Mature Ricoh White Ink Direct-to-Garment Application! CNTOP Unveils the New Rival Pro at ITMA Shanghai

On October 17, 2024, the highly anticipated China International Textile Machinery Exhibition and ITMA Asia Exhibition (ITMA ASIA + CITME 2024) opened in grand fashion, showcasing the latest innovations in textile machinery from Asia and beyond.

The exhibition was filled with various textile machinery products, representing the forefront of technological innovation and advanced concepts. These devices not only reflect the diverse development trends of the textile machinery industry but also demonstrate the wide application of intelligent manufacturing in this field. Located in Hall 5 (Booth H5-D49), HanGlory Group presented a range of cutting-edge textile innovations and digital printing equipment from its various subsidiaries.

CNTOP Digital Global Debut of the New Rival Pro! Unlocking the Full Potential of Pure Digital Direct-to-Garment Printing

At ITMA, CNTOP unveiled its new generation of DTG pure digital printer, the Rival Pro. Compared to its predecessor, Rival, this new model boasts significant improvements in efficiency, accuracy, stability, and overall cost-effectiveness. "As one of the few direct-to-garment solutions using Ricoh white ink technology in the domestic market, CNTOP's Ricoh white ink solution has been market-tested and proven reliable."

The Rival Pro features dual-station pure digital direct printing, elevating production capacity. It can print up to 163 dark garments per hour and 222 light garments per hour, with dual platforms alternating in continuous production, efficiently printing both white and colored designs simultaneously. Utilizing mature Ricoh printheads, it supports 2-6 Pass modes with a maximum resolution of 1800 DPI, catering to a variety of garment sizes, including large platens (480600 mm), standard platens (420520 mm), small platens (350450 mm), and children's platens (300350 mm). Additionally, the quick-change platen design makes it easy to switch between different sizes, supporting both upgrades and customized platen options.

Homer Digital Ushering in a New Era of Digital Printing! Debuting Multiple New Products at the Exhibition

The Phoenix 2764, the next-generation digital direct-to-fabric printer, is equipped with 64 industrial-grade printheads, achieving a maximum production capacity of 2164㎡/hr and a print width of 2.6 meters. It supports multiple color modes (4, 6, 7, 8 colors) and features the latest water-cooling technology to ensure consistency and stability during long, high-speed print runs, ideal for various fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk, blends, polyester, nylon, and elastic materials.

The Unicorn 1812 heat transfer printer offers enhanced color upgrades and delivers more delicate detail. With 12 printheads, it can handle up to 666㎡/hr, catering to the personalized, customized, and small-batch printing demands of the textile industry.

GEEHONG Digital, a collaboration between HanGlory Group (Homer Digital) and GEEHONG Machinery, introduced the ROCKET, a next-generation Hybrid Single Pass digital printer. This industry-first innovation combines online pasting and rotary screen digital overprinting, seamlessly integrating digital printing with traditional techniques such as gold and silver foil, pearlescent paste, and adhesive. The ROCKET operates at speeds of up to 75 m/min, with a resolution of 2400 DPI and supports 8-color modes, combining the speed and cost efficiency of rotary printing with the high quality of flatbed printing.

In-Depth Interview: CNTOP Senior Product Manager Breaks Down the New Rival Pro and the Future of DTG Printing

At ITMA 2024, CNTOP Digital unveiled its new generation of DTG digital printer, the Rival Pro. In this interview, we speak with Senior Solutions Manager Zhao Gong, who dives deep into the development of inkjet printing technology for the apparel industry and explains the comprehensive advantages of the new Rival Pro.

Q: Can you briefly introduce the design philosophy behind CNTOP Digital's new Rival Pro?

Zhao Gong: In today’s fast-paced market, the apparel industry faces unprecedented challenges. The growing demand for diverse, personalized, and custom apparel with rapid turnarounds makes traditional garment printing methods, which require color separation and plate making, complex and time-consuming. However, digital white ink direct-to-garment technology completely overturns this process. The Rival Pro is CNTOP’s solution to these market demands and the industry's lack of white ink direct-to-garment solutions.

The Rival Pro inherits the stylish and compact design of its predecessor, Rival, but has been significantly upgraded internally. With a newly designed software architecture and automation control, the Rival Pro, based on the flagship WorkHorse model, has achieved a significant leap in stability and operational flexibility.

Q: What improvements and breakthroughs does the Rival Pro offer in terms of accuracy, speed, and flexible application compared to the previous Rival?

Zhao Gong: Stability and reliability are the foundation. For rapid production, clients are most concerned with efficiency and precision. The new model adopts Ricoh printheads and in-house developed printhead driving technology. With its dual-station Ricoh white ink direct-to-garment printing, the Rival Pro delivers finer, more vivid prints on various fabrics, particularly cotton and cotton-rich blends, while maintaining high-speed production capabilities.

The printheads offer dual-channel and single-channel modes, with a maximum resolution of 1800 DPI, supporting CMYK + W + custom colors (RG). It can continuously print white and color on alternating platforms with high efficiency. Utilizing eco-friendly pigment inks, the Rival Pro enables zero-pollution garment production with flexible rapid response. In dual-channel mode, the production capacity reaches 92 pcs/h (4-pass on black fabric) and 167 pcs/h (4-pass on white fabric); in single-channel mode, the capacity reaches 163 pcs/h (2-pass on black fabric) and 222 pcs/h (2-pass on white fabric).

The Rival Pro has been designed with scalability and user-friendliness in mind, offering more flexible configuration options. For example, the Rival Pro comes with two heat press units (400*500 mm), allowing pre-print pressing to ensure a smooth print surface, making it ideal for brand orders. This integration boosts production competitiveness.

The platen features a quick-release design, enabling swift size changes without tools. Users can switch platens in one second, supporting a wide range of garment sizes and personalized printing needs (large, standard, small, and children's platens). The machine is fully designed for future upgrades and customizations, with pre-configured options for printhead base and configuration upgrades.

These thoughtful design concepts ensure that our clients can easily adapt to various scenarios in actual production, and expand or upgrade their equipment as needed, providing long-term value for their investment.