As laser finishing increasingly becomes the de facto finishing tool for the global jeanswear industry, pioneers in the space are developing ways to optimize the technology for speed and quality control.
Enter The Laser, a new suite of laser systems by Italian garment finishing technology company Tonello. The company bowed the four-piece range and complementary software last week during a digital conference that emphasized their seamless operation. By offering more productivity, speed and accuracy, the streamlined machinery (their dimensions are reduced as much as a third compared to existing Tonello lasers), the company says its responding to the market’s needs for continuous production and speed to market.
“We felt obligated to redesign the entire laser range,” said Alice Tonello, head of marketing and R&D at Tonello. She described the launch as a “creative and innovative vision for the future” that reflects the companies four principles: simple, digital and automatic.
The range includes The Laser Lab, Tonello’s most compact laser with easy plug-and-play installation, maintenance and handling, making it an effortless addition to the production floor or the sales floor for customization.
The new The Laser Table provides a larger workspace for table work and greater efficiency. Garments can be placed on the entire surface of the table, or in two distinct areas designated for different processes, meaning the operator can alternate the production of the garments in a fast and flexible way.
Tonello integrates laser technologies with The Laser Table and Mannequin, which features The Laser Table with a new oblique mannequin. This, the company points out, reduces the overall dimensions of the machine and allows for an automatic and quick change between the two working modes. The mannequin can also be marked at a full 360 degrees.
For continuous production, Tonello introduced The Laser Conveyor, a conveyor belt that allows nonstop laser processes and garment uploading. The machine is ideal for T-shirts and knits, as well as for laser cutting jeans.
The machines are available beginning in 2021.
The suite is anchored by CREA, a software “conceived and developed by designers for designers” that allows for quick, on-the-spot modifications to designs. Through CREA, designers have access to creative tools allows them alter designs directly “on the machine” and to go directly to production, eliminating the need to send files from a computer.
The machines are also enhanced by Be On Point, or B.O.P., which eliminates the need for operators to place garments with accuracy or precision.
B.O.P.’s “one touch” automatic positioning system identifies the area on the garment designated for lasering, which Tonello says increases the quality and repeatability of markings and significantly reduces execution times.