By Olivia Cahoon
Cutting is an integral part of the manufacturing process and a potential bottleneck for fabric applications. To keep production moving, cutting devices should match digital printing speeds while offering an efficient, clean product.
Aside from traditional cutting solutions, laser cutters produce a smooth, sealed, non-frayed edge on a variety of fabrics from jeans and leather to fleece, lace, linen, and polyester. They also offer custom shapes, faster speeds, and minimal maintenance compared to traditional finishing methods.
Fabric Production & Finishing
Established in 2009, 2XL Imaging originally operated as a trade printer with wide format digital printing capabilities in Springfield, NJ. The business started with five employees running hybrid UV LED curable inkjet presses in a 15,000 square foot facility.
With more than 60 employees, the company now produces graphics for the retail, point of purchase (POP), and architectural graphic industries. 2XL Imaging primarily services NJ, NY, and PA—although it recently started expanding. “We have begun to gain a nationwide reach as word spreads about our capabilities and service,” comments Brian Scharfstein, VP, 2XL Imaging.
Its products include adhesive vinyl graphics, banners, corrugated plastic signs, floor graphics, labels and decals, magnets, POP displays, posters, roll up banner displays, transit graphics, wall murals, and window graphics. “We never focus on one specific niche,” offers Scharfstein.
The company’s most recent business venture responds to increasing demands for textile applications. In 2017, it established a wide format fabric printing division with the purchase of an EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340 126-inch dye-sublimation (dye-sub) printer and a new, 80,000 square foot climate controlled facility. The department’s most popular items include silicone edge graphics (SEG), fabric banners, tablecloths, and flags. “Every day is something new,” says Scharfstein.
While the VUTEk FabriVU 340 press is 2XL Imaging’s main production device, it also uses an Epson SureColor 64-inch dye-sub printer for fabrics.
Additional digital printing equipment includes a Canon U.S.A., Inc. imagePRESS C800, Durst Image Technology US LLC Rho 1012, EFI VUTEk LX3 Pro, Canon Solutions America Océ Arizona 1260GT, and Oki Data Americas, Inc. ColorPainter M-64s. Finishing capabilities entail banner hemming and pole pockets, easel backs, grommets, kiss cutting, laminating, mounting, router cutting, sewing, UV coating, and Velcro double-sided tape application.
Automated Textile Finishing
To complement its new fabric printing division and digital printing capabilities, 2XL Imaging searched for an industrial automated cutting solution. In 2018, it installed a Gerber Technology/MCT VersaTech2 laser cutter with a 126×189-inch bed. The device now handles all of the company’s fabric projects.
“Cutting by hand was not an option for us. We needed an accurate and efficient way to cut out our printed fabric graphics,” admits Scharfstein.
Designed to replace multiple finishing systems, the VersaTech2 is an all-in-one solution for the large and grand format digital finishing industry. It operates at up to 78 inches per second and handles materials up to two inches thick. A center driven motorized unwind unit automates finishing for roll-to-roll textiles and sheet feeding for boards.
With this system, the manufacturer benefits from an extra-large bed that Scharfstein says matches perfectly in size with its printing equipment. The roll-to-roll feed and belt carriage system were also important in the shop’s decision as they contribute to the fast speeds for high-volume print runs.
Automated finishing and wide format cutting is not a new concept for 2XL Imaging. The company also runs four Esko Kongsberg i-cut tables, including the Kongsberg XP24 digital die cutter with a 60×120-inch table and Kongsberg C digital die cutter with a 120×120-inch table and an automatic board feeder.
With this level of available automation, the company speeds up its finishing process. “In our business, the inkjet printers can print faster than the cutting tables can cut. We discovered that our production bottleneck was always in the cutting department,” explains Scharfstein.
The print provider’s cutting department produces CAD cut lettering and kiss cut decals as well. Additional equipment includes a Summa America 60-inch vinyl cutter and attachments for scoring, knife cutting, and router cutting.
Laser Finishing for Fabric
2XL Imaging primarily uses the VersaTech2 laser cutter to finish fabric graphics, specifically SEG materials. “It is important that these graphics are accurately cut so that when we sew the edging on, the graphic fits snuggly into the frames that they go into,” comments Scharfstein. “These graphics often go into the field without test fitting into the frames, so we need to be sure our SEG are produced with the tightest tolerances possible.”
Compared to traditional textile finishing methods—like hand cutting—the company finds laser cutting more beneficial to the overall production process. According to Scharfstein, the laser cutter provides consistent results, which decreases waste factor and makes other finishing operations—like the sewing department—more productive. “Cutting by hand is less efficient when cutting higher volume projects, and it is also not as accurate as the laser cutter.”
Despite 2XL Imaging’s existing knowledge of its digital technologies and automated finishing equipment, its employees had little experience with laser cutting and required extensive training.
As a result, operators learned about laser intensity, cutting speed practices, and the best method for feeding fabric onto the table. Together, these skills avoid damaging the fabric. “With laser power, you need to have enough intensity to cut through the material but not too much that you singe or burn the material,” shares Scharfstein.
With trial and error, 2XL Imaging eventually honed its skills in laser finishing. “Along with the learning curves came discovery. We have started to dabble with laser cutting extruded plastics,” adds Scharfstein.
An Ongoing SEG Project
As a wide format trade printer, 2XL Imaging handles a variety of clients with repeat orders from trade show and event banner displays to floor graphics and wall murals. The company currently handles an ongoing monthly project for a national reseller customer that requests nearly 200 SEG.
Each month, 2XL Imaging prints full-color fabric panels onto a 126-inch heavy-knit polyester fabric roll using the EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340. The press handles graphics up to 134 inches wide with the ability to print directly to textiles or transfer paper.
The roll-to-roll panels are then cut out on the VersaTech2 laser cutter. According to Scharfstein, the ability to work from the roll enables faster speeds. “In turn, our sewing department can make quick work of sewing on the silicone edging.”
In three days, 2XL Imaging produces 200 30×40-inch graphics and still maintains the capacity to take on more projects. “We purchased our printing, laser cutting, and sewing table with maximum speed and efficiency in mind,” adds Scharfstein.
The national reseller is always satisfied with its fabric graphics and continues to request SEG from 2XL Imaging monthly.
Keeping Production Moving
Cutting is an integral part of 2XL Imaging’s manufacturing process for fabric applications. To maintain fast turnaround times and avoid challenges, the company invests in automated finishing solutions like the VersaTech2 laser cutter. With this technology, fabric is finished at the same speed and quality as it is printed.
Apr2019, Industrial Print Magazine