Towels are not only useful for drying off, but they can also steal the show from bathing beauties, says leading warp knitting machine manufacturer Karl Mayer. You only need to look at the extravagant example on this page to see how, the German company says. The terry fabric produced by Karl Mayer creates vibrant accents with lively motifs in bright colours no matter whether you are around the swimming pool, at the beach or even simply next to the washbasin in the bathroom, the company adds.

The fabric was produced on a TM 4-TS EL with double-sided fabric to ensure that the finished product is not only a must-have bathing accessory, but also a real eye-catcher. One side features a dense layer of cotton loops, which quickly absorbs moisture from the skin after bathing and nestles gently against the body. The other side consists of sheared polyester, the soft texture of which invites you to relax, while its smooth finish makes it both easier to print on and quicker to dry, explains Karl Mayer.

The imaginative design was created at Zimmer Austria using a digital printing process. Karl Mayer’s textile developer, Melanie Bergmann, couldn’t be happier with the results: “The colours are extremely vibrant and vivid while the contours are sharp. Even the finest lines are clearly defined,” says the textile engineer.

Warp knitting technology with a firmly integrated terry loop ensures that the colourful towels can be enjoyed for a long time to come, the company says. The fluffy fibre layer is extremely resistant to thread pulls and the long service life and ecological advantages in production distinguish warp knitted terry articles from their weaving counterparts, it adds.

The TM 4-TS EL does not require compressed air like conventional air jet rapier looms and therefore consumes around 87% less energy per kilogram of fabric produced, Karl Mayer explains. The sizing process is also eliminated in warp knitting. This saves textile chemicals, wastewater and energy to the tune of approximately 0.20 USD/kg, the company adds. This, Karl Mayer adds, corresponds to about 30% of the manufacturing costs – excluding yarn – for the production of the raw material. Apart from saving costs, the terry warp knitting machine is extremely efficient. With a width of 186” and a speed of 800 rpm, the TM 4-TS EL produces around 1,800 kg of terry cloth weighing 400 g/m2 every day in 24-hour operation. This is around 250 % more than on an air jet rapier loom, Karl Mayer concludes.

Karl Mayer Website