Inside Brainchild Production: How Does Digital Printing Work for Kiteboarding Kites?

The Brazilian Brothers are back at the Brainchild production facility with Ralf Groesel to dive into the innovation behind their vibrant kite designs. Brainchild has invested over a million euros in the last year and a half to understand exactly what is required to create their own materials, and one of the standout features of their production is the use of digital printing.

How Does Digital Printing Work?

While digital printing has existed for many decades and is common in the garment and textile industry, applying it to kiteboarding presents unique challenges. The materials used for kites, especially the very thin canopy fabrics, are incredibly sensitive, making it difficult to print on them successfully.

Ralf explains that they utilize a classical transfer sublimation print process. The process follows these steps:

• The ink is first printed onto a specific type of paper.
• The ink remains on that paper until it moves into the calendering stage.
• During calendering, the ink is transferred from the paper onto the fabric.

While it sounds simple in theory, Ralf points out that it is very complicated in practice. To get it right, every parameter must be perfect, including environmental factors like temperature, which the process is highly sensitive to.

Customization and Design Flexibility

The move to digital printing offers the ultimate flexibility for kite design. It allows for the creation of any design imaginable, including full custom graphics. Harlem is leading the way in this area, producing custom kites every single day. This is a massive benefit for professional riders who need to showcase sponsors, as well as individual kiters who want to bring their unique look to the beach.

Is Digital Printing Sustainable?

Sustainability is a core part of the Brainchild approach. The process begins with white fabric, which is the best printing surface for these materials. To ensure the process remains eco-friendly, Brainchild has a direct partnership with a recycling company in North Macedonia that takes all the used paper rolls from the sublimation process.

Beyond recycling, digital printing allows for a more streamlined material workflow:

• Because they only need to order one base color (white), they don't run into issues with specific colors going out of stock.
• Stock keeping is simplified and more efficient.
• It eliminates the traditional need to ship materials back and forth when a specific color roll is missing.

Digital printing is part of a holistic approach to changing how kites are manufactured, combining high-end customization with a more sustainable and efficient production model.

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