#Research & Development

2019-05-23

Know-how improves a company’s profile

Review TITV Workshop (c) 2019 KARL MAYER

The second workshop, “Additive manufacturing for the textile industry”, showed once again that looking beyond the boundaries of technology creates synergist effects and generates ideas for new products. This series of events was begun successfully in January 2018 and was continued on 13 May 2019.

Second workshop entitled, “Additive manufacturing for the textile industry”, brought all of KARL MAYER’s technologies together on 13.05.2019

The next event was again organised by the Textilforschungsinstitut Thüringen-Vogtland e.V., TITV (Textile Research Institute Thuringia-Vogtland) and held at KARL MAYER in Obertshausen. “We see real potential in the new technologies. As one of the leading, global textile machinery manufacturers, we believe, therefore, that we have a responsibility to promote their development,” said Arno Gärtner, the CEO of KARL MAYER, in his welcoming address. Opportunities have opened up in the areas of design, construction and product characteristics especially, as well as by shortening the value-added processes and bringing them closer to the consumer.

Roughly 80 guests were keen to learn more about the opportunities on offer. They came from companies involved in conventional warp knitting, textile machine building, filament production and the manufacture of 3D printers, as well as from institutes and universities. The guests also included users of textiles and 3D printing processes. The extensive programme of papers certainly gave them their money’s worth. The nine speakers were experts in industry and research, and presented papers on process, machine and materials technology used in 3D printing, and also showed the results of research into end-uses.

During the workshop, KARL MAYER also presented its new TEXTILE MAKERSPACE. Like the workshop, the aim of this innovations platform is to bring together the two worlds of additive manufacturing and the textile industry – a goal that was achieved perfectly on 13 May. The guests listened with great interest to the words of Michael Kieren, the chief organiser of the TEXTILE MAKERSPACE, who spoke on the opportunities and initial results of this new platform for pioneering companies. In particular, these include the customised incorporation of electrically conductive yarns on the warp knitting machine, and the 3D printing of warp-knitted textiles.

“In particular, 3D printing is an area in which many companies have already been actively engaged to some extent,” says Michael Kieren, when speaking about the conversations he had had with participants of the workshop in the TEXTILE MAKERSPACE. “Most of their ideas have been directed at products with a unique selling point, but could be transformed just by using suitable technologies.” KARL MAYER would be involved in this process as an expert partner.

New business momentum for the Turkish warp knitting industry

Warp knitting companies can look forward to new opportunities for their business development when they visit the KARL MAYER stand at ITM. At the important trade fair in Istanbul, the industry leader will be presenting selected solutions to support customers in a market that is as important as it is difficult. The focus will be on flexibility and speed.

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.

GenuTrace client advisory: Is your cotton supply chain UFLPA ready?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released updated operational guidance (CBP Publication No. 5560-0526) expanding its forced labor enforcement framework. The guidance supersedes the original 2022 UFLPA Operational Guidance and now covers all forced labor enforcement authorities — UFLPA, CAATSA, and WROs/Findings — in a single unified document. For cotton importers, the enforcement posture has not softened. It has become more structured, more documented, and more demanding. Learn more about UFLPA.

TERNAfil wins first place at PitchMiUp Night 2026 in Minden

The RWTH spin-off TERNAfil has developed MAXCarbon, a new high-performance hybrid fibre that combines the mechanical performance of carbon with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. For this development, TERNAfil was awarded first prize at the PitchMiUp Night in Minden on 21 May 2026.

Carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre proves its worth – NRW Minister for Science Mona Neubaur congratulates ITA start-up TERNAfil

MAXCarbon technology, a novel carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre developed by ITA spin-off TERNAfil, secured third place at the HIGH-TECH.NRW Demo Day on the TÜV NORD campus in Essen. The technology combines the strength of carbon fibres with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. Mona Neubaur, Minister for Science in North Rhine-Westphalia, congratulated the team on their success and on winning prize money of 4,000 euros.

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.

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.

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.