heraeus Precious Metals is fully compatible with Impranil® PU dispersions which are part of the waterborne INSQIN® textile coating technology from Covestro, paving the way for more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings. This discovery comes at a key moment for the textile coatings industry. As the sharing economy continues to grow, more people are coming into regular contact with high-use surfaces, creating ideal conditions for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms to thrive.

Covestro celebrates decade of innovation and sustainable growth

Covestro celebrates its 10-year anniversary today. Since its carve-out from Bayer in 2015, the company has developed into a global leader in high-performance polymer materials and a pioneer in circular economy solutions. With a strong focus on innovation and sustainability, Covestro’s materials are now embedded in countless applications worldwide – from mobility and construction to electronics, healthcare, and consumer goods.

UK Manufacturer Basic Prints commits to digital-first production model with dual investment in Kornit Digital’s Apollo

Kornit Digital, a global leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, today announced that UK clothing manufacturer Basic Prints has expanded its digital production capacity with a second Kornit Apollo Direct-to-Garment (DTG) system. This marks a strategic shift supporting Basic Prints’ digital-first manufacturing model.

Keeping print inclusive: Empowering women in the print industry

Across all industries, cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace is increasingly recognised as valuable and essential to long-term success. However, despite the print industry’s significant advancements in technology and innovation, visible representation of women remains limited. As the sector grapples with low recruitment, it’s important to challenge outdated perceptions. Creating real change, however, requires collective effort - no single company can do it alone.

Express Print boosts production using an expanded fleet of Mimaki technologies

Express Print, a fast-growing Bulgarian provider of visual communication and soft signage solutions, has significantly enhanced its production workflow with a comprehensive portfolio of Mimaki digital printing systems. Based in Varna and active for more than 10 years, the company maintains a strong focus on the advertising sector. Over the years, it has steadily expanded its operations, driven by a clear vision to bring the full spectrum of large-format printing services in-house, avoiding outsourcing and ensuring complete control over production quality.

Hybris Productions scales licensed apparel production moving from screen to digital with Kornit Digital

Kornit Digital, a global pioneer in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, today announced that Hybris Productions has adopted Kornit’s direct-to-garment (DTG) digital production technology to scale licensed apparel manufacturing with greater speed, design flexibility, and on-demand production capabilities supporting retail and e-commerce growth.

RETECH showcases high-precision godets for high-performance fiber processing at Techtextil 2026

RETECH designs and manufactures godets and draw frames for heated, ambient and cooled processes, enabling precise heat treatment and consistently high yarn quality for a wide range of polymers and applications, with process temperatures of up to 400 °C for high-performance fibers. The company’s key competence lies in exact and stable temperature and speed control, individually adapted to the specific material and process requirements.

Driving WARP KNIT Inspiration

KARL MAYER sees performance fabrics and next-level textile solutions in particular as potential growth drivers for its customers, as a motor for business development and as real game changers for the entire textile industry. Innovation does not happen by chance. It is the result of close exchange with customers & brands, textile expertise and competence in textile machine engineering. This is why KARL MAYER is investing in progress and collaborative development and opening its TEXTILE INNOVATION CEN-TER (TIC) – a place to be for the entire textile world.