Leading flat knitting machine manufacturer Shima Seiki, together with its UK subsidiary, Shima Seiki Europe, will hold a private expo in association with Hong Kong­based spinner UPW in London, on November 7 and 8, 2018. The Shima Seiki Europe Apex show will feature the SDS­ONE APEX3 3D design system, high-lighting the company’s digital yarn project.

SDS­ONE APEX3 3D design system is at the core of the company’s ‘Total Fashion System’ concept of unifying the fashion supply chain. From yarn input, planning, design, and machine programming to sales promotion, APEX3’s offers comprehensive support of the entire knit production process. Its greatest strength lies in its unparalleled capability for virtual sampling. Photo­realistic simulation capability allows virtual sampling to minimise the need for actual sample­making, effectively reducing time, cost, and material—and environmental impact—from the supply chain equation. APEX3 is capable of transforming the fashion industry through smart, speedy, and sustainable production, Shima Seiki said.

The key to realistic simulated sample making can be found in the least common denominator of knitting: the yarn. Shima Seiki’s digital yarn project aims to digitise yarn with the cooperation of spinning companies so that its customers can select yarn for their design and produce simulations for digital sampling, while programming data allows the required amount of yarn to be calculated so that the yarn can be ordered as soon as approval is obtained for that design. UPW is one of the most advanced collaborative partners in this Project, offering access to its inventory of digitised yarn online. (GK)

With 300 3D flatbed knitting machines, Stoll and Project I restore high-tech domestic manufacturing jobs

With 300 3D flatbed knitting machines, Stoll and Project I restore high-tech domestic manufacturing jobs with a full-scale, next generation facility that moves fully-fashioned knit production to the US and helps retailers meet demand.

Project I is an apparel manufacturing group started by fashion executives Jon Lewis and John Elmuccio with the goal of reshoring high-paying fashion jobs to the United States.

John Elmuccio

“We’re partnering to create the apparel manufacturing and supply chain facility of the future,” Elmuccio said. “The collaboration with Stoll will strengthen America’s fashion market, restore apparel production jobs using the latest technology, and revitalize the fully-fashioned knit sector.”

The driving force within the knitting industry

Between this new founded collaboration with Project I and the kick-off of the company’s 145th anniversary, Stoll consistently proves to be the driving force within the knitting industry.

Project I and Stoll’s advanced apparel manufacturing facility results in the largest single order of Stoll’s latest 3D knitting machinery and software solutions within the United States. This impactful collaboration will bring a revolutionary output of jobs and help position the US as a key player of the apparel manufacturing and supply chain market. “The apparel, fashion, and luxury markets are ripe for disruption and resurgence in the U.S.,” Lewis said. “By shortening the supply chain and locating production in the U.S., fashion brands and retailers will be able to keep pace with emerging trends and react to — not just anticipate — customer demand.”

The installation of these 300 high-tech flatbed knitting machines will happen throughout the next three years. Stoll will install the latest generation of ADF machines, which feature yarn carriers that are independent of the carriage and can move horizontally and vertically, and the latest CMS 830 C&S knit & wear (seamless knitting) machines. Stoll will provide programming, training, manufacturing and on-site production support while guiding new and existing customers alike to Project I.

Textile people will explore the key trends and technology developments that are bringing the market for digitally-printed textiles to life—from economics to ink—at the Digital Textile Printing Conference 3.0, December 5–6, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC, USA.

AATCC and SGIA have gathered some of the biggest names in the industry to cover the latest industry trends, the newest digital textile ink and printing technology developments, key market drivers, global market conditions, color management and workflow developments, design software, digital manufacturing and integration, micro factories—and more!

The current slate of speakers includes:

Digital Textile Print Renews an Industry—Mark Hanley, IT Strategies. Designing for Digital Textile Printing—Debbie McKeegan, TexIntel. Print on Demand: Exploring the Market Opportunities—Kristen Dettoni, Pattern Pod. The Evolution of Customization—J. Flint Davis, WeaveUp, Inc.Embrace Your Digital Reality... A New Paradigm in Creating Digital Print Files—Kristen Ritter, Gerber Technology. Integrated Color Management: The X-Factor of Digital Textiles—Duncan Ross, AVA CAD CAM Group Ltd. Print Clarity Test on Digitally Printed Textiles: A Quantitative Evaluation—Xingyu Li, Intertek. Replication of Screen-Printing Fabric via Ink-jet Textile Printing—Ming Wang, North Carolina State University. Adobe Insight: The Future of Workflow in Digital Textile Printing—Mike Scrutton, Adobe. New Print Head Technologies: Breaking Down Barriers—Mike Raymond, Xaar.Pigment Inks Explained – Wolf Reddig, EFI. Bespoke Experiences Made Economical: The Pigment Pretreatment Process Evolution—Kelly Lawrence, Lubrizol. The Taming of Pigment Inks: How to Gain Control over Print Quality by Using Primers—Helmuth Haas, CHT . Building an Apparel Micro-Factory: Real Life Lessons—Bill Grier, AM4U. First Sell, Then Produce: Enabling Sustainable Capsule Production—Sharon Donovich, Kornit Reaching Full Visibility in Digital Textile Manufacturing—Per Bringle, Exenta. Building the Bridge for a Stronger U.S. Supply Chain—Will Duncan, SEAMS. Digital Dye Sublimation Printing for Customized Warp Knit Advanced Flexible Composites— Mark Sunderland, Thomas Jefferson University. Digital Pile and Carpet Printing: Possibilities and Limitation—Roland Zimmer and Thomas Kloebl, Zimmer Austria Inc.In addition to the presentations, the program will feature two panels. The Wednesday panel will focus on Brand/Color Management/Digital Workflow and Thursday’s panel will address Micro-Factory/Automation. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions in these interactive sessions.AATCC/SGIA Individual and Corporate members registering on or before November 20, 2018 pay US$525 (US$785 for nonmembers) and will include luncheons, breaks, a reception, and a copy of all available presentations. After November 20, the registration fee increases to US$575 for AATCC/SGIA members and US$835 for nonmembers.Refunds will be honored if cancellations are received on or before November 27, 2018. No refunds will be given after November 27. A US$75 cancellation fee will be charged.For program updates and to register visit.

https://www.aatcc.org/evnt/conferences/printing/.

TOWARDS INTELLIGENT SPINNING MILLS

Saurer Group is looking forward to participating in the first China International Import Exhibition in Shanghai from 5 to 10 November 2018. At booth 3B6-003 in Hall 3 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center, Saurer will showcase intelligent textile machinery.

The Zinser 72XL is a highly productive ring and compact spinning machine for large spinning mills, with maximum flexibility in the areas of fancy and special yarns. With an incredible length of up to 2 016 spindles, it offers high consistency in quality, features energy-saving technologies and customised automation. With high-speed CS1S silent spindle-bearing units from Texparts, the machine runs at an astonishing speed even during exhibition conditions with a clearly lower noise level compared to conventional spindles.

Linked to the ZinserImpact 72XL is the new Autoconer X6 winding machine with the RFID-tagged Bobbin Cloud advanced material flow system. With a quantum leap in process automation, Autoconer X6 opens up a new dimension of efficiency with smart technology.

The fully automated rotor-spinning machine Autocoro 9 is highly productive thanks to its single spinning position technology. With rotor speeds of up to 180 000 rpm and with up to 720 spinning positions, the Autocoro 9 delivers technological superiority, boosting production. At the same time, intelligently automated processes increase machine performance and reduce the major costs associated with spinning, offering the possibility to reduce raw material and maintenance costs.

ITMA Asia + CITME 2018, Asia’s leading textile machinery exhibition, ended successfully after five days of exciting product demonstrations and business networking, according to organisers.

The sixth combined exhibition welcomed over 100,000 visitors from 116 countries and regions, with an increase of 10% from domestic visitors compared to the 2016 show. About 20% of visitors came from outside of China.

In terms of overseas participants, Indian visitors topped the list, reflecting the strong growth of its textile industry. Following closely were trade visitors from Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Bangladesh.

Mr Fritz P. Mayer, President of CEMATEX, said: “Response to the combined show has been very strong. There was a larger pool of qualified buyers and most of our exhibitors were able to achieve their business objectives. We are delighted with the positive outcome from our latest event.”

Mr Wang Shutian, President of China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA), added: “The strong turnout of visitors to the combined show reinforces the reputation of ITMA Asia + CITME as the most effective business platform in China for the industry. We shall continue to do our best to present the best technologies from both east and west to Chinese and Asian buyers.”

Break-away

But, how can a company just emerge and build such a capacity so quickly? The answer is that Beworth is a ‘break-away’ business – a break-away from the giant Chinese flat knitting machine manufacturer Ningbo Cixing Company Ltd, known in the industry as simply Cixing.

Cixing emerged when China’s millions of hand flat knitting machines began to be replaced with advanced computerised flat knitting machines in the early part of this century. By 2010 it had grown to become the world’s largest flat knitting machine builder, when it swallowed up renowned Swiss company Steiger, known for its innovative knitting technology.

New generation

Beworth’s debut at ITMA Asia + CITME in Shanghai this month was surrounded by speculation and rumours of family break-ups at Cixing, but the company did have the largest booth in the flat knitting area, which was populated by re-labelled first-generation Cixing lookalikes and a new HS series for sweater knitting and an HF series for shoe upper knitting – China’s shoe upper market is still going strong, the company says.

Industry commentators say that Beworth’s 20,000 machines annual capacity claim is a little exaggerated, but the company may well be producing around 12,000 machines per year. The company is active outside China and already has an office in Bangladesh with 45 staff.

Head of International Sales, Pierre Wang was keen to highlight that fact that his company’s machines were of good quality and told Knitting Industry that Beworth’s needlebeds for example are made from Japanese steel and that the CNC machines it uses to manufacture its machines are also Japanese.

Pierre Wang introduced us to company owner Mr Zheng, who apparently left his senior R&D position at Cixing after a family problem, to set up Beworth. Mr Zheng is said to be the technical brain behind the first generation of Cixing flat knitting machines which brought the company to the world’s attention.

Changes afoot?

Although Cixing is a huge player in the global market, and especially in Asia, it has lagged behind market leaders, Japan’s Shima Seiki and Germany’s Stoll, in terms of technology advances. Whether this changes in future, remains to be seen and it will be interesting to see how the global flat knitting business develops in the coming years. We now have four players - Shima Seiki, Stoll, Beworth and Cixing - with similar manufacturing capacities, in terms of numbers. That assumes of course, that Cixing’s capacity is now reduced, due to the split and emergence of Beworth.

There are some questions that probably require answers from a crystal ball though. Has the Cixing split diminished its ability to compete with the market leaders and will it now fall further behind in the technology race? Or will it develop four needlebed complete garment knitting technology under its Steiger brand as claimed on the company’s booth in Shanghai.

And what about Beworth? Will it just focus on making standard ‘workhorse’ machines for low cost knitwear for exports to western markets from countries like China, Vietnam and Bangladesh? Or will it join the technology race too?

China’s knitwear manufacturing industry is now facing higher labour costs and poor labour availability. Meanwhile there is a boom in demand domestically from consumers with real spending power. In the article - Battle to automate China’s domestic knitwear manufacturers we discuss the race to digitalise China’s domestic knitwear manufacturing industry. What are the implications of this for the machine builders?

One industry insider speculated that the Cixing split may have been a deliberate move to create two distinct brands – one that focuses on standard machines for knitwear exports from Asia and another that focuses on high technology for China’s booming domestic market. Watch this space.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have 3D-knitted a structure on a computerised flat knitting machine that serves as the primary shaping element for curved concrete shells. The new technology is now being used to create a five-tonne concrete structure for an exhibition in Mexico City.

The heart of the four-metre-tall curved concrete shell is knitted - the structure’s formwork is a knitted textile supported by a steel cable-net. The prototype KnitCandela is thought to be the first time that this technology is being used on an architectural scale. The structure is a tribute to Spanish-Mexican architect Felix Candela (1910–1997) and a collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group (ZHCODE), and Architecture Extrapolated (R-Ex).

55-kilogram formwork for 5 tonnes of concrete

The technology developed at ETH Zurich involves taking a digitally generated pattern and using an advanced Steiger LIBRA 1.130 flat knitting machine to produce the shuttering of the formwork for the shell structure - in 36 hours, the machine knitted a fully shaped, double-layered 3D fabric consisting of four long strips.

The lower layer forms the visible ceiling – a designed surface with a colourful pattern. The upper layer contains sleeves for the cables of the formwork system and pockets for simple balloons, which, after the entire structure is coated in concrete, become hollow spaces that help save on materials and on weight. Manufacturing a formwork for such a geometrically complex structure using conventional methods would cost substantially more in both time and material, the researchers say.

KnitCandela

Meanwhile on location in Mexico, in the museum’s inner courtyard, the knitted formwork was tensioned between a temporary boundary frame and sprayed with a specially formulated cement mixture. This initial layer was just a few millimetres thick, but sufficient to create a rigid mould; once it hardened, conventional fibre-reinforced concrete was applied.

The knitted fabric was flown to Mexico City inside two suitcases - as normal checked-in baggage on a normal flight. The knitted fabric weighs only 25 kgs. and the cable net around 30 kgs. Taut in between the boundary frame, they supported over 5 tonnes of concrete curves.

Knitting is the new 3D printing

The technology behind KnitCandela was developed by Mariana Popescu and Lex Reiter as part of Switzerland’s National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Digital Fabrication research project. Mariana Popescu is a doctoral student with Philippe Block, Professor of Architecture and Structure at ETH Zurich, while doctoral student Lex Reiter studies with Robert Flatt, Professor of Physical Chemistry of Building Materials.

Popescu’s research shows that employing knitted textiles in architectural applications cuts down on material, labour and waste, and simplifies the construction process for complex shapes. Matthias Rippmann, project manager for KnitCandela and senior researcher in the Block Research Group, says: “It took only five weeks from the initial work until completion – much less time than if we were using conventional technology.”

KnitCandela also represents an evolution of the flexible forming system developed for the HiLo roof: a doubly curved, thin-shell concrete structure the Block Research Group developed for Empa’s research and innovation building NEST in 2017. For KnitCandela, the ETH researchers produced the knitted shell in one go, whereas HiLo’s shell was made of a network of steel cables and a sewn textile.

Popescu says: “Knitting offers a key advantage that we no longer need to create 3D shapes by assembling various parts. With the right knitting pattern, we can produce a flexible formwork for any and all kinds of shell structures, pockets and channels just by pressing a button.”

For the construction industry, 3D printing is a major topic. Philippe Block says that, to a certain extent, his group’s pioneering method is a new form of 3D printing, “only it doesn’t require a completely new kind of machine. A conventional knitting machine will do just fine.”

Durst, a manufacturer of advanced digital printing and production technologies, has won two Product of the Year awards at SGIA Expo in Las Vegas. The accolades for the Delta WT 250 and Rhotex 325 have been announced after Durst successfully demonstrated large-format and software capabilities, including the P5 Series with the flagship P5 250 HS machine.

Durst’s Delta WT 250, which captured the RTR/ Hybrid/Flatbed new technology or inkset category, is the flagship for a new generation of printers producing superb litho quality with odorless ink. Durst Water Technology is highly suited for a range of Corrugated Packaging and Display applications. Durst WT inks are completely free or hazardous labeling and comply with the strictest health and safety requirements. The Durst Delta corrugated multi-pass systems are designed for 24/7 operation and have various levels of automation allowing unmanned production.

Winning an SGIA Product of the Year award for the second-year running was the Durst Rhotex 325 in the Roll-to-Roll Direct Disperse Ink on Textile category. This dual purpose, eco-friendly printing system combines direct-to-textile with dye-sublimation transfer printing technology in a 3.2metre platform, all with 24/7, high production output reliability. This is achieved by incorporating Durst Water Technology printhead technology, producing an exceptional print using water-based dispersion inks. Depending on the application and fabric, this printing system can easily alternate between paper transfer and direct printing on polyester-based materials.

Highlights over the three days at SGIA Expo 2018 included Durst unveiling the successful Rho 512R production machine with new LED UV curing technology, which offers additional production features and application possibilities, Benefits of the Rho 512R LED include higher adhesion and less odor, but still retaining the same high performance and reliability of a standard configuration.

Durst Professional Services (DPS) GmbH, which will provide customers with consulting and integration services, software development, contract management and trainings in the future, was also formally unveiled at the show. The highlight of the DPS presentation was the comprehensive MAPS (Multi Application Platform & Solutions) software suite.

This depicts a complete process landscape and offers end-to-end solutions as well as individual submodules for integration into existing production environments.

Christoph Gamper, CEO of Durst Group, said: “Winning the awards underpins our commitment to excellence, particularly as we continue to further develop world-class systems, software capabilities and a service-oriented infrastructure in the United States and across the world. With Durst Professional Services, we're taking another step forward and providing comprehensive solutions for customers’ respective processes and production environments. Every customer is unique and has a different focus. A real benefit of our MAPS architecture is the ability to offer software solutions that can be quickly and easily integrated into existing processes.”

EFI has reported record Q3 sales in its results for the three months ended 30 September 2018, but its profits have dipped slightly.

The manufacturer’s revenue climbed by 3.5% compared with Q3 2017, to $257.1m (£202m), from $248.4m in Q3 2017, but its gross profit fell to $125.5m, down by 1.5% from the $127.4m recorded in the same period last year.

For the nine months ended 30 September 2018, the company has reported revenue of $758.1m, up 5% year-on-year compared to the $724.1m for the same period in 2017.

Speaking yesterday evening (29 October) in his first results call to investors since he was appointed as EFI’s new chief executive officer earlier this month, Bill Muir said: “I’ve already come to admire EFI’s culture on multiple fronts.

“The combination of courageous innovation, technical leadership and customer care is something special and I am thrilled to be a part of it. I see an exceptional group of individuals who are passionate about driving EFI’s success and I see exciting growth opportunities ahead of us.”

EFI reported Q3 Industrial Inkjet revenue of $154.9m, up 8.4% compared with Q3 2017, Productivity Software revenue of $40.5m, up 8.9% year-on-year, and Fiery revenue of $61.8m, down 9.5% year-on-year.

“The [Vutek] h3 is selling very well and we have received exceptional feedback from our customers, but we don’t yet have the new products available to meet demand at the high-end of this market,” said Muir.

“We will get there, and we will have an industry leading product when we do. But we have to accelerate our innovation timeline.”

He added: “In the textile segment of inkjet, our innovation is on track with the introduction of Bolt in Q4, which is our one-pass system derived from the Nozomi platform.

“Bolt will be shown publicly for the first time in just a couple of weeks to over 100 customers from around the world. And while we are not expecting anywhere near the first-year revenue growth we saw with Nozomi, in the long-term Bolt is a game changer in accelerating the digital transformation of textile.”

He added Q3 saw EFI finalise the development of the white ink option for the Nozomi and that the business – which shipped seven Nozomi presses in the quarter – has raised its full-year 2018 outlook for Nozomi revenues to $70m.

“Based upon the pipeline and customer demand, we expect this momentum to continue and we anticipate revenues of $120m in 2019.”

Muir said Fiery sales were “slightly above expectations” and that the company continues to see “good demand” for its corrugated software products.

Geographically, EFI recorded full-year sales of $134.5m, up by 3.9% on Q1 2017, $88.9m in EMEA countries – up 4.5% year-on-year, and $33.7m in the APAC region, down 0.05%.

Looking ahead, Muir said EFI needs to ensure that its various businesses “are operating in a more integrated fashion”.

“EFI has grown in part by acquiring terrific technology and brands. We need to more thoughtfully integrate those businesses, so they can scale and service a global market,” he said.

“We also need to improve our manufacturing processes so we can meet demand in a cost-effective repeatable manner. These are just a few of the areas where I see opportunity to instill greater discipline so EFI can scale to meet its potential.”

Details on outlook for 2018

The order intake recorded by the Rieter Group in the first nine months of 2018 was down by 2% compared to the prior year period. The cumulative order intake was CHF 749.8 million. In the third quarter of 2018, order intake was CHF 238.0 million (Q3 2017: CHF 269.7 million).

In the Business Group Machines & Systems, order intake fell to CHF 433.4 million, a reduction of 12% compared to the first nine months of the previous year (2017: CHF 490.1 million).

In the third quarter of 2018, Machines & Systems received orders worth CHF 135.7 million (Q3 2017: CHF 164.9 million). In the Asian countries (excluding China, India and Turkey), especially in Vietnam, order intake increased compared to the third quarter of 2017. In China, development was stable. For Indian customers, increasing challenges in financing of orders led to a weakening of demand in the third quarter. In Turkey, demand was very low.

The Business Group After Salesrecorded a decline in order intake compared to the first nine months of the previous year, from CHF 115.8 million to CHF 111.3 million (-4%).

Order volumes in the third quarter of 2018, which totaled CHF 36.3 million, were lower than in the prior year period (Q3 2017: CHF 38.0 million). The spare parts business developed positively. However, the lower volume in the machinery business led to a decline in installation services. In the third quarter of 2018, After Sales also recorded a significant decline in order intake from Turkey compared to the previous year.

The Business Group Components? including the acquisition of SSM Textile Machinery ? increased order intake to CHF 205.1 million (2017: CHF 159.1 million), a growth of 29%.

In the third quarter of 2018, order intake was CHF 66.0 million (Q3 2017: CHF 66.8 million). For Components, compared to the prior year period order intake in the key markets of China, India and the Asian countries (excluding China, India and Turkey) was generally stable in the third quarter of 2018.