#Weaving

2020-10-01

KARL MAYER’s PROWARP® and MULTI-MATIC® 32 impress the market

With the PROWARP® and MULTI-MATIC® 32, KARL MAYER presented innovative series machines for weaving preparation at ITMA 2019. With their special performance profiles, they are generating a great deal of interest on the market. The PROWARP® sectional warping machine offers utmost flexibility, precision and efficiency, and can be equipped with the latest communication, measuring and control technology.

The MULTI-MATIC® 32 is a highly productive warping machine for the production of sample and production warps with short running length, which is particularly well received by manufacturers in the high-quality fashion sector. Both machine types have already been sold several times worldwide.

PROWARP®

The selectable, innovative solutions offered by the PROWARP® configuration include PROACTIVE warping, a system for optimising warp beam quality that will be cloudbased in future. The new development comprises a total of three levels and the amount of information increases with each one. Level 1 provides protocols with data on warping or beaming quality, which are supplemented in level 2 by active quality management with a customer-defined star rating. This extension level also offers the possibility of integrating a modern high-resolution camera system. The innovative solution records measurements including the band width and band set-up – i.e. the distance from band to band or to the cone. In addition, level 3 offers evaluations and diagrams for the single thread tensions of the optional MULTIGUARD yarn stop motion. In levels 2 and 3, the data is also exchanged with the KM.ON cloud via the KM.ON device k.ey. Using cloud networking, a real-time machine dashboard can be created and, in future, it can be synchronised with new start parameters via an algorithm. If deviations occur, production data can be optimised and adopted for repeat orders if desired. This allows the beam quality to be improved, regardless of the operating personnel.

Further systems for ensuring high product quality relate to regulating the layer thickness during the sectional warping process. To do so, either the yarn tension at the creel exit or, if available, the speed of the yarn feeding elements is adjusted. Fine adjustment is triggered by measured values taken from the layer thickness of the individual sections, which are continuously recorded by laser in a contactless manner and compared with the values of a master section. PROWARP® ensures a high degree of quality reproducibility with well-thought-out solutions to manage orders and production data.

Flexible use, best performance values

In addition to product quality, the PROWARP® is also efficient. An innovative order management system not only enables weaving mills to be up to 5 % more efficient and performance to be increased by up to 30 % in weaving preparation compared to standard market counterparts, but yarn waste is also reduced. A high degree of application flexibility completes the PROWARP® performance package. The new high-performance sectional warping machine is suitable for all material types and combinations, and guarantees a constant winding build-up over the entire yarn spectrum. It manufactures production warps that are used in technical and standard applications. It has a special configuration to produce warp beams for technical woven fabrics, determined by the suffix “HT”. For the apparel and home textiles sector, PROWARP® offers warp beams for creating detailed patterns and designs of different colours. To meet the wide range of applications, the PROWARP® is designed for pulling forces of up to 40,000 N and has a working width of up to 5.6 m. It reaches a maximum speed of 1,000 m/min for warping and 500 m/min for beaming.

Model change by 2021

Since its launch as a series model at ITMA 2019, the PROWARP® has been ordered by around ten manufacturers. Orders predominantly came from the technical sector and mostly from Europe; their market distribution will also see a slight model change. KARL MAYER’s Warp Preparation Business Unit plans to merge the ERGOTEC and OPT-O-MATIC product lines and gradually replace them with PROWARP®. “We plan to complete the model changeover next year,” said Development Manager Martin Fuhr. Exceptions will, of course, be possible.

MULTI-MATIC® 32

The MULTI-MATIC® 32 particularly stands out thanks to it excellent price-performance ratio. With the benefit of eight pattern threads, the single-end warp sampling machine offers a third more performance compared to the previous model, but without costing more. It is most efficient at run lengths of 200 to 400 m. When equipped with KAMCOS® 2, the MULTI-MATIC® 32 can be digitally networked via an integrated OPC-UA interface, which means operating data can be gathered in real time. In addition, the reduced number of bobbins allows for a smaller creel, which can be equipped with rollers and arranged differently depending on the yarn quality. The innovative MULTI-MATIC® 32 was designed to replace the GOM-24. It processes bobbins with greater yarn volume and thus with longer change intervals than the model in the GIR-O-MATIC® series, which cuts handling effort and yarn storage costs. Overall, the priceperformance ratio of the MULTI-MATIC® 32 is up to 30% better than that of the GOM-24. The MULTI-MATIC® 32 also stands out when compared with the sectional warping machine, another adjacent model in KARL MAYER’s product portfolio: the low number of bobbins means that there is no need to split them up by rewinding them onto several bobbins.

More Jacquard. More functionality. More fashion.

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.

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.

Fewer pores, greater impact tolerance: Peter Dornier Foundation Prize 2026 honours material research on fibre-reinforced composite components for aerospace industry

Microscopically small pores that form during manufacture, or barely visible impact damage, can severely impair the load-bearing capacity and service life of fibre-reinforced composite components. Two young researchers have presented groundbreaking work in this field and will both be awarded the 2026 Peter Dornier Foundation Prize: Dr.-Ing. Benedikt Neitzel from the Technical University of Ilmenau for his doctoral thesis on pore minimisation in the RTM process, and Johanna Buschmann, M.Sc., for her master’s thesis, completed at the German Aerospace Centre, on the improved impact tolerance of 3D fabrics compared to 2D laminates.

Itema reaffirms its commitment to the Syrian textile industry at NasTex 2026

From July 18th to 21st, Itema will exhibit at NasTex at the Damascus Fairground (Hall 11 – Stand C02), marking its return to one of the Middle East’s historically significant textile markets. Itema will showcase advanced weaving technology designed to support the competitiveness and technological evolution of Syrian manufacturers and announces a new partnership with Growfast Agency as the sole agent of Itema in Syria.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.

C&S strengthens its governance to support its evolution

C&S announces the appointment of Marco Lucietti to its Board of Directors. With extensive international experience across the textile and denim industries, Lucietti will work alongside CEO Federico Corneli, contributing to the company’s managerial development, organizational structure and long-term strategic direction.