Italy's Santoni Group says the market reaction to its new Mecmor Compact open width garment length knitwear or sweater knitting machine which it launched at last September’s ITMA in Barcelona, has been very good. Both existing and potential new customers are said to have been extremely positive about the new machine.

The Mecmor Compact is space saving and is said to have a lower price and greater flexibility than earlier Mecmor models. The machine’s added flexibility is derived from the fact that knit and transfer systems are now combined. Each of the Compact's 12 systems is now available for knit or transfer at any time with three way technique in both cylinder and dial.

With all earlier Mecmor machines, knit and transfer systems had to be physically removed and replaced to optimise the machine for a particular fabric structure. For example, to optimise for jacquard production, transfer systems were removed and replaced by knit systems.

View the Mecmor Compact video

The new 33 inch diameter Compact has a circumference of 210cm and uses completely new electronics throughout. A new Logica programming software package which runs in Windows, makes for easier programming and uses a knit colour system similar to those employed by the leading flat knitting machine builders.

"Our world-renowned Mecmor open panel circular knitting machine, recognised as the most complete knitwear machine in circular motion, has now been redesigned into a new physically smaller model called the Compact," Santoni Marketing Manager Patrick Silva told Knitting Industry at ITMA.

"This latest machine has most of the advantages of the larger model, but now with the addition of some very important new features such as, for example, the enhancement of the production by having the feeds no longer divided into those specialised in knit stitches and those in transfer stitches. Here each feed is completely integral and can do either according to the required selection," Silva explained.

"Santoni has always considered that circular knitwear production is a necessary compliment to flatbed knitting and a well-equipped knitting mill should have both types, especially as the circular system has of course an incomparably huge productivity in the finer gauges."

"With this new smaller model, called the Mecmor Compact, with its remarkably high productivity and fine quality of fabric, we have made circular knitwear production more accessible due to its compact space dimensions, its latest electronic management, and also due to its investment cost for rapid depreciation whilst keeping all the circular advantages of fine stitch quality and the highest productivity, especially in the finer gauges," Silva concluded.

Up to 20 gauge

The Mecmor Compact is available in a range of gauges from 10-20, with 20 being a brand new gauge. Previously, 18 gauge was the finest available. The Mecmor Compact, which is manufactured in Italy, is also able to rack for the production of cable patterns and other racking structures. Three needles racking to the right and left is available.

The exhibited machine at ITMA was knitting a men's blue slip over with fashioned v-neck in a 2/60s wool yarn, utilising 1156 needles - knit time for the garment was said to be 3 minutes 50 seconds. A second sample displayed, a jacquard dress in 14 gauge was said to have a knitting time of just 2 minutes 45 seconds.