Warp knitters from around the world braved the cold snowy weather in late January when they attended Karl Mayer’s in-house exhibition of their DJ Smart Seamless technology in Obertshausen near Frankfurt. Heavy snow fall caused runway closures at Frankfurt airport on the Monday night and Tuesday morning but in the end only a few visitors were slightly delayed and show went on as planned.

Around 70 attendees on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th January were hosted by Karl Mayer’s Directors, Senior Managers and Staff and treated to a programme including a welcome by Mr Fritz P. Mayer, Managing Director, talks on the DJ by the company’s commercial experts and a presentation of the DJ in the company’s showroom.

The event took place in Karl Mayer’s recently constructed Development Centre, which houses around two hundred of the company’s research development and training personnel. The spacious showroom houses running machines in all of the company’s main technologies and models and DJ machine demonstrations were followed by one to one consultations between customers and Karl Mayer’s commercial staff.

Background to seamless warp knitting

In 1980 first double needle bar raschel machine with jacquard system was built by Nippon Mayer, Japan,a Karl Mayer subsidiary, mainly for production of panty hose. In 1999 the company delivered the first RDPJ 6/2 machines with 138 inch working width in gauge E24 with electronic Piezo Jacquard system and today there are 56 machines in use worldwide. Karl Mayer’s biggest customer in Europe for this machine model is Cifra S.p.A. from Italy which runs about 20 machines and in Asia it is the Seiren Group in Japan.

Seamless Smart introduced

In 2008 the company introduced the so called ‘Seamless Smart’ DJ 4/2, a machine  with a 44 inch working width in gauge E24 and it has sold 10 machines to date. In 2009 Karl Mayer introduced its sister model the DJ 6/2, 44 inch machine in gauge E28 with electronic pattern drive system (EL) and the company is now set to further expand the range in 2010. One of the company’s new developments could be a 32 gauge machine but it is unclear at this stage when the machine will be ready for testing.

Ultra fine gauge

Managing Director of seamless pioneer Cifra, Cesare Citterio told Knitting Industry that a 32 gauge machine would definitely be of interest to his company for a whole new range of products for intimate apparel. Cifra is highly experienced in using warp knitting technology to produce seamless garments. Having first invested in the technology 20 years ago the company has acquired vast knowledge in processing an extremely wide range of materials and is now even experimenting with natural fibres such as cotton.

“It is important to be able to react flexibly to the various demands of the market, especially when faced with the continuing economic crisis.” Fritz P. Mayer.

Karl Mayer’s Managing Director, Fritz P. Mayer, after welcoming the assembled guests, emphasized the importance of being able to react flexibly to the various demands of the market, especially when faced with the continuing economic crisis. With the development of the new Seamless Smart model, Karl Mayer’s aim is to cater for these demands. During the course of a presentation on the theory of the machine’s performance potential, combined with the opportunity to view the actual production processes, the guests were able to get an idea of the competitive advantages offered by the company’s double-bar raschel machines.

High speed

A DJ 6/2 EL, which was producing a ladies’ dress with a drawstring waistband, and a DJ 4/2, which was knitting a stretch top, were exhibited in the company’s showroom. Both garments were being produced at high speed and in one piece construction. Whereas the DJ 6/2 EL double-bar raschel machine with six guide bars can operate at maximum speeds of 375rpm, producing 5.8 complete dresses per hour, the four guide bar DJ 4/2 can operate at speeds of up to 450rpm. This was equivalent to 10.7 tops per hour for the model being shown at the in-house event.

The DJ 6/2 EL gauge E28, 44 inch, which runs at speeds from 350-700rpm and was knitting an elastic seamless garment, was set up as follows:

GB 1+8 – 44 dtex Lycra elastane

GB 2+7 – dtex 44 f 34 polyamide 6.6, textured, round, semi-dull

PJB 3+4 – dtex 76 f 32 polyester, textured, round, dull

PJ 5+6 – dtex 76 f 32 polyester, textured, round, dull

The DJ 4/2 Seamless Smart machine in E24, 44 inch was set up as follows:

GB 1+6 – dtex 22 elastane covered with dtex 33 f 20 plyamide 6.6  air jet textured

PJB 4+5 – dtex 22 elastane, covered with dtex 33 f 20 polyamide 6.6, air jet textured

Karl Mayer says the machines in the DJ series are not only fast but they are also extremely flexible. A wide range of patterning options and the possibility of being able to change over the design quickly guarantee a high production rate, even when processing small batches, which is an important requirement for being successful in niche segments, the company says.

Fish net tights

Guests at the machinery exhibition showed strong interest and Karl Mayer says some lively discussions were held between customers and its sales staff. According to Karl Mayer, one of the main areas of interest was the production of fish net tights where the DJ machines offer the possibility to manufacture tubular structures of different diameters along with the specific placing of holes and/or net patterns, requiring a minimum of making-up whilst offering a maximum of diversity.

Quick change

Customers were also said to be interested in the DJ’s potential with regard to design change in the sophisticated and complex fashion market with its short collection cycles. Manufacture of fashion items such as dresses, skirts and shirts produced in longitudinal direction, side by side and offering a wide range of patterns was also said to be a prominent subject.

Medical and sportswear applications

Production of medical and sports textiles with seamlessly integrated functional zones, contouring, defined placing of certain features and predetermined sizes were of interest to certain customers who attended from the medical textiles and sportswear sectors. High efficiency during the manufacturing process was also of course also a key subject area for discussion.

Karl Mayer says that in the course of the discussions it became evident that the DJ machine series offers a lot of new ideas and fresh impetus as well as numerous possibilities for all these application areas.