KNITTING

TECHNOLOGY

SEAMLESS GARMENT.
 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 windows
options of fabric design view
and technical view.

STOLL Knit and

Wear
Machine (Stoll)
 Fully Machine Process
► Seamless garment can also be produce by following
Machines.

■ V-bed flat knitting machines

■ Circular knitting machines

 Pasting Method
This 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.
 Structure pattrern
database

Virtual sampling
(Shima Seiki)
 Seamless Machines
Shima Seiki

Stoll
 Shima Seiki WholeGarment® Stoll Knit-and-Wear®
Machines 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 sinker Spring-type moveable holding-

system 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 Latch needles

needles,
Slide needles
CAD system Integrated knit production Complete design, patterning, and
system programming system
allowing planning, design,
evaluation and production
 Applications

► Sleeveless Shirt ► Socks

► Inner wears ► Sweaters

► Air bags ► Trousers
► Hand gloves ► Skirts
► Hats ► 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, and
ventilation 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.
■ Fabricdesign 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