Public Funding for Heights (U.K.) Limited

Trichord and Heights intend to develop and launch high volume High Definition Die Diffussion printers to the apparel and finishing market which will substantial transform the manner in which many complex 3D products can be finished. Die-Diffussion is a method of printing high definition images or designs onto complex 3 dimensional surfaces of many materials including glass, metals, fabrics and plastics. The master image is printed onto a photographic film (the carrier). The product and film is fed into an Infra Red oven which is uused to soften the film before a vacuum is applied which forces the film to wrap tightly around the product. The combination of Infra red light and the vacuum then excites the molecules at the surface interface between the product and film and the die diffuses from the carrier film into the product. Trichord are the innovators of High Definition Micro Diffusion and hold patents on the technology. The machines are developed in partnership with Heights (UK) Ltd based in Halifax who build the machines for Trichord. The film is produced by Gtech Paper and Film Ltd Ltd, a UK company based in Portsmouth. The Die Diffusion process is uniquely different to Die Sublimation printing which it the more traditional die transfer process. Die diffusion operates at temperatures of 130 degrees C to 150 degrees C, this is up to 30 degrees C below the temperatures traditional Die Sublimation techniques operate at which are in the range of 160 degrees C to 180 Degrees C. The lower temperatures enable the process to be used on products such as polyester shoes and EVA which have lower melting points. Currently the technology is used to print small batches (up to 10,000) of personalised goods such as phone covers and coffee mugs. The project will adapt existing die diffusion technology and machine build technology to product a continuous process printer which will be capable of high volume production (up to several million units per year). Finishing close to the customer will move the supply chain back on shore, significantly reduce (or eliminate) obsolete inventory which will also bring significant environmental advantages as the total carbon footprint will be significantly reduced.