#Additive Manufacturing

2022-10-26

Added value through addition

Inline 3D printer for the roll-to-roll process (©STFI-Ines Escherich)

Additive manufacturing already enables completely new product solutions in many sectors, including the textile industry. The combination of 3D printing technology and textiles in particular is opening up previously unknown opportunities, including the ability to create both individual looks as well as specific functionalities.

‘Additive manufacturing in the textile industry’ symposium shows new ways to new products, 17.11.2022 in Obertshausen

Additive manufacturing and its potentials for the textile industry are set to be the focal points of the ‘Additive Manufacturing in the Textile Industry’ symposium, which for years has been organised by the KARL MAYER GROUP in cooperation with the textile research institutes Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. and Textilforschungsinstitut Thüringen-Vogtland e.V. The event will be showcasing the innovative production methods along with their applications in research and industry from various different perspectives.

The countdown to the event on 17 November 2023 is now on, with the fifth symposium on additive manufacturing taking place in the company headquarters of KARL MAYER GROUP in Obertshausen once again. KARL MAYER co-organiser Michael Kieren is looking forward to a broad exchange of information between designers, technology experts and product developers alike. “3D printing allows us to completely rethink our whole approach to textile product design. The world of sportswear is already showing us what strides can be made, with mass-produced articles complete with 3D-printed branding and functional elements already firmly established in this domain,” notes the expert. Symposium guests can already look forward to a very special innovation in the form of a technological solution for combining textile manufacturing with 3D printing in the roll-to-roll process. This new development already enjoyed a successful premiere at the Techtextil Trade Fair in Frankfurt am Main.

In addition to the live demonstration of the inline 3D printer, guests can enjoy an exciting guided tour of KARL MAYER and exclusive technical lectures, including presentations by 3D printer manufacturers and companies that already work with additive manufacturing processes. The presentations involve the latest developments in FDM, dispenser, SLA, TFP, and inline processes and materials, as well as applications for auxetic textiles, privacy cover and fashion.

Registration for the live event is now open at:

https://www.titv-greiz.de/de/akademie/workshops/anmeldeformular-workshop/view/form

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.

STOLL: Agreement signed for the divestiture of selected assets

In early 2025, KARL MAYER announced its strategic decision to focus on its core business areas of WARP KNITTING, WARP PREPARATION, and TECHNICAL TEXTILES. As part of this move, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand was discontinued and the production site in Reutlingen was closed in October 2025.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

HKRITA signs MoU with Jeanologia and Looptworks to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) yesterday officially signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two key global partners, Jeanologia and Looptworks, to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem – a first-of-its-kind collaboration to accelerate the large-scale recycling of blended textiles.