This textile machinery builder, which is based in Obertshausen, was exhibiting as an expert technical partner in the development of innovative products and wanted its visitors to actually experience this – as they lingered for a while in room elements made from warp-knitted, sound-absorbing spacer textiles or when examining stretch shading textiles which adapt dynamically to suit the light conditions.

Warp-knitted spacer textiles – a new chapter in the perennial story

The acoustic spacer textiles reduced noise levels considerably. They contained light strips and diodes, and were shaped to create futuristic room structures – a textile solution for reducing noise levels, which made many manufacturers curious, including many who were not already customers of KARL MAYER.

The product manager, Michael Kieren, had many conversations with manufacturers of building shells, engineering firms and universities, and discussed the many possible uses of 3D warp-knitted textiles.

“Our concept for using functional 3D warp-knitted textiles in applications other than their normal use as padding/cushioning impressed the visitors to our stand,” was the assessment of this textile expert. “We were able to discuss projects with some manufacturers, for whom we are likely to act as networkers and consultants in future.” Ideas for taking the use of spacer textiles even further as insulating materials were also discussed in detail.

With their enormous functional potential, spacer textiles were one of the focal points of interest for visitors to the fair, who found plenty of information on this subject on KARL MAYER’s stand. This textile machinery producer builds high-speed, double-bar raschel machines for producing spacer textiles and is also experienced in the field of textile development.

Warp-knitted textiles are as diverse as their end-uses

Many in-depth discussions were also held on the large number of two-dimensional textiles produced on KARL MAYER’s tricot and raschel machines. The visitors were on the look out for fabrics for use in functional clothing or seat covers, as well as for textiles for use in shading applications, privacy screens, the medical sector and car interiors – to mention just a few of the applications discussed.

The enquiries demonstrated a high level of technical expertise. Furthermore, a great many enquiries came from visitors who had had no connection with KARL MAYER until then. The textile developer, Rainer Baier, estimated that 60% of the discussions held were with new contacts. A great pioneering spirit and a feeling of optimism could be detected in the conversations.

“Everyone is looking for something special, for the right level of know-how and the right technical solution for their own particular requirements,” explained Rainer Baier. There are many new ideas that are just waiting for the right warp-knitted textile to come along – and many of them have already been put into practice.

One example of successful product development in conjunction with partners is the stretch sun-screening textile, OMBRA-DLS. This warp-knitted, grid-like textile combines stretch warp yarns with tape yarns, which are inserted by a magazine weft system, and can be adjusted specifically to suit the amount of solar or thermal radiation impinging on the textile.

The result is a constant light diffusion and climate management. This innovative textile was presented by the partners involved in the project, Elasol and Penn Textile Solutions, on KARL MAYER’s stand at Techtextil and attracted a great deal of attention.

“There is more interest in OMBRA-DLS than we expected,” explained Markus Regenstein, the managing director of Penn Textile Solutions. “We are looking for global distribution channels and partners, and were able to make some promising new contacts in this respect.” Enquiries came mainly from South America, India, Europe and China.

“The discussions also generated new concepts for new applications, such as incorporating lighting effects in interior design,” explained Leo Jasper, Elasol’s managing director, who was pleased with the excellent feedback.

His opinion was also shared by Axel Wintermeyer, the sales director at KARL MAYER MALIMO, who brought the production machine – a raschel machine with magazine weft-insertion - and the know-how of his company to bear in the project and who was especially pleased that KARL MAYER was seen by many visitors as being an innovative partner in developing new ideas.

“The visitors were impressed by the concept of our partnership,” he said when summing up his assessment of the fair. In addition to OMBRA-DLS, the visitors were, of course, also interested in the many conventional applications of weft-inserted warp-knitted textiles. Examples of the main ones were as coating/backing substrates, geotextiles and nets. Enquiries about these came mainly from existing customers and were, for the most part, extremely specific.

Warp preparation – ready for the increased demand

The success of KARL MAYER at Techtextil was complemented by the positive assessment by the Warp Preparation Business Unit. “Footfall on our stand was very high and we had many interesting conversations. We also conducted many specific negotiations,” explained the regional sales manager, Michael Schaaf.

The discussions showed that the range of technical textiles had increased again – a trend that KAR MAYER is able to cater for with the performance features of its high-tech warp preparation machines. The Opt-O-Matic sectional warping machine in particular can offer exactly what customers need for challenging applications, i.e. high efficiency, productivity and flexibility.

For example, glass, basalt and carbon can beprocessed on the Opt-O-Matic, as can monofilaments. “Our many years of experience in the technical sector means that we are expert partners to our clients. We were able to demonstrate this yet again at this year’s fair,” was the feedback from the sales team in the Warp Preparation Business Unit.