At ITMA 2011, KARL MAYER successfully showed how warp-knitted textiles could be integrated into a stand to create maximum impact. By using textiles in the design of its stand at Techtextil 2013, this innovative machine building company has taken up the theme of functional interior design and produced acoustic room elements from 3D warp-knitted textiles. The Technical Textiles Business Unit will also be showing a new sun-screening system, which is designed primarily for greenhouses but can also be used in the home. The solar textile is marketed under the name of OMBRA-DLS®. OMBRA-DLS® comprises an elastic, warp-knitted grid-like textile, which combines elastic warp yarns with slit-film yarns that are inserted from a magazine weft insertion unit. The openings in the mesh can be varied by stretching and relaxing the net, so that the amount of sun and thermal radiation can be adjusted as required. This new sun-screening solution provides consistent light diffusion and climate management. Details of OMBRA-DLS® are given in the “Technical Textiles” section of this issue. With these two market-oriented textile innovations for providing acoustic insulation and sun protection, KARL MAYER is once again showing that it is an expert service-provider and project partner in the field of product development. When developing new solutions and opening up applications that are not typical end-uses for textiles, this well-known textile machinery specialist can support its customers by providing both advice and practical help. Specific projects have led to the development of market-ready products and hitherto undiscovered concepts that can be used by textile producers.

Warp-knitted spacer fabrics – the silent revolution in volume control This spacer textile with its acoustic properties is 35 mm thick (Pic 1). A monofilament yarn is used in the spacer layer and the outer surfaces are made from a textured yarn – a clever construction that provides effective sound absorption. Whereas the upper and lower sides with their specific microscopic roughness reflect impinging sound waves effectively, the space between the two surfaces of the textile provides a dissipation zone to reduce the energy of the sound waves to a minimum. And this is a proven fact. The sound-damping textile was produced in conjunction with the Frauenhofer Institute for Building Physics (Frauenhofer Institut für Bauphysik), where its functions were tested extensively. The tests proved to be very promising. Excellent drapability, a low weight, a variety of designs produced by printing technology and a pleasant textile handle – the typical advantages of warp-knitted spacer textiles compared to conventional interior design materials – round off the characteristics of this new sound-absorbing material.