Given the enormous cost pressure on circular knitting factories around the world, efficiently produced top-quality knit goods are currently a highly prized commodity.
Mayer & Cie. – represented by US subsidiary Mayer & Cie. Circular Knitting Inc., Columbia (South Carolina) – rose to the challenge at the ATME, presenting a highly productive circular knitting machine for the entire underwear sector in the form of the FS 2.0, alongside the MV 4-3.2 II in a gauge E44 version for the efficient, versatile production of single jersey for ultra-fine elastomer plated fabrics.
Wherever Mayer & Cie. puts its FS 2.0 on show, visitors cannot help but be impressed: This double jersey rib machine is unique anywhere in the world for its sinker-aided ability to cast on again automatically after a yarn breakage. Laborious and timeconsuming “knitting on” is now no longer required,
making the machine unique in its user convenience and high productivity. And the costly needle breakages which so often go hand in hand with the knitting on process are now a thing of the past.
In practical application, the FS 2.0 demonstrates that even less well qualified operating staff are in a position to restart the machine in less than five minutes following a yarn breakage.
Particularly with an eye to the American market and also in a bid to further increase output, Mayer & Cie. has developed its Gigant frame for fabric bales of up to 250 kg. These giant bales help streamline the further processing stages in modern finishing plants, so providing a further cost benefit.
The FS 2.0 covers the entire underwear sector from plain rib through to cardigan, including plated knits. Delayed timing of up to 4.5 mm guarantees optimum elasticity. A modern knitting factory can cover the entire range of men’s, women’s and children’s underwear in the standard market segments – providing top productivity and low-cost manufacturing without compromising on fabric quality.
Mayer & Cie. responded back in 2001 at the TECNO TMA in Bologne to the growing demand for ultra-fine plated single jersey fabrics with its Fine-Touch system. With fabrics in the E44 gauge range, even back then experts were talking about the “knitted silk effect” and “knitted like woven”. In the meantime, Fine-Touch from Mayer & Cie. has become an internationally recognized term of quality – setting a whole new standard both in quality and in the reliable, streamlined production of ultra-fine gauge fabrics.
Fine-Touch in gauge E44 from Mayer & Cie. on show at the ATME in conjunction with the MV4-3.2 II.
The unavoidable central crease which occurs when winding up a tube of elastomer knitted fabric has now become an unacceptable cost factor. The ideal solution to this problem is to use an open-width device such as the MV 4-3.2 II demonstrated by Mayer & Cie. at the ATME. Here, too, visitors were able to gain impressive proof of the enormous differences occurring with different open-width systems. Particularly impressive: When using the Mayer & Cie. open-width device, no reduction in the production speed takes place during elastomer plating.
As so often proves the case, with open-width device from Mayer & Cie. the whole adds up to far more than the sum of the individual details. Self-sharpening blades take care of a careful cut and three smoothing rollers (Mayer & Cie. patent) ensure reliable smoothing of the opened fabric tube. The electronic fabric takedown EPA (adjustable in the display for absolute reproduction accuracy) permits a 100% positive takedown without risk of creases or fabric twist. In conjunction with the highly stable structure and the new sensitive but effective electronically controlled brake technology, this open-width device operates with absolute reliability even at top machine speeds.
The facility for resetting the frame with just a few simple hand movements within a single tube winding ensures absolute flexibility for the knitter.
The lively interest demonstrated by ATME visitors in the Mayer & Cie. stand in general and in these two exhibits in particular has resulted in an upbeat assessment of the American market – particularly given the high number of visitors who made the journey all the way from Central and South America to Greenville. The show ended on a sad note, however, as the ATME closed its doors for the last time on its Greenville venue. It is due to be held from 2006 in restructured form in Atlanta.
