#Knitting & Hosiery

2026-07-16

More Jacquard. More functionality. More fashion.

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.

Smart lingerie: When function becomes a design element

In the lingerie sector, the RJ 4/2 EL offers a fresh approach to functionality in particular. Exciting options for product development include:

Delicate, soft SpotNet items with 4-Way-Stretch: The gentle, elastic mesh structures offer exceptional comfort, subtle sheerness, and an ideal fit.

Shapewear with specialized functional zones: The different functional areas can be combined as desired and, thanks to a high modulus in both the longitudinal and transverse directions, enable targeted silhouette shaping, while a low modulus ensures comfort fit – perfectly in line with the trend away from rigid shapewear toward intelligent body engineering.

Lace-like bands with color variations: The lace-like appearance, combined with striking colors, opens up new possibilities for fashionable lingerie, bralettes, and decorative trims.

Fabrics with small-repeat textural effects: The interplay of pattern and elasticity creates surfaces with fine, relief-like structures. The look is reminiscent of the current seersucker trend in outerwear and brings fashionable textures to the lingerie sector. This opens up new possibilities for modern bralettes, loungewear, soft bras, and bodywear concepts where comfort and fashion are equally important.

Patterns with matt-shiny effects: The interplay of the materials used creates exciting contrasts with a special sense of depth and a high-quality, vibrant look – all without the use of additional colors.

The new design possibilities offered by the RJ 4/2 EL are particularly well-suited for premium lingerie and shapewear brands. With soft, elastic SpotNet structures, intelligently zoned shapewear, and lace-like designs featuring multicolor effects, the machine combines comfort, functionality, and fashion-forward differentiation – three key success factors in today’s lingerie market.

Lingerie with matt shiny effects © 2026 KARL MAYER

Performance with style: Sportswear at the intersection of athletics and aesthetics

The RJ 4/2 EL proves that performance can also be chic, showcasing its design potential for the sportswear sector. New features include:

Items with precisely placed and shaped functional zones: The integration of ventilation, compression, or support zones is a key development focus in modern performance apparel. Mesh zones with strategically designed hole sizes provide customized breathability, and compression zones can also be tailored to specific needs. The RJ 4/2 EL also makes it possible to place the functional zones exactly where athletes need them – perfect body mapping for optimal temperature management, freedom of movement, and support, right on the machine!

Soft stretch fabrics with jacquard mesh and holes, as well as matt-shiny effects: The combination of soft elasticity and integrated design structures meets the demand for sports textiles that are both functional and visually attractive. The appearance stands out for its clarity – the result of using pure elastane instead of core yarn.

Multicolored sportswear items: Multicolor designs create a stronger visual distinction and support the ongoing athleisure trend, in which functional clothing also serves as a fashion statement.

The future of sportswear is highly functional – and it looks great, too. With multicolored designs, stretchy mesh fabrics, and advanced body mapping concepts, the RJ 4/2 EL delivers exactly the features innovative brands are looking for: maximum performance without compromising on style.

Sportswear with 3 D effects © 2026 KARL MAYER

Maximum flexibility and cost-effectiveness

The RJ 4/2 EL is available with a working width of 130". The unique flexibility of the new RASCHEL-TRONIC® is ensured by its configuration with two Jacquard bars able to make counter lapping, combined with KARL MAYER’s proven EL guide bar control system. The machine also impresses with its efficiency. It offers an excellent price-performance ratio, maximum reliability, and ease of operation.

The new RDJ 7/3 defines the design footprint of modern athletic shoes

Stylish, functional, and efficient to produce – spacer fabrics are the all-arounders among textile materials. These versatile fabrics are particularly in demand in the sports and casual footwear sector, as they combine comfort, breathability, and design freedom. At the same time, this industry is trend-driven, dynamic, and price-sensitive like few others. Innovations are therefore a decisive factor for success. With the RDJ 7/3, KARL MAYER offers a solution specifically tailored to these requirements. The particular strength of the new double raschel machine: its exceptional flexibility, thanks to its three jacquard bars.

KARL MAYER's HKS 2-SE Expands Possibilities for Premium Stretch WARP KNITS

Warp knitted fabrics with a woven look are more in demand than ever in the fashion and apparel industries. Stretch WARP KNITS, in particular, impress with their freedom of movement, breathability, and virtually wrinkle-free wear – thereby opening up new style worlds such as smart casual or business casual. When it comes to the highly efficient production of premium-quality stretch WARP KNITS, the HKS 2-SE has long been the machine of choice. KARL MAYER’s best-selling tricot machine produces standard elastic fabrics characterized by high gauges, smooth, delicate surfaces, and a soft hand feel.

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.

SHIMA SEIKI brings new flat knitting technologies to FEBRATEX 2026

Leading flat knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Brazilian representative BRASTEMA TECNOLOGIA TEXTIL LTDA., will exhibit at the Brazilian Textile Industry Fair (FEBRATEX 2026) this month. On display will be a roundup of SHIMA SEIKI computerized flat knitting technology, represented by WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines, computerized flat knitting machines featuring a brand-new model with high productivity and excellent cost performance, a glove knitting machine and the latest digital solutions.

Lenzing reports improved half-year results and advances strategic transformation

Despite a persistently challenging market environment in the first half of 2026, characterized by volatile energy and raw material prices, subdued global consumer demand and intensified competition from Asia, the Lenzing Group significantly improved its financial performance. Net result after tax more than doubled to EUR 35.6 million, compared with EUR 15.2 million in the first half of 2025. Free cash flow increased to EUR 45.8 million, while EBITDA amounted to EUR 239.2 million. Revenue totaled EUR 1.27 billion, compared with EUR 1.34 billion in the previous year.

Trützschler’s latest spinning and card clothing innovations at CAITME 2026

From September 8 to 10, 2026, Trützschler will present its latest innovations in spinning and card clothing for state-of-the-art fiber processing at CAITME in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Visitors are invited to meet the experts at Pavilion 2, Booth D50 and explore solutions designed to increase productivity, streamline processes, and ensure consistently high yarn quality. Key topics include the next-generation card TC 30i, the integrated draw frame IDF 3, the high-performance comber TCO 21XL as well as Trützschler Card Clothing’s new flat top series STEELTOP®.

BICO BCF yarn delivers impressive performance in field testing

In a joint development project with other partners, Barmag and Object Carpet have successfully tested BICO BCF yarn in the carpet manufacturing process. The results show that this innovative yarn technology offers significant performance advantages and opens up new possibilities for recycling-oriented carpet constructions.