Producing pantyhose designs with RDPJ & DJ machine series

22 Aug '12

5 min read

As the days begin to get shorter again and temperatures drop, the demand goes up for elegant legwear that keeps us warm – and this is when smooth, opaque hosiery comes into its own.

Until now, producing hosiery with a dense surface was dominated by weft knitting. This technology has become well established, although it is generally accepted that the disadvantages of producing a fabric from just one yarn system include the risk of laddering and unsightly body seams.

A new warp knitting development from KARL MAYER is now offering manufacturers an alternative for producing smooth pantyhose using warp knitting technology.

Virtually every style of ladderproof, seamless pantyhose can be produced by using the potential offered by warp knitting. KARL MAYER offers a selected range of double-bar jacquard raschel machines especially for the hosiery sector. The RDPJ and DJ series are already setting the standard in the production of patterned pantyhose. The working width and number of guide bars are different on these two machines, but they are both very efficient and extremely accurate.

Their specific configuration has an effect on the operating speed, the fabric stability that can be achieved, the haptic characteristics of the textile, and the patterning possibilities. For example, large patterns can be worked by using more ground guide bars in conjunction with the jacquard bars, and by using yarns having different colours or constructions.

The RDPJ and DJ machines are extremely versatile when it comes to working the patterns and construction of the pantyhose. Rhe style of the lower sections, including the foot, the contours along the leg, the body opening and the gusset can all be varied.

The ankles can either be left open like leggings, or else the foot section may be closed seamlessly. The foot can be worked in a variety of different styles - from conventional closed toes, through constructions having large net openings into which the individual toes can be pushed, to designs based on the style of gloves.

Different styles of borders in the body section can also be produced. For example, edges can be worked in the form of cuffs, reinforced zones create soft shape effects, and cut edges are no longer needed for sewing on the elastic tapes.

The product developers have also succeeded in using double-bar raschel technology to incorporate the gusset directly into the pantyhose. This has made an important contribution to increasing the comfort and above all the service life of the hosiery. This is a weak zone in many pantyhose because the seams in the gusset are subject to a great deal of stress.

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