Interview with Mr Josef Osl, GM Marketing at ZIMMER AUSTRIA | Digital Printing Systems
ITMA is the best platform for innovations in machines and technologies for the textile industry. The fair only takes place every four years. Actually, it is ideal for presenting developments of conventional production machines. However, developments are much faster in digital systems as they need to cope with the volatile environment that the industry has to face. Waiting for an ITMA trade fair to come up with innovations would mean that some developments might already be outdated by the time they are presented.
First of all, please let us know about ZIMMER AUSTRIA’s participation at ITMA Milano 2023. Do you have any new technology to exhibit at ITMA for the first time?
Thanks to digital technology, development is much faster and one has to enter the market with innovations immediately and without delay. Nevertheless, even at a trade fair event that only takes place every four years, there are innovations that will change the market.
ZIMMER AUSTRIA showcases innovations in both screen and digital printing, which will support the textile industry in the long term. Some of these innovations will open new fields for textile and carpet printing.
Economical printing is the result of process simplification combined with automation. Other important cost-cutting factors are user and service friendliness. For all these requirements we have updated solutions and will demonstrate and present them to an international audience.
Our sales and technical team would be happy to welcome you to ZIMMER AUSTRIA in Hall 07, booth E105 for detailed discussions on-site.
What is ZIMMER AUSTRIA’s range of products and machinery in the textile industry? Share with us the most important properties of ZIMMER AUSTRIA machinery in different categories.
We offer a wide range of machines and systems Made in Austria for the textile and carpet industry. The main products are screen and digital printing machines and various other equipment required in the printing shop. Further products are post-treatment and textile finishing machines for all types of fiber-based substrates.
These include pre-treatment systems for digital printing and machines for rotary screen engraving or dosing & mixing units for print paste production. In addition, ZIMMER AUSTRIA manufactures coating machines with various application systems. Different types of dryers as well as horizontal and loop steamers are part of the production program, as are washing machines for carpets and voluminous textile substrates and machine components to support the penetration of prints on heavy-weight qualities.
ZIMMER AUSTRIA is known for its strong brands ROTASCREEN and MAGNOPRINT as screen printing systems, MAGNOROLL coating machines, THERMOCURE dryers and MODUS loop steamers. Another strong brand is CHROMOJET, a high-speed valve-jet-based digital printing system for deep-pile penetration on heavy-weight carpets. COLARIS brand is a printing technology based on piezo printheads for high-resolution printing on any kind of textile and carpet substrate.
All ZIMMER AUSTRIA brands are 100 percent produced in Austria.
With our technology center being equipped according to the latest standards, we offer our customers comprehensive service in process development and the best possible integration of new technologies into their production environment.
The need for military fabrics is increasing and your company offers one of the best digital printing technologies for camouflage fabric. Let us know more about its unique features.
Military and paramilitary services are showing a rapidly growing demand for camouflage products. Combat suits, rain protection, bulletproof vests, ponchos, nets, tent material, carrying systems, hook and loop fastening systems, and various types of belts and straps, all this is part of military camouflage prints with IRR technology.
In recent years, we have carried out extensive research and development work to bring this cutting-edge technology of digital camouflage printing with IR remission control to the market. In a process that is still ongoing, our R&D department team is focused on fine-tuning and developing additional products required by the armed forces.
Also Read: digital printing of military camouflage fabrics
The constantly growing number of special units and the individual needs of different combat environments require small quantities of high-tech textiles with camouflage prints. New designs are constantly being developed by military designers in order to cover the widest possible range of operational environments. Specific demands with dedicated designs including a growing number of colors and gradients within the print, in literally unlimited repeat lengths have to be produced on short notice. This can only be offered by a digital printing system.
A daily routine at ZIMMER AUSTRIA is in-house product development on customer substrates that have to meet the tight specifications of L*a*b color values and infrared reflectance curves, as well as the specified fastness conditions. Proven results and know-how are passed on to the customer when they purchase our print lines.
Sustainability and recycling are important challenges for textile manufacturers all around the world, what is Zimmer Austria‘s sustainability policy? And how to help the textile industry?
A printer manufacturer has few opportunities to work on the recycling side. Therefore, our efforts are aimed at reducing the consumption of resources. In particular, the consumption of water as a limited natural resource and electricity as a costly energy source with a high environmental impact must be reduced to a minimum. Reduction of the CO2 footprint in the manufacture of the machines is a particular concern of ZIMMER AUSTRIA.
For this reason, we have invested in a photovoltaic installation, which produces the annual electric consumption of our manufacturing plant for digital printers. In addition, it is particularly important to us to support our customers with economic and sustainable print production. A committed R&D team in our technology center is constantly working on optimizing the process technology.
The reduction of water and energy consumption is the top priority. ZIMMER AUSTRIA Digital Printing Systems is a specialist for printing heavy textiles and carpets. Such products are usually manufactured in steps with several moistening and drying processes, which require a lot of water and drying energy. Not so with our technology. Inline pre-treatment in combination with wet-on-wet printing, in-line color fixing, and in-line post-treatment reduce resource consumption enormously.
In-line process technology is the most economical and ecological solution, enormously reducing both water and energy consumption. Digital pigment printing is becoming more and more popular on flat textiles, which also supports the sustainability of textile printing.
Why is digital textile printing expanding and developing day by day? What are its unique features and benefits?
The order of the day is to reduce inventories and bring production as close as possible to the consumer. Digital printing is the only option for on-demand print production. It is the key to Industry 4.0.
Reducing waste chemicals is unmatched by any other solution. The digital printing process has hardly any water consumption and no significant discharge of chemicals into the sewage system.
In-line color fixation is much faster and process times are significantly reduced, offering a great savings potential. In-line printing and post-treatment simplify post-print washing. Wet fabric straight from the steamer does not require swelling of dried thickeners and other chemicals, thus reducing water consumption substantially.
Of course, the benefits of unlimited repeat size, smooth color gradients, and an unlimited number of colors within a design are huge advantages compared to conventional printing.
Mr. Osl, how long is ZIMMER AUSTRIA in the market? Can you tell us about the history?
An interesting question that I am happy to answer as we can look back on our company history with pride. ZIMMER was founded in 1874 in Warnsdorf, Bohemia, once part of the historic Austrian-Hungarian Empire. This means that we are already in the 150th year of the company’s existence. A reason to celebrate. We want to express our sincere gratitude to all of the customers we have had the privilege of serving throughout this long history.
It is thanks to our customers that we have been able to create a basis of trust over the years, in good times as well as in difficult times, which today, together with our highly qualified staff, represent the greatest assets of our company.
We would like to thank our customers and representatives for the trust they have placed in us and for the cooperative partnership, as well as our employees for their commitment, dedication and creativity, which make the overall success possible in the first place.
Thank you all and see you soon at ITMA 2023 Milano Italy. Further information about Zimmer Austria is available at www.zimmer-kufstein.com
