I thought I had an easy assignment here but am currently in a state of confusion. I'm working with a 100 foot long roll of lightweight (30 gsm) polyester (PET) nonwoven fabric (spunbond). The roll is a foot wide and I want to add two stripes of color that run the length of the roll, are about 2" apart and are 3" wide.
I thought I would find a contract firm to do this work but my volumes are two low for their large machines. So, I have started to look at purchasing small equipment to apply a coating (reverse roll, rotary screen print, and many other traditional approaches). Mixing colors and controlling the process seem to be a lot of work but maybe it's just that I need more experience.
But, I've also thought about digital printing and it does seem that others are using ink jet systems and similar for printing of label stock and many other similar items. The volumes seem to make sense and at these small volumes I'm wondering if the economics for either a coating or printing technology are fairly similar.
And, that's where I'm stuck. I've been searching and searching without finding exactly what I want. Many of the traditional systems are geared toward larger volumes such as wallpaper and the newer digital/ink jet approaches are for batch production (sheets of paper, sports jerseys, etc.). I did speak with some label companies (there are many) but the colors are too limited.
While I'd certainly like a simple answer of "call this company and they have what you want". But, I'd be very happy just to gain better insight into all the coating and printing approaches I've mentioned above. In many ways, I feel like I've made this all up or I'm assuming I know more than I do (in either case, that's a hollow feeling). I'd just like to get pointed in the right direction.
Can anyone help me? I'll be very grateful!
What is the Best Coating/Printing Method for Nonwoven Fabric?
Re: What is the Best Coating/Printing Method for Nonwoven Fabric?
