#Knitting & Hosiery

2021-02-01

Competence centre for e-warp knitted fabrics in North America

Raschel machine to manufacture warp knitted e-textiles © 2021 KARL MAYER

KARL MAYER offers trendsetting solutions and impulses for the textile industry and, to this end, looks beyond the company’s usual purview. In particular, connecting the textile industry with new technologies offers diverse potential for innovations.

KARL MAYER North America invites customers to undertake processing trials in Greensboro

To tap into this potential, KARL MAYER has developed its TEXTILE MAKERSPACE. The platform is intended to encourage exchange and offer interested parties the opportunity to test new technologies for their project. Among other things, the focus of TEXTILE CIRCUIT is on the promising topics of smart textiles and wearables. Innovators from various fields are investigating the possibilities offered by string bar technology to incorporate electrically conductive yarns directly on the machine. Initial results include comfortable arm cuffs for controlling robots, textile charging stations for inductively charging smartphones and a T-shirt that measures vital functions. Further projects with field-based partners are underway at the headquarters in Obertshausen.

Since the end of 2020, customers can now also develop and implement ideas for e-textiles at KARL MAYER North America. A modified standard machine and competent service technicians are available for this purpose in Greensboro. Textile Technology Product Developer Sophia Krinner, who was in charge of setting up TEXTILE CIRCUIT, also provides support from head office. The most recent IDTechEx in November 2019 also encouraged the expansion of the MAKERSPACE area through capacity in Greensboro.

At the event focussing on new technology, KARL MAYER successfully presented itself as a competent partner in the production of e-textiles and answered numerous specific project enquiries from innovative partners based in the USA. Sophia Krinner is looking forward to a variety of projects and challenges. “Customers can come to us with their ideas and work with us to try out different ways to make their ideas a reality.”

If you would like to know more about TEXTILE CIRCUIT, you can find out more at www.textile-makerspace.com.

RDJ 6/2 in E 32: Finesse in Motion

The appearance of sports and casual shoes is as diverse as their applications, ranging from sporty to stylish and from functional to fashionably practical. In particular, spacer fabrics produced on highly flexible KARL MAYER double needle bar raschel machines with Jacquard technology are in high demand for manufacturing these trendy shoes. These efficient production machines enable attractive designs with integrated multifunctional zones on one or both fabric surfaces, such as breathable mesh structures. Flexible in size and positioning, these features enhance both aesthetics and wearing comfort.

3D designs with a wow factor made on HKS 4-M EL ECO: When crepe, ruffles, and sheer fabrics redefine fashion

Seersucker, flip-flap items, Fırfır, or crepe materials: structured fabrics have long been more than just a passing trend. They lend timeless looks depth, dynamism, and an exciting tactile dimension. Whether classic striped patterns or modern solid-color interpretations, these versatile pieces pair perfectly with casual and business-casual outfits and effortlessly create a modern look.

SHIMA SEIKI to showcase flat knitting and digital design solutions at Egypt Stitch & Tex

Leading Japanese computerized flat knitting technologist SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its sales representative in Egypt, TTS (EL MASRIA FOR TRADE & TECHNICAL SERVICES), will participate in the upcoming 24th International Exhibition for Textile & Carpet Machineries, Printing Technologies and Accessories (Egypt Stitch & Tex) to be held in Cairo, Egypt this month.

SHIMA SEIKI to exhibit at Première Vision Paris

Leading digital textile solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan will exhibit at Première Vision Paris in Paris, France next month. The company will exhibit in the "Smart Creation" area, dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge technologies that integrate sustainability and innovation. The knitting expert will be demonstrating solutions that optimize product development workflows and enhance sustainability through proposals in Digital Product Creation (DPC).

The new RJ 4/2 EL revolutionizes body mapping and expands creative possibilities – from smart lingerie to sporty athleisure designs

With the addition of another member to its successful RASCHELTRONIC® family, KARL MAYER is opening up new possibilities for creative product development for warp knitting mills and brands. The RJ 4/2 EL offers with two stitch-forming Jacquard bars entirely new design options for functional sportswear and bi-elastic lingerie. Available in gauges E 28 and E 32, this new model helps manufacturers set their collections apart from the competition. The fine E-32 gauges, in particular, impress with their clean surface, a pleasantly soft feel, and an exceptionally elegant look.

HeiQ & Archroma and Lenzing & Armedangels win ITMF International Collaboration Awards 2026

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has named two industry partnerships as winners of the ITMF International Collaboration Awards 2026. The awards go to collaborations between HeiQ and Archroma as well as Lenzing and Armedangels, highlighting joint approaches to innovation and sustainability across different parts of the textile value chain.

180 years of TESTEX: From Zurich silk testing to global certification

For 180 years, TESTEX has developed alongside the textile industry while maintaining the same underlying purpose: creating trust through independent and reliable measurement. Founded in Zurich in 1846 as the Zurich Silk Conditioning Institute, TESTEX has grown from a local institution serving the silk trade into an international Swiss testing and certification institute for textiles and leather.

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 explores technologies, markets, financing and scale-up of innovative recycling solutions for waste streams including mixed plastic waste, textiles and PVC. Europe’s chemical and materials sector faces growing pressure to close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material safety and resilience and meet increasingly ambitious EU recycling targets. Against this backdrop, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators and policy-makers on 17–18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

German textile industry and retailers form alliance to shape textile EPR system

Germany’s textile and fashion industry and retail sector have joined forces to establish the “Alliance for Textile Circularity” (Allianz für textile Kreisläufe). Initiated by the German Textile and Fashion Industry Association (Gesamtverband textil+mode) and the German Retail Federation (HDE), the alliance aims to contribute industry expertise to the development of Germany’s future Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for textiles and footwear.