Mediatex® in the laser test

Laser cutting of textiles for digital printing

Junkers und Müllers GmbH specialises in the production of technical textiles. The Mediatex® product line was developed together with the graphic industry for digital printing. All textiles impress with their high quality and unique handling and are produced in Germany. The material properties are matched to the application purposes and range from dirt- or water-repellent, stretchable or tear-resistant to opaque and many other properties.

Areas of application for Mediatex®

The textiles are particularly suitable for digital printing applications (sublimation, latex, UV). All tested products are made of polyester and are certified according to Oekotex® Standard100. Typical fields of application for Mediatex® include banners, frame tensioning systems, light boxes, awnings, sunshades and much more.

There are Mediatex® product groups to suit the different areas of application:

FRONTLIT:
A polyester fabric coated for digital printing with UV, solvent or water-based inks.

BACKLIT:
For longer-term use in light or light boxes indoors and outdoors.

BLOCKOUT:
Polyester fabric coated on both sides with a barrier layer, e.g. for use in roll-up banners.

SUNTEX:
Polyester fabric with UV-resistant coating for use as durable sun protection in awnings, blinds or other outdoor applications.

WALLCOVER & SELFADHESIVE:
Polyester fabric for indoor use as wall decoration or wallpaper alternative.

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The goal of the laser test:

eurolaser has taken a closer look at different variants of Mediatex®. The material was tested in the in-house application laboratory with regard to its properties during laser processing. In consultation, the following requirements were taken into account in the test:

Precise, contour-accurate cutting Lint- and residue-free cut edges
Processing directly from the textile roll
Lint- and residue-free cut edges
Distortion-free cutting, especially with elastic material

The used test setup:

Laser system used for the test: 3XL-3200

Table concept: Conveyor-System
The conveyor system serves both as a material carrier for the machining process and as a transport element.

Recommended laser power: 250 watts
The laser power depends on both the material and the
processing speed and is an average guide value here.
In this test, significantly less laser power was required
for the most part.

Test result:

We were able to achieve excellent cutting results in all tests and award all ratings with excellently suitable for laser cutting capability.

Our laser system was able to meet the requirements without any problems. The cut edges are lint- and fringe-free, even with filigree round or angular contours. Depending on the system size, large-format cuts are also possible. The conveyor system enables direct processing of textile rolls. The laser scores particularly well with contact-free cutting. As a result, the cut quality remains continuously high because the tool does not become blunt. Tool changes and downtimes are eliminated. In addition, even very elastic textiles can be cut without distortion.

The eurolaser systems are ideal for the fast and economical production of printed textiles.