At the end of last year, Karl Mayer added the HKS 2-SE PLUS to its range of products for processing elastane and the first trials were completed shortly afterwards to test the new patterning possibilities it offered. Thanks to a modified knitting motion, the new machine can not only implement conventional elastic locknit and 1 x 1 counter lappings, but twill stitch variations too. The ground guide bar GB 2, which processes elastane, may work the two-needle-overlap.

Incorporating the elastic material as a two-needle-overlap produces a fabric with a high modulus, a plump feel and a silky surface, as tests carried out by Karl Mayer’s textile product developers have demonstrated. The textile specialists produced various articles on the new HKS 2-SE PLUS with a twill stitch 1 x 2 lapping and a 2 x 1 lapping as combination partners. A polyamide filament yarn was used to implement the 2 x 1 lapping through the GB 1. The twill stitch 1 x 2 lapping was made with open and closed loops and worked in equal lapping in the underlap and in counter lapping in the overlap, and vice versa for the 2 x 1 lapping.

When comparing the resulting variants with a standard locknit structure – also produced on the HKS 2-SE PLUS and with the same yarn – clear differences can be seen. With a weight per unit area of between 243 g/m² and 253 g/m², the twill stitch 1 x 2 articles are noticeably heavier than the standard elastic fabric, and the elastane content is also higher. The difference is around 12%.

The new elastic twill fabrics are extremely powerful and resistant to elastic deformation. They are soft against the skin, drape well and dry quickly. Thanks to this performance, fabrics featuring this modelling stretch are a promising innovation, particularly for the manufacturers of shapewear and sportswear, swimwear and lingerie articles. What’s more, the product range of the HKS 2-SE PLUS is effectively expanded. To produce the fabrics, the guide bars simply need to be adjusted using predefined settings options.

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