DB Tex Ltd. of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is adding two more SPGPrints bestLEN direct laser engraving systems to maintain a productive, sustainable and high-quality nickel rotary screen imaging operation as it ramps up garment and textile printing output at its Gazipur facility.
Scheduled for 2017, the double installation will bring the number of bestLEN engravers operating at DB Tex to six.
Part of the DBL Group, an industrial concern with an annual turnover of USD365 million, DB Tex is a major supplier to a number of leading global high-street fashion retailers, with major markets in Europe and North America. The company is also doubling its rotary screen printing capacity with the addition of two new 16-colour printing machines in the second quarter of 2017. These will complement a 20-colour and a 12-colour rotary screen printer, along with a 20-colour flatbed printer. Four existing bestLEN direct digital engraving systems prepare screens for the rotary printers.
To optimise quality, DB Tex also invested in SPGPrints’ screen preparation systems, including a coater to achieve a homogenous and precise emulsion coating for optimum results, a polymiser conditioning unit for perfect cylinder roundness, a climatiser that dries the coating evenly, and a gluer to fix the endrings solidly for stable, high-speed use. This gives DB Tex complete control of the pre-production workflow under one roof.
“The new printers will take the capacity of our factory from 20 tons per day to 40 tons per day,” said Shah Imtiaz Ahsan, assistant general manager, DB Tex Ltd. “That represents about 200,000 garments per day, and to meet that level of production and maintain the highest standards of quality possible, we are adding the two bestLEN engravers.”
DB Tex installed its first two bestLEN engravers in 2010 after visiting SPGPrints’ facility in Austria, and invested in two more in 2016.
“We had heard about the systems from one of our customers, and went to see it at the SPGPrints factory,” he explained. “We had a full tour and saw all the SPGPrints machines, and were impressed with the speed and detail achieved by bestLEN.”
bestLEN engravers use a CO2 single-beam laser to image screens at maximum resolutions of 2540dpi in as little as 29 minutes.
“The laser engraver has proven to deliver outstanding photographic reproduction and fine line detail, to a much higher standard than exposure methods, and this gives us perfect results on the fabric,” Ahsan said.
It employs eight people for each of the three shifts in the screen-making department.
“Reliability is a prime consideration. We operate 24/7, 354 days a year,” Ahsan said. “That means we use up to 120 screens per day in our production. With each bestLEN producing 10 to 12 screens per shift, we can keep up, but the addition of the new printer means we needed the extra screen engraving capacity.”
DB Tex primarily prints on cotton and polyester fabrics, and needs to print a wide range of designs and special effects. To do that, it uses a variety of screens.
“We use NovaScreen® screens from SPGPrints, and use the full range of mesh sizes from 30 to 245. We also use Random Mesh 125 screens to avoid moiré in certain types of designs,” he explained.
“Recently, there has been increased demand for glitter and shiny effects which need the coarser mesh screens to allow the larger particles through. By using direct laser engraving and selecting the right screens we can reproduce designs more accurately than can be done by any other means.”
DBL Group has a strong sustainability ethos, and direct digital engraving with bestLEN requires no chemicals or water to engrave the screens, once they have been coated.
The strength of the electroformed mesh enables screens to be used multiple times, providing a valuable cost-advantage for textile printers that image screens in-house. Water is also all that is needed to clean imaged screens to enable re-use.
“Being able to mount a screen straight from the engraver is a huge advantage in terms of workflow and productivity,” Ahsan said. “The bestLEN engravers combined with the NovaScreen technology have meant that SPGPrints has become one of our strong partners, and the support we receive from them is very good.
“The installation of the two bestLEN systems along with the additional printing line will open a new chapter for DB Tex, and significantly increase our ability to meet global production demands,” Ahsan concluded.
“Reliable screen production for companies like DB Tex is essential,” said Heinz Endres, marketing and sales manager (engraving systems), SPGPrints. “bestLEN direct digital engravers offer that reliability, and in conjunction with SPGPrints screens, offer the best solution for productivity in the industry.”
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