Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Shakeel Iqbal
1. INTRODUCTION
Knitting is one of several ways to turn thread or yarn into cloth (compare to weaving, crochet). Unlike woven fabric, knitted fabric consists entirely of horizontal parallel courses of yarn. The courses are joined to each other by interlocking loops in which a short loop of one course of yarn is wrapped over the bight of another course. Knitting can be Fig. 2 Knitting done either by hand, described below, or by knitting machine. In practice, hand knitting is usually begun (or "cast on") by forming a base series of twisted loops of yarn on a knitting needle. Knitting can also be done by machines, which use a different mechanical system to produce nearly identical results. The knitting process consists of interconnecting loops of yarn on powered automated machines. The machines are equipped with rows of small, hooked needles to draw formed yarn loops through previously formed loops. The fabric is designed to take force in two directions (0 and 90). For this can be used roving of glass, high tenacity polyester, armid or carbon as pillar threads and weft threads. These fabrics are used for reinforced composites. Considering though orientation of the force taking yarns (0, 90) this fabric is comparable to a woven fabric. However, there is the advantage that yarns are directly oriented and lie absolutely straight in the fabric. This means that there is no loss of tenacity as in the woven due to its Fig. 1 Knitted and Woven fabric crimp effect. Furthermore, the yarn-protective inlay system prevents all fiber damage.
The 21st century has seen a resurgence of knitting. Natural fibers from animals, such as alpaca, angora, and merino, and plant fibers, chiefly cotton, have become easier and less costly to collect and process, and therefore more widely available. Exotic fibers, such as silk, bamboo, and qiviut, are growing in popularity as well. The yarn industry has started to make novelty yarns which produce stunning results without years of knitting experience. Designers have begun to create patterns which work up quickly on large needles, a phenomenon known as instantFig. 5 An advanced knitting machine
gratification knitting.
As time and technology change, so does the art of knitting. The Internet allows knitters to connect, share interests and learn from each other, whether across the street or across the globe. Among the first Internet knitting phenomena was the popular Knit List with thousands of members. In 1998, the first online knitting magazine, KnitNet, began publishing. Blogging later added fuel the development of an international knitting community.
Fig. 6, 7 complex knit patterns achieved with the help advancement in technology
3.
Knit fabrics are versatile and are used to create not only clothing, but certain home furnishings as well. Made from interlocking stitches, knits are available in five different categories: firm, stable double knits that don't have a lot of stretch; single knits, which are lightweight; textured knits, such as velour or terry cloth; two-way stretch knits, which have a lot of stretch in them; and ribbing, which is for finishing garments, like the necklines of Tshirts.
3.1.
increasing. Roughly one third of the world's fiber consumption is used for production of technical textiles.
Most of technical textiles are made of non-conventional materials; they are usually man-made fibers, in many cases special types developed for specific applications. Metallic yarns (thin wires) alone or parallel to other yarns are also used in some technical knitted fabrics. However, traditional materials, including those of natural origin, play important role in some fields. There are various technical textiles which are manufactured by taking the use of knitting technology. Some of them are discussed below:-
3.1.1 Nets
Application field of nets is extremely wide. Agriculture, fishing, packaging, transport, sports, shading technology, construction, healthcare, surgery, safety technology and military present many good examples for that. Many of these nets are made by paschal or crocheting technology the great advantage of
Fig. 8 a knitted net
which is that they do not contain knots. This makes the nets easier to handle because the layers do not tangle up and there are no knots that could harm the good packed into the net. Materials used for net manufacture are very different, depending on the end use. Spun yarns or filament yarns, narrow plastic tapes are commonly used for this purpose. Elastic nets are made with using of elastane yarns.
As we see at this moment, most spacer fabrics used are made on raschel machines or, in recent times, also on crochet machines. Needle bed distance on these machines can be varied within wide range and fabric thickness can reach even 60 mm. On circular knitting machines needle bed distance is much more limited, only thinner (thickness of some millimeters) spacer fabrics can be made on them. However, these variants are also very important and can be found in many products.
carded web which is reinforced by yarns or loops formed from fibers pulled out from the web itself. A further variant of such fabrics is when not only carded web but lots of yarns are laid in various directions over the web and all of these are stitched together. This formation may be called composite fabric since it is a composition of various types of textiles (web and yarns). They find application fields among filters, geotextiles, reinforcement materials in composites, etc. Advantage of these fabrics is that the carded web may be made of various fibres which, because of their length or quality, cannot be spun, even in various blending, fabric thickness and stitch density (number of stitches in length unit) as well as yarn counts (in accordance with machine cut) can be varied in relatively wide range. The fabric can be easily formed. At the end of its lifetime it can be torn and recycled.
supports, etc.) are also made by knitting technology. An important application field for spacer fabrics is manufacturing of mattresses for beds, operating tables and wheel-chairs. Knitted products find application field also among implants: artificial blood vessels (they can be circular knitted or warp knitted, the latter is made on double needle bar raschel machine and can be made also in Y form), surgical meshes (made on tricot machine), coverings of artificial heart valves. Structure of the textiles used as implants is determined by its material composition, fibers behavior and features of degradation. Materials of sutures and implants having biologically good properties, designable absorption and degradability and that endure the sterilization process are continuously subjects of research. At the same time, continuous development of textile technologies and machines enables to develop newer and newer methods in surgery and medical treatment. For this mutual development textile technologists and doctors must closely Fig. 14 artificial heart cooperate, while all the valve Administrative procedures concerning manufacturing and trading of such products must be strictly respected.
Huge areas, many hundreds of square meters can be covered by such fabrics. Another possible application of knitted fabrics in construction is textile reinforced concrete. There are warp knitted structures developed especially for this purpose. Textile reinforced concrete has the advantage that it is much lighter than the one reinforced by steel bars.
will result in clinginess and uneasy comfort level. However, if the next-to-skin layer is a synthetic material such as polyester, moisture will be wicked away instantaneously resulting in dry skin. The adjacent layer next to the synthetic layer can be typical cotton knit which will be able to absorb the moisture. Such multi-layer knitted structures can increase the comfort and performance level of athletes. Recently an interesting project was Fig. 16 functional textile undertaken at Texas Tech University to develop highly breathable knitted fabrics. This project looked at the possibility of identifying different varieties of cotton, which will give enhanced moisture transport. This way, if suitable cottons were identified that have superior breathability characteristics, these cottons can be selected to develop highly breathable sportswear and performance fabrics. Results showed that chemistry of cotton, in other
words the constituent sugar types in cotton influenced the structure of cotton and hence the transport of vapor through them. This project identified certain sugars in cotton fiber, which provide good breathability characteristics. This project showcases the impact of multidisciplinary research involving agriculture and engineering disciplines to develop next generation functional knits. Knitted fabrics can be surface enhanced by different methods such as brushing, calendaring, embossing, and plasma functionalization to impart a myriad of functionalities. Knitted fabrics when raised by calendars can give bulkiness, which will enable them to Fig. 19 use of net in NIKE shoe be used as blankets for providing necessary warmth in cold environments. Similarly, plasma functionalized knitted fabrics can have different characteristics such as water absorbency, water repellency and oil repellency and so on. Another application of knitted fabrics in the industrial set-up is its use in the automobile industry. Warp knitted fabrics are preferred as headliner fabrics in the luxury automobiles. Predominantly, they are made from polyester and blends of polyester and spandex. Nylon can also be used depending on the end-use requirements. Depending on the requirements, the face fabric can range from 80-300 grams per square meter. Knitted fabrics on their own can find technical textile applications. These fabrics can also be made into multi-layer composites involving knits, woven and nonwoven fabrics giving them different characteristics. In addition, knitted fabrics can also be chemically modified and finished to get a number of diffe rent enduse characteristics. It is up to the knitted fabric producer to use a number of processes both Fig. 18 taekwondo mechanical and chemical to enhance the use clothes and sales values of knitted fabrics.
4.
With the advancement of the knitting technology, the use of knitted fabrics is expanding rapidly all over the world. The Knitwear sector and its markets are constantly evolving worldwide. This segment of the garment industry has experienced many changes in recent years. With improved technology, the limitations like shrinkage and torque in knitted fabrics or garments have been reduced to a great extent and this has opened more opportunities.
Fig. 28 the future of knitting industry
Many global players are eyeing the Indian Market with great interest as one of leading markets in the Post Quota Scenario. The Knitwear Exporters from all over India like from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Tirupur have already been equipped with making new designs and collections which complements with the current fashion trend and to meet with International Buyers requirements. Tirupur is one of the few Indian towns that took advantage of globalization and economic reforms, along with export-led growth. The export of knitwear products from Tirupur is always on the rise every year and the industry continues to show rapid growth. There are many reasons for the growth of the India knit garment industry. These are as follows:
Compared to the setting up of other fabric producing industries, the capital investment for starting a new knitting unit is relatively small. The high productivity of knitting machine is also an important factor for the growth of the industry. As the preparatory process for knitting is less than weaving, the time required to get an order completed is less than that required in the case of woven fabrics. The setting up of knitting machines to produce a given type of fabric is a fast and simpler operation than the setting up of a loom. Knitting is more flexible than weaving in the sense that styles and designs can be changed with unparalleled rapidity. Knit garments are geared to quick turnover in keeping with the rapid fashion changes in the apparel market. There are wide varieties of new yams that have brought new standards of performance and new aesthetics into the knit market. The knit fabrics are very comfortable and are in tune with the times. The present generation demand wrinkle-free, ease-of-care fabrics and knit garment is the perfect solution for this. The recent success of knit garments has been greatly due to their easy-care properties. Knitted garments generally require no ironing and are therefore it is cool for traveling persons. Knitted fabrics are the most comfortable ones for swimwear and sportswear. All problems related with labor organization like wages, benefits to labor etc. are reduced in the knitting industry because knitting units require very less labor. The machinery manufacturers with the aim of high productivity and versatility have developed highly innovative machinery which has also led to the boom in the knitting industry.
Bibliography
http://ara-texworld.com http://eurofound.europa.eu http://sourcing.indiamart.com http://www.shmtraders.com http://www.jihsin.com http://www.ehow.com http://www.indiantextilejournal.com http://textile-articles.bravehost.com http://english.ctei.gov.cn