Obertshausen - Karl Mayer says it can offer a range of environmentally friendly, technical solutions for both the warp knitting and warp preparation sectors for the production of terry goods.
"Sustainability and environmental protection are becoming increasingly important in textile production – and this also applies to the production of warp-knitted terry fabrics," says Karl Mayer. "These fluffy, absorbent fabrics are absolutely indispensable for the bathroom and home, and are used in huge volumes all over the world. This means that ecological optimisation, carried out along the entire production line, has obvious effects. As far a fabric production is concerned, Karl Mayer can offer some effective technical solutions for both the warp knitting and warp preparation sectors."
One option for producing warp-knitted terry fabrics is the TM 4 TS-EL, a four-bar tricot machine which processes staple-fibre yarns and produces high-quality textiles, in which the terry loops are firmly anchored into the ground during the stitch-forming process.
According to Karl Mayer, the pullout resistance of the loops is much higher than that of comparable woven fabrics. Warp-knitted towels and bathrobes can, therefore, be used for longer, which generates less waste. The longer replacement cycles also reduce the consumption of resources.
As Karl Mayer points out, warp-knitted terry fabrics have a general technological advantage over woven fabrics in terms of the environmental loads generated during production, i.e. warp knitting does not require a sizing process, which saves on textile chemicals, effluent and energy to the value of roughly 0.20 US dollars/kg - approximately 30% of the production costs (without the yarn) when producing the raw fabric.
No sizing also means no desizing, which reduces the environmental loads even further. In practice, water consumption can be reduced by 9L and energy consumption can be reduced by 0.6 KW per kg of fabric.
Warp knitting also scores points for sustainability during fabric production. The TM 4 TS-EL consumes roughly 87 per cent less energy per kg of fabric produced than airjet weaving machines, which require large amounts of energy to produce the compressed air. This advantage is also enhanced by the high efficiency of this terry warp knitting machine. At a width of 186 ins and a speed of 800 min−1, the TM 4 TS-EL has a daily production rate of about 1,800 kg of terry fabrics with a weight of 400 g/m2 - 250% more than on an airjet weaving machine.
Processing cotton
Following a long gap in what was available in the range, the TM 4 TS-EL was premiered at ShanghaiTex 2015 as a new terry warp knitting machine for processing cotton. This new machine is both versatile and highly productive. Thanks to the modern EL pattern drive system, the speed of the TM 4 TS-EL has been increased by about 30 per cent compared to its predecessor with manual transmission. A working width of 186 ins has increased output even further.
This efficient machine can produce every type of terry article, especially hand and bath towels, i.e. webs having long repeats, smooth ends to the borders, and cutting edges. The EL system also enables the pattern to be changed quickly and easily.
The machine is equipped with the standard gauge of E24 for terry goods. Further technical features include the KAMCOS system, a brushing unit for aligning the pile loops, and a beam frame for large warp beams with long running lengths. The TM 4 TS-EL also operates at a high level of reliability, precision and user friendliness.
