Agfa and TFL have entered into a strategic partnership to develop Alussa, an inkjet printing solution to decorate leathers used by the fashion, upholstery, automotive, aviation and nautical industries.
The partnership will see Agfa develop the inkjet printer and dedicated inkjet inks, as well as the software to manage and monitor the printing process, while TFL will provide custom coating chemistry.
Alussa can print both white and full-colour designs on diverse types of leather at speeds of up to 80sqm/hr, and the companies describe it as ‘the first industrial inkjet printing solution outputting decorated leather that can handle up to 100,000 flexes.’
‘Printing images on leather using inkjet technology and obtaining top performance in terms of flexibility and scratch resistance is a complex challenge,’ said Tom Cloots, Agfa’s director of industrial inkjet. ‘The Alussa leather printing solution incorporates both Agfa’s vast expertise in the field of inkjet technology, graphic workflow and colour management, and TFL’s in-depth knowledge of coating chemistry and coating application techniques. It combines the best of two worlds to provide a perfect synergy between leather and ink.’
‘Fashion trends are changing fast and it seems like the speed of modification and the desire for individualisation is increasing year by year,’ added Markus Hess, TFL’s global head of product marketing. ‘This is a big challenge and opportunity for the leather industry. Hence, we are very excited about the partnership between Agfa and TFL. Together we can create countless customised fashion effects combined with high flexing and wearing properties to meet the rapidly changing demands of today’s fashion industry.’
