Digital jeans are already a reality that will change the planet: a group of researchers create up to 6 different styles thanks to inkjet printing
Digital jeans are no longer a thing of the future. Researchers at North Carolina State University printed ink on cotton fabric, creating a textile mix that resembled 6 styles of jeans.
The team asked textile experts for the result. The answer was that the digital mix had nothing to envy to the traditional one, and for which, in addition, much more labor is required, as collected by the specialized media Techxplore.
However, in the Journal of Imaging, Science and Technology, the researchers did find that there were certain styles that were easier to replicate than others.
Of course, what was created was tangible and opened up a sea of possibilities. Thus, scientists hope that digital printing will be a viable method to manufacture new products in the future, and most importantly: to do it with less damage to the planet.
Lisa Chapman, co-author of the study, explains that the research was born from looking for a more ecological alternative to a wardrobe background such as jeans.
For his part, the main author of the research, Ming Wang, adds that the traditional process has a great negative impact on the environment both due to water pollution and energy consumption.
"I wanted to explore another way to produce the same look, but in a way that was less damaging to the planet," he muses.
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The future of digital denim
Mica Asato/Pexels
Regarding the future of digital jeans, Chapman considers that we are still facing an emerging technology with a reduced participation in the sector.
However, the potential is enormous. The expert maintains that it has a future because it uses less water, less energy and it is a print-on-demand process.
Another point to highlight would be the profitability. The researcher explains in the tractional industry, as the number of colors increases, the cost of the design increases.
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"However, with inkjet printing this is not the case. 200 colors is the same as 2 colours."
In addition, the creation already has the approval of the experts in the textile sector. "On a scale of 1 to 5, they placed the average color at 3. This means that we had a good combination"
With all this, both Chapman and Wang point out that the only stumbling block that remains to be resolved is the high penetration of the ink. Something that traditional dyeing does provide and that has not just been produced in the digital version.
"If someone could solve the problem of ink penetration, I think we could mass-produce these products with a high-speed printer," Wang muses.
