NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY
BHUBHANESWAR
FABRIC SCIENCE
ASSIGNMENT -1
TOPIC - DOCUMENT ON NEW INNOVATION IN
KNITTING INDUSTRY
SUBMITTED TO- SUBMITTED BY-
MR. SUMIT KUMAR ARPITA SELOT
BFT/19/243
INDEX-
What is knitting
The present situation of knitting industry
Major challenges of knitting industry
How to overcome
New technology in circular knitting machine
Bibliography
WHAT IS KNITTING?
Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile or fabric it is used in many
types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.
Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or in the round. There are usually
many active stitches on the knitting needle at one time. Knitted fabric consists of a number of
consecutive rows of connected loops that intermesh with the next and previous rows. As each
row is formed, each newly created loop is pulled through one or more loops from the prior row
and placed on the gaining needle so that the loops from the prior row can be pulled off the
other needle without unraveling.
THE PRESENT SITUATION OF KNITTING INDUSTRY-
The knitwear sector, owing to the emergence of strong backward linkages within the country, is
adding up 75 percent value of our country economy. Recently knitting industry growth is
decreasing due to some reasons including –
Effect of accord and alliance
Yarn price increase
Infrastructure problem
High interest in bank loan.
MAJOR CHALLENGES OF THE KNITTING INDUSTRY -
As the population is growing and the standard of living is increasing, the demand for knitting
products is increasing rapidly in the domestic market. On the other hand, export of knitting
products will be continued as the country has edge over other competitors due to low labor
cost.
HOW TO OVERCOME-
Adoption of new technology is the only way to overcome these problems. Various technologies
are being introduced to solve these problems.
One development is brought in circular knitting machine.
Circular knitting machine-
Circular knitting machine is widely used through out the knitting industry to produce fabric. This
machine can be built in almost any reasonable diameter and the small diameter of up to five,
which are used for wear.
Developments brought in circular knitting machine are-
Seamless knitting technology
Ultra fine gauge knitting machines
Loop transfer technology
Pile and sliver insertion mechanism
SEAMLESS KNITTING TECHNOLOGY –
Seamless knitted intimate apparel is fine, light, smooth, and comfortable to wear, with no
constraints, swelling, or unsightly stitching. Seamless knitting machines can create more than
one tube and join the tubes together on a machine. The complete garments knitted on circular
machines may also only need a minimal cutting operation.
Seamless knitted fabric Automatic seamless circular knitting machine
Benefits to designers
Design remains in digital form from designer to manufacturer.
Easier to modify or refine the design and pattern.
Unlimited design possibilities; colored and patterned designs are all knittable.
Benefits to manufacturers
Reduce labor cost.
Lower energy lost.
Fewer machines involved.
Quicker sample creation.
Benefits to consumers-
No irritating stitches and bulky seams.
Natural look, easy fit, and greater comfort.
Is light in weight, has a soft touch, and gives a smooth and sleek body image.
No problem with color shading or mismatch between different components.
ULTRA FINE GAUGE KNITTING MACHINES –
Fine knitted fabrics known as ‘second skin’ are produced on fine gauge circular knitting
machines.
Cotton, polyester and viscose yarns of 90 to 120 Ne are applied to produce fine circular
knitted fabrics.
The appearance of these fabrics is similar to woven fabrics but they are more flexible.
High-grade circular knitting cylinders provide the ideal complement to the company’s
premium range of needles and system parts to create the perfect knitting system from a
single reliable supplier.
Ultra fine gauge knitting machine Ultra fine gauge elements of circular knitting machine
LOOP TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY-
Stitch transfer is an important operation, as a higher number of transfer modes mean
more possibilities of making structured designs and shaped fabrics in which the stitch is
transferred from one cylinder to the other or within the same cylinder.
The production of high-quality knitted fabrics – i.e. of homogeneous appearance as a
result of a smooth knitting process and the absence of holes and barring – essentially
depends on the application of certain technical solutions.
Loop transfer tool
PILE AND SLIVER INSERTION MECHANISM IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE -
A special sliver knitting process locks individual fibres directly into a lightweight knit
backing, allowing each fibre to stand upright, free from the backing, to form the soft pile
on the face of the fabric.
This makes comfort pile fabrics softer, warmer, more drapeable and more resilient than
fabrics made from yarns.
These fibres include high-tech microfibre acrylics, polyesters and mod-acrylics specially
developed for fabric, along with natural fibres such as wool.
By engineering the fibre mix, an incredibly wide range of colours, density, weight,
patterning, texture and performance features can be produced in comfort knit pile
fabrics.
After knitting, the pile fabric is sheared to the desired height.
It is then put through a series of technical finishing processes specially developed by
this kind of knitting process to control the surface texture and special characteristics of
the final fabric.
BIBLIOGRAPHY-
www.fibre2fashion.com
iopscience.iop.org
www.researchgate.net
www.knittingindustry.com
www.tandfonline.com
www.textileworld.com
