Karl Mayer, leading warp knitting machine manufacturer, has successfully created a collection of cotton fabrics and has also produced a range of non-stretch powernet fabrics on the ML 46, one of the company’s most versatile lace raschel machines in the product range.

This Multibar Lace machine can be used for producing ethnic clothing, such as saris, as well as for manufacturing lace curtains and delicate lace fabrics for the lingerie and apparel sectors.

New generation

The demand for lace with high cotton content is increasing all the time, particularly for ladies’ outerwear and especially in Turkey and China, Karl Mayer reports. This trend is said to be opening up new opportunities for warp knitting.

The latest generation of multibar raschel machines is said to offer new possibilities to processing staple-fibre yarns. Jamie Heather, the company’s expert in lace, developed and produced two different patterns at Karl Mayer, in order to exploit the potential of the ML 46 when processing staple-fibre yarns.

Testing of four types of staple-fibre yarns

Jamie Heather used a tried-and-tested, all-over tulle net pattern to design the non-stretch cotton lace. One featured a traditional floral pattern and the other was patterned with soft, geometrical motifs in an Aztec style.

An ML 46 in a gauge of E 18 and a working width of 134" was used to produce the designs. The multibar raschel machine processed open-end-spun yarns and ring-spun yarns made from cotton, spun viscose and Tencel during the four tests. The staple-fibre yarns were combined with polyester to work the pillar stitch and inlay lapping.

Green light

The tests showed that open-end-spun yarns are not suitable for producing this type of lace. “The yarns were not strong enough and produced large amounts of fibre fly very quickly,” explained Jamie Heather.

On the other hand, the results with ring-spun, viscose and Tencel yarns were extremely good, the company reports. The ML 46 produced lace of commercially acceptable quality at an operating speed of roughly 700 min-1. “The number of faults can be reduced significantly by using a stronger PES yarn for the pillar stitch construction,” said Jamie Heather, who recommends a minimum count of dtex 67 to be used.

Ring-spun cotton yarns can be used from a count of dtex 1,100 at a gauge of E 18. The stitch density should not exceed 15 to 19 stitches/cm to ensure that the amount of fly produced is kept to within an acceptable level. Depending on the yarn quality, the fly should be removed after every 125 to 200 machine metres.

Minimalistic, transitional patterns

Jamie Heather developed a collection of fine, lightweight, all-over lace featuring neoclassical, minimalistic patterns for the ML 46 in a gauge of E 24. “The patterns are still filigree in nature but, with their chunky, geometrical motifs, they are no longer classical,” he commented.

The delicate lace fabrics have a subtle, two-coloured ground and a uniform design. The ground was processed with four ground guide bars and is said to be exceptionally stable so that it can also be embroidered.

www.karlmayer.com