Textile machinery manufacturer Karl Mayer has produced innovative lace fabrics on its Jacquardtronic Lace range machines JL 59/1 and JL 65/1F, as a result of  recent revamping work carried out by the company.

Jacquardtronic Lace is one of the successful models in Karl Mayer’s range of machines, which is why it is continually being improved in order to enhance the performance features on the range of fabrics that can be produced on these machines.

Chantilly style lace                                                                                 

The JL 59/1 was used to produce a classic lace with a modern twist. The pattern bears all the hallmarks of Chantilly lace, which was first produced by hand about 300 years ago and later on Leavers machines. It features a rococo style pattern with fine inlay yarns and thick edging yarns on a fine net ground.

However, the colour palette of this new fabric is very different to the traditional, hand-made bobbin lace. Instead of black, which is typically used in Chantilly lace, the pattern produced on the Jacquardtronic features a contrasting red/white/silver design – a colourway that is produced by using Lurex, polyamide and dyed polyester yarns. An alternative version using gold has also been developed.

Floating pattern yarns

The free-standing, decorative, floral motifs were produced with floating pattern yarns, which were cut open and shorn in a subsequent process. The full-width fabric was produced in the transverse direction to the working direction and has a border at the top and bottom.

To produce this pattern, the Jacquardtronic Lace was used in the new working width of 170" instead of the previous 134" and in a gauge of E 24.

No limits on bourdon cord

This equally fine, classic lace was produced on the JL 65/1F. The filigree pattern features decorative tendrils of foliage running in broad arcs and a relatively dense net ground. The sweeping, wavy pattern is similar to that of a clipped lace but, according to the company,  there is no need for the time-consuming step of removing the threads.

The dynamic appearance of the fabric is enhanced by using relatively thick bourdon cord yarns. These liner yarns, which have an elastane core and a polyamide sheath, have a count of 1,800 dtex. Despite this challenging material, the machine reached the desired operating speed with no problems whatsoever when working this pattern, the company reports.

The JL 65/1F reached a speed of 800 min-1 when producing this fabric, thanks to the optimised Positive Patternbeam Drive (PPD). This improved version controls the yarn feed on the basis of the pattern data and not on the basis of the yarn tension.

www.karlmayer.com