At last week’s ISPO exhibition in Munich, Santoni showed, among other garment samples, a prototype of a seamless Track-Jacket knitted on its Mec-Mor CMP open width garment length knitting machine.

That’s right a seamless jacket knitted on an open width knitting machine – and Santoni’s Patrick Silva reports that the garment concept has already been recognised as a new trend in the sportswear market.

The new Mec-Mor CMP is a further development of the open variable width knitting concept which Mec-Mor is famous for. CMP stands for compact and, as the name suggests, it is somewhat smaller in size than preceding Mec-Mor models.

The CMP model retains most of the features of earlier models but also has integral combined knit and transfer feeds. In earlier models the knit and transfer systems had to be physically replaced according to the knit design. On the CMP machine the integral knit or transfer function can be selected to perform either function as dictated by the knitting design, optimising the machine’s production capability.

The CMP’s integral knit-transfer feeds incorporate 3-way technique on both cylinder and dial together with individual electronic needle selection. “It means that the added Mec-Mor CMP's flexibility is derived from the fact that knit and transfer are now combined,” Santoni’s Patrick Silva explains.

“All this is perfectly summarised in the prototype of the Track-Jacket presented at ISPO by Santoni.”

“In fact the fabric types that can be produced on this machine are endless, incorporating jacquard, striping and structured designs, all of which can be programmed using the Santoni SMI software. This system has the usual characteristics with the possibility of programme simulation for the correction of errors, pattern module, library and fabric profile applications to visualise a realistic vision of the fabric structure and of the final garment.”

The jacket without side seams is created by using the open width fabric and attaching the two parts of the zip to the fabric’s selvedges. The seamless knitted body panel can be made in different sizes and as the programming phase also allows for efficient waste reduction of the fabric, the results can be viewed on screen in anticipation of the final aspect of the knitted garment.

The single panel seamless Track-Jacket knitted with Newlife recycled yarns shows some of the unique Mec-Mor technical features that Silva says can be pinpointed and analysed as follows:

• Only the zip has been sewn into the seamless single panel Track-Jacket
• The border is not sewn either as it is incorporated into the fabric panel
• The Track-Jacket has very high comfort properties due its seamless characteristics
• It is a double-knitted panel as two yarns can be used at the same time.  “We decided to knit the Track-Jacket on show with Newlife yarns only, but it is possible to obtain the garment using different yarns. For example, it could also be made with wool on one side and a man-made yarn on the reverse, or with any other desired combinations of yarns,” Silva explains.
• An additional innovation is the new extra fine 18 gauge knitted fabric panel which is said to offer  first class fabric uniformity and ultimate softness. “It also allows for a higher capacity output with a superior resolution, so completing and complimenting to our range of seamless circular knitting machines,” Silva adds. The machine is available in the gauge range 12-20.
• A revolutionary production time whilst still maintaining a top quality fabric
• It is a totally reversible jacket
• It is a “double -face” jacket and can have various patterns
• It has high transpiration capabilities in specified areas
• The two fabrics are joined by bare spandex, thereby having three interacting yarns.  “This is a new concept and innovation making it possible to decide in advance the area of the man-made yarns insertion,” Silva says.
• It is possible to insert graphic effects with other yarns, i.e.  tubular jacquard - showing an inlay effect

Silva is enthusiastic about developing the prototype jacket even further. “There is the possibility of incorporating additional technical innovations which involve our R&D department. Now we are working on the pocket to be directly knitted into the panel. Our prototype does not still present this possibility,” he says.

“The entire Track-Jacket can be knitted in 20 minutes. It is a complete garment without seams, with graphics, and with words, that entirely meets the current fashion mood and all this still in the programming and knitting phase.”

Always at the front line of new technology, Santoni says it is maintaining its efforts for continuous research and innovation, and this is creating new scenarios in the world of sportswear apparel.

Watch the Mec-Mor CMP movie for further details . . .