The KARL MAYER GROUP is an important partner for the technical textiles industry. It will once again demonstrate its importance for the development of new processes, products, applications and market opportunities and for efficient production at Techtextil from April 23 to 26 in Frankfurt am Main. The innovation show of the global player in Hall 12, Stand B73 highlights how sustainability and cost-effectiveness go hand in hand.

Under the motto "Master the Change - profitable, flexible, sustainable" the KARL MAYER GROUP is presenting solutions for the challenges of our time from the fields of warp knitting, flat knitting, composites, warp preparation, digitalization and Care Solutions, with a focus on technical textiles.

In the warp knitting sector, it will be shown how new business potential can be exploited with the HKS 3-M ON PLUS, which was only launched last year. The newcomer offers unprecedented flexibility and - this is new - also produces open-design fabrics with different densities and constructions, including honeycomb structures, square marquisette fabrics and robust shoe articles, all this also in coarse gauges up to E 14. In addition to pattern variety and efficiency, the production speed is just right. Especially manufacturers in the technical sector are always one step ahead with the fast all-rounder.

An insight into the production repertoire of the HKS 3-M ON PLUS is offered by a selection of articles with grid-like patterns in various gauges and made of different yarns, including a bio-based Tencel™ yarn that is completely easy to process.

The digitalization of the fitness, sports and wellbeing industry also offers new business opportunities. In particular, the fusion of sensors and clothing to create new interactive solutions can improve people's exercise experience and increase both performance and enjoyment. The joint project DiMo - Digital Motion is researching how this can be achieved. KARL MAYER is participating in the project as a partner from the textile sector. The TEXTILE CIRCUIT team from its TEXTILE MAKERSPACE is very experienced in the field of wearables and is contributing its extensive expertise to the work. In addition, an MJ 52/1 S from KARL MAYER is being used for production tasks at V-trion, the research company of project partner Grabher in Lustenau. The project and initial results will be presented at Techtextil.

Another highlight from the warp knitting sector are extravagant multicolor spacers from a new double raschel machine. The newcomer uses more color and new jacquard techniques, making highly creative, colorful designs possible. These should not only amaze shoe manufacturers, but also arouse interest in the fashion and home textiles sector.

In addition, KARL MAYER will demonstrate with its Care Solutions offerings how its all-round after-sales service at best-in-class level effectively strengthens customers in competition. One highlight is the new Customer Portal, which offers customers access to the digital world of the KARL MAYER GROUP.

STOLL will be presenting a wide-ranging sample collection for the flat knit industry that meets the today’s requirements of sustainable and efficient manufacturing. Seamless compression products for the sports, orthopaedic and medical sectors, shoe upper fabrics with new reinforcing stitch combinations (Flex Ply) and knit to shape seat covers as well as intriguing material combinations will be on display. The items are produced almost in one piece, meaning that there are as good as no seams and therefore no associated processing costs and waste. In addition to the performance, the look is right! Innovative features of the STOLL flat knitting technology enable a wide range of patterns and structures and therefore an appearance that can be flexibly adapted to seasonal trends.

Composite manufacturers will get their money's worth with a continuation on the topic of sustainable composites. At Techtextil 2022, KARL MAYER Technische Textilien presented a snowboard made from a non-crimp fabric for reinforcement, which was produced using flax fibers on a COP MAX 4 multiaxial warp knitting machine. An alpine ski made from hemp will be on show at the upcoming Techtextil. The natural fiber is used as tapes, which are processed into non-crimp fabrics on a COP MAX 5. The use of natural fiber tapes streamlines the production chain compared to the use of yarns or twisted yarns and opens up new application potential for the composite industry. In addition to the topic of composites, KARL MAYER Technische Textilien will be showing how fabrics with weft insertion ensure greater efficiency and sustainability in the construction industry, for example as geotextiles in road construction, as concrete reinforcement in pipe renovation or as a carrier material for roofing solutions.

The KARL MAYER GROUP is also strengthening its customers in the technical woven fabrics sector with innovative warp preparation solutions. In Frankfurt am Main, it will be presenting its PROWARP®-HT and FILSIZE in various media presentations. The PROWARP®-HT sectional warping machine uses the latest technology in an ergonomic design to achieve the highest quality for the best weaving results. It is predestined for processing technical, heavy yarns at high tensions.

The FILSIZE specializes in the highly productive sizing of filament and glass yarn and guarantees perfect sizing quality. It is particularly well established among manufacturers in the electronic glass sector, for example of printed circuit boards, but is also used by manufacturers of clothing and goods for technical applications. The PROWARP®-HT and FILSIZE, like all warp preparation systems from KARL MAYER, can be adapted precisely to the requirements of their specific application thanks to various options and special equipment features - a real competitive advantage for customers! The presentation of the ACCUTENSE, a computer-controlled hysteresis yarn tensioner for filament yarn, technical yarn and glass fiber yarn, rounds off the exhibition program for technical weavers.

Digitalization opens up completely new possibilities for increasing process efficiency, as the CREATE DESIGN and DPM solutions show.

The CREATE DESIGN software solution from KM.ON and STOLL accelerates the development and design process of knitwear and thus the workflow from the idea to the market launch. A set of sophisticated features serves this purpose, including a shape and grading tool for easier creation of a knit pattern and size sets, a toolkit for developing digital knit structures with a wide range of creative possibilities, a color generator and flexible yarn creation options. In addition, the data can be exported from CREATE DESIGN and imported into any 3D software. This makes it easy to create photorealistic images of fully knitted garments. 

KM.ON's Digital Production Management (DPM) transforms the warp knitting industry's shop floor through digitalization. The solution enables seamless monitoring and control of production processes in real time, providing production managers with deeper insights and optimizing operations. DPM maximizes efficiency by identifying bottlenecks and refining processes, which not only increases product quality but also results in significant cost savings. An essential solution for textile companies looking to future-proof their production processes!