Obertshausen - Warp knitting machine builder Karl Mayer has further extended its range of double needle bar raschel machines, a move that will enable its customers to work more flexibly with wider models.
After launching an RD 7 with a new knock-over comb bar distance (from 2 to 6 mm), models that produce spacer fabrics in tried-and-tested thicknesses but at new working widths are now being launched on the market: the RD 7/2-12 EN and RD 6/1-12 EN are available now in a working width of 190 ins.
The seven-bar machine was previously available in working widths of 77 ins and 138 ins, while the six-bar equivalent was available as a 138 ins variant. Apart from the expansion in width, there were no other changes meaning that operational speeds are not reduced.
Both 190 ins machines achieve an unchanged speed of 850 courses per minute, which compared to the narrower 138 ins versions, means an increase in productivity of 37 per cent. The high efficiency is reflected in the price-performance ratio – with an increase of 15.7 per cent for the RD 6/1-12 EN and 16.3 per cent for the RD 7/2-12 EN. The width of the HighDistance has also been upgraded: the HD 6/20-35 was added to Karl Mayer’s product portfolio with a 160 ins version.
By extending the working widths, Karl Mayer says that it is primarily supporting its customers in the mattress sector. They can now produce not just more, but also more flexibly: two panels can now be produced simultaneously next to each other instead of singularly, or three fabric lines instead of two, for example. This greater production scope has been well received by the market with a number of customers in Asia already working with the 190 ins machines and reporting very high satisfaction with the performance.
According to Albert Wong, product owner, Double Needle Bar Machinery at Karl Mayer, manufacturers in other spacer textile business sectors are also benefitting from the company's latest innovations. "The right technical configuration for every customer group – that’s the motto the global player has been working to for around the last two years to successfully differentiate its RD machine range," he said. "With the RD 7/2-6 EN, we can offer the footwear fabric market a high-speed machine. A speed of 1,100 stitch courses per minute is setting standards in practice. The 138 ins RD 7/2-12 EN is a true all-rounder that is suitable for a wide range of applications, from footwear fabrics to articles for upholstered furniture and mattresses. With the 190 ins versions of the RD 7/2-12 EN and RD 6/1-12 EN, we are able to offer models that meet the special requirements of the mattress market.”
