Warp knitted terry fabric with digital prints for even more bathing fun
Towels are not only useful for drying off, but they can also steal the show from bathing beauties. You only need to look at the extravagant example on this page to see how. The terry cloth product 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 textile 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. It quickly absorbs moisture from the skin after bathing and nestles gently against the body. The other side consists of sheared polyester. Its soft texture invites you to relax, while its smooth finish makes it both easier to print on and quicker to dry. The imaginative design was created at ZIMMER AUSTRIA using a digital printing process. The specialist for printing, coating and finishing systems did a great job. 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.
Sizing process is eliminated
Warp knitting technology with a firmly integrated terry loop ensures that the colourful towels can be enjoyed for a long time to come. The fluffy fibre layer is extremely resistant to thread pullers. The long service life and ecological advantages in production distinguish warp knitted terry articles from their weaving counterparts. The TM 4-TS EL does not require compressed air like conventional airjet rapier looms and therefore consumes around 87 % less energy per kilogram of fabric produced. The sizing process is also eliminated in warp knitting. This saves textile chemicals, waste water and energy to the tune of approx. 0.20 USD/kg. This 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 airjet rapier loom.
