Leading circular knitting machine builder Mayer & Cie has released details of its ITMA 2011 offer. The German company has come up with a whole raft of new innovations recently and has had to make choices about which machines to show in Barcelona.

"For many decades it has been good tradition at Mayer & Cie. to refresh the circular knitting machinery sector with partly revolutionary developments for ITMA. Following this tradition, Mayer & Cie. will come up with surprising developments this year again in Barcelona - ones likewise addressing producers of standard goods as well as of niche products," the company said in a statement this morning, adding:

"With five brand new machines introduced hereafter plus one surprise Mayer & Cie. will enter the contest at this year's ITMA in Barcelona."

Relanit 4.0

Mayer refers to the Relanit 4.0 as the ‘high speed world champion among the single jersey machines'. The latest version of the ultra high speed series from Mayer & Cie. is said to achieve an incredible 70rpm on a 30 inch diameter machine when producing plain single jersey fabric with a speed factor of 2100. Mayer says this facilitates production quantities of more than 1500kg per day.

The belt drive is controlled by special servo motors which can be operated from the display of the machine. This, Mayer says, guarantees an exact yarn supply and avoids fluctuations in the yarn quantity supplied which in general can appear because of lint and oil accumulation when working with belt drives with quality wheels.

In order to further increase the efficiency of the machine the Relanit 4.0 has been fitted with a computer-controlled knit-on aid which increases the yarn tension for the knit-on process automatically for a short time. Mayer says this makes knitting-on ‘a piece of cake'.

S4-3.2 II R

Talking about leaders, Mayer refers to the S4-3.2 II R as the world champion in single striper fabrics.

"Production quantities so far unreached in the production of single jersey striper fabrics do become reality now. The new S4-3.2 R II combines productivity and flexibility in a way so far not imaginable. It is the first striper machine in the world being in a position to produce single striper fabrics with 3 or - by combination of individual feeders also with more colours - at 3.2 knitting feeders per inch," the company says.

"While the majority of striper fabrics are generally produced with 1.6 knitting feeders per inch (which corresponds to 48 knitting feeders at 30 inch diameter), the absolute limit for 3 colours was at maximum 2.4 knitting feeders per inch for 3 colours so far," Mayer says.

According to Mayer, its patented solution offers the possibility to produce single jersey fabrics with 3.2 knitting feeders per inch for the first time (which corresponds to 96 knitting feeders at 30 inch) and this with up to 4 needle tracks and full plating of elastomeric yarns on every knitting feeder.

"A productivity which is up to 70 % higher compared to the current production of 6 colour striping fabrics as well as the possibility to use this machine as fully-fledged high-performance single jersey machine with a linear speed of 1.56 m/s (corresponds to 39 revolutions per minute at 30 inch)," the Albstadt based company says.

"With this development the traditionally high costs involved in the production of striper goods will in future be reduced noticeably for our customers," Mayer adds.

MJ3.2 E DNS

"A world champion in the fine gauge single jersey jacquard machine sector with fully electronic needle selection, the MJ3.2 E DNS in gauge E 60 breaks all previous existing limits in the production of circular knitting single jersey fabrics," says Mayer.

The claimed unlimited pattern variety which is now also possible for extremely fine fabrics is said to open up completely new collection possibilities particularly to manufacturers of night and underwear. However, Mayer says manufacturers of technical applications are likely to be interested in the new fabric qualities.

OVJA 1.6 EE

Mayer will also be showing the OVJA 1.6 EE its ‘world champion' in quality and pattern varieties in the production of knitted mattress ticking fabrics with individual electronic needle selection in cylinder and dial.

Due to the additional individual needle selection in the dial particularly sharp contours at the changeover between blister pattern and ground can be achieved which Mayer says altogether provides a noticeably better fabric appearance.

"In case of conventional mattress machines which have an individual needle selection in the cylinder only the floats of the blister yarns are often visible - and thus the contours between pattern and ground become fuzzy," says Mayer.

Mayer says that in the course of the increasing competition in standard mattress ticking fabrics more and more manufacturers have decided to use the advantages of the needle selection in cylinder and dial in order to differentiate from the standard fabric. The company says that in future it will bring these advantages to all markets in all commercial diameters 38, 42 and 48 inches as well as in frames with roll diameters of up to 1.25 m (corresponding to approx. 260 kg fabric bales).

OVJA 1.6 E Fine

The OVJA 1.6 E Fine offers the finest gauges up to E 36 for double jersey jacquard machines for the fashion domain.

"The success story of the most popular double jersey jacquard machine with electronic individual needle selection from Mayer & Cie. now expanded to being in a position to produce fabrics also in gauge 36 is carried forward by a further chapter," Mayer says adding:

"The manufacturers obtain a constant fabric quality from the first mesh on by the temperature control system patented by Mayer & Cie. The temperature control brings the machine to the desired operating temperature already before the knitting begins and maintains it during the production even at extremely unfavourable temperature conditions."

"It particularly avoids the changing of the distance between yarn guide and needle in a way that drop stitches are caused in the course of the production resulting from differing temperature conditions. The patented mono magnet selection system from Mayer & Cie. ensures a reliable needle selection after many years yet as it does not undergo a mechanical load contrary to other selection systems," the company concludes.