SEAMLESS GARMENT.

KNITTING TECHNOLOGY

Introduction

Seamless knitting technology creates one entire complete garment with minimal or no cutting and sewing process. This innovative technology eliminates post labor work, which saves production and time cost. In addition, the technology offers knitwear consumers more comfort and better fit by eliminating seams. Thus, seamless technology provides benefits to manufacturers as well as end users. Seamless knitting technology ha entered the mainstream in the knitwear market.

There are no. of different methods that can be used to produce seamless products.

The seamless knits are in tubular shape, which is produced by high elongation yarns, Circular knitting machines were mostly used to make seamless clothes.

This leads to saving of production costs up to 35% compared to the cut and sew methods.

Year Historical Events Contributing to Development of Seamless Knitting

1589 William Lee in England invented the first flat-bed frame to create hosiery.

1863 Issac W. Lamb invented the first operational V-bed flat knitting machine including the latch needles.

1864 William Cotton of Loughborough patented his rotary-driven machine that used a flat bed to produce fully-fashioned garments

1800’s The flat knitting machine was fitted with sinkers, which controlled stitches in order to knit single jersey tubular articles such as gloves, socks and berets.

1940 The manufacture of shaped knitted skirts using a “flechage” technique was patented in the USA.

1955 The Hosiery Trade Journal reported on the automatic knitting of traditional berets through the shaped sections.

1960’s Shima Seiki company further explored the tubular-type knitting principle to produce gloves commercially.

1960's Courtaulds established British patents on the idea of producing garments by joining tube knitting.

1995 Shima Seiki introduced seamless entire garment knitting at ITMA.

Methods Of Production

Seamless clothing can be produce by following methods:

Partially machine process

(Pasting method)

Fully machine process

Linked windowsoptions of fabric design viewand technical view.

STOLL Knit and WearMachine (Stoll)

Fully Machine Process

► Seamless garment can also be produce by following Machines.

■ V-bed flat knitting machines

■ Circular knitting machines

Pasting MethodThis method and system makes possible a seamless garment finish that is more comfortable than a finish having seams and other imperfections due to the need to tuck/sew edges and joints.

The disclosed seamless technology employs a thin film of adhesive that is preferably ether-based polyurethane although other adhesives are acceptable.

This adhesive is pre-laminated on at least one surface prior to lamination to another surface under conditions to control adhesion, stretch, breathability, and longevity of the garment.

Joining Options

Welding, bonding, and heat sealing are other

options then customary sewing method.

However, these options have their restrictions over

elasticity.

Framis Italia, based in ltaly, is well-known for its

welding technology, “NoSo” that is based on bonding.

It is bonding of two fabrics together.

Structure pattrern database

Virtual sampling(Shima Seiki)

Seamless MachinesShima Seiki

Stoll

Shima Seiki WholeGarment®

Machines

Stoll Knit-and-Wear® Machines

Knitting Width 50” – 80” (126 – 203 cm ) 72” – 84” (183 – 213 cm)

Gauge 5 - 18 gauge 5 -18 gauge

Knitting Speed Max 1.3m/sec Max 1.2m/sec

Racking Max 3” total Max 4” total

Knitting System 3 – 4 systems 3 – 4 systems

Transfer Simultaneous transfer Simultaneous transfer

Sinker System Spring-type movable full sinkersystem

Spring-type moveable holding-down sinker system

Yarn Carriers Up to 16 Up to 16

Take-down Device Main/sub take down rollers Main/upper take down rollers

Needle Selection Electric selection system Electric selection system

Needle Latch needles, Compound needles,

Slide needles

Latch needles

CAD system Integrated knit production system

allowing planning, design,evaluation and production

Complete design, patterning, andprogramming system

Applications

► Sleeveless Shirt

► Inner wears

► Air bags

► Hand gloves

► Hats

► Socks

► Sweaters

► Trousers

► Skirts

► Bandages

Advantages

Freedom of body movement:

■ Generally the seam portion of any garment is not

having the same elasticity as compared to the body

fabric, so the difference in elasticity will affect the

free body movement.

■ Since the seamless garment doesn’t have any

seam in it structure this problem has been

eliminated.

► Wider range of fit for different range of body

shapes:

■ In a single garment measurement can suitable for

wider range of fit for different range of body shapes

because of its higher elasticity

► Inherent softness:

■ There are no bulky and annoying stitches at the

underarm points, shoulders and neck lines, which

may cause irritation to the wearer, since the

garment having seam free structure it provides the

soft feel only.

►It reduces labour cost:

■ Due to the elimination cutting and sewing process

it is obvious to reduce more labour involvement

► Engineered features like comfort, fit, andventilation we can obtain from this technology.

► Minimum yarn consumption:

■ Most of the fabric wastages occur at cutting

stage, since this seamless garment excludes this

process fabric consumption per garment is less, so

the yarn consumption also very low.

► Smaller work space:

■ Involvement of sewing operation is less except

few cases in the garment production system, which

leads less space requirement.

► Reduce yarn and fabric inventory:

■ Cutting and sewing process require more fabric as

well as yarn inventory due the absence of this

process no need of maintaining huge inventory.► Fewer product failure:

■ Most of the garment failures are due to seam

failure the seamless garment doesn't have the

seam, so that garment failure is also very less.

► Quick samples:

■ Sampling is a costly as well as time consuming

process, because small portion of fabric as well

accessories need to be prepared, since this seamless

garment is exemption, here we can prepare quick

samples.

► Cost of production is less:

■ This leads to saving of production costs up to 40

percent compared to the customary garment

production system

►Design possibilities:

■ Seamless garment Technology not only to create

several types of tubular formed knitting but also to

build diverse design structures on the tubular

knitted garments simultaneously.

► Just in time production:

■ Just-in-time production is possible with the help of

seamless technology.

Technical Issues► Although seamless garment knitting technology provides a variety of advantages for the knitting industry, it still has several technical issues.

■ The main problem in complete garment knitting is fabric take up5.

■ Maintaining the tension of each loop (i.e., stitch) is difficult.

■ Fabric design as well as garment design on jacquard is highly difficult task.

■ Problem to make the welt and cuff portions. ■ Frequent changes in the knitting machine setting