KARL MAYER has expanded its HKS 2-SE tricot machine platform with two new variants, targeting rising demand for stretch warp knits in smart-casual apparel and home textiles, the German machine builder said on Thursday.
The Obertshausen-based company, a leading supplier of warp knitting technology, introduced a 312-inch model and a two-bar HKS 2-SE TWO variant in gauge E 40, broadening the reach of what it describes as its best-selling tricot machine for premium stretch fabrics.
Warp knitted fabrics with a woven look have gained traction across fashion and apparel segments in recent seasons, driven by their stretch recovery, breathability, and low-wrinkle performance. Those properties have pushed the fabrics into smart-casual and business-casual clothing lines, categories that have expanded as workplace dress codes have loosened globally.
The HKS 2-SE has served as KARL MAYER’s core platform for standard elastic fabrics, known for high gauges, smooth surfaces, and a soft hand feel. The company said the new variants extend that positioning rather than replace it, adding productivity and application range on top of the machine’s existing precision and reliability.
The 312-inch model joins existing working widths of 130 inches, expandable by four inches, and 156 inches, giving manufacturers a wider range of format options. KARL MAYER said the widened offering is intended to lift throughput for customers scaling production of stretch fabrics.
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Separately, the HKS 2-SE TWO, a two-in-one machine that produces two fabric panels simultaneously at a combined working width of 2 x 134 inches, is now available in gauge E 40 alongside its existing E 36 option. KARL MAYER positioned the machine as the first in a new generation of two-bar tricot machines built to double output while maintaining consistent quality across both panels.
The company said the finer E 40 gauge makes the HKS 2-SE TWO better suited to durable fabrics with smooth textures, naming polo shirts and pants as target end uses. The two-bar design allows manufacturers to run higher-volume programs without doubling machine footprint, an efficiency argument KARL MAYER has increasingly emphasized as apparel makers face pressure on production costs and lead times.
The second new addition, a 312-inch version of the standard HKS 2-SE, is aimed squarely at large-format applications such as bedding. KARL MAYER said the machine operates at a working speed of 3,800 revolutions per minute, which it described as a new productivity benchmark for large-format warp knitting.
The company pointed to duvets made from soft, satin-finished fabrics with a smooth, cool handle as a category in high demand during warmer months, citing consumer interest in cooling bedding materials. The move extends the HKS 2-SE franchise beyond its traditional base in sportswear, swimwear, and lingerie into home textiles, a segment where warp knitting has been gaining ground against traditional woven and circular-knit bedding fabrics.
The bedding-focused HKS 2-SE is available in E 36 and E 40 gauges, runs on an N-pattern gear drive, and is equipped with KARL MAYER’s KAMCOS 2 control system, which the company uses across its machine range to manage pattern programming and production monitoring.
KARL MAYER did not disclose pricing or specify order volumes for the new variants. The announcement continues a pattern of incremental platform expansions by the company, which has periodically widened working widths and gauge options across its tricot and warp knitting lines in response to shifting demand from apparel and home textile manufacturers.
The broader warp knitting sector has seen steady investment in stretch and hybrid fabric capacity as brands seek materials that combine comfort claims with production efficiency. Machine builders including KARL MAYER have responded by pushing wider working widths and finer gauges to help mills consolidate production runs and reduce per-unit costs.
KARL MAYER, headquartered in Obertshausen, Germany, supplies warp knitting and technical textile machinery to manufacturers worldwide and has positioned its KAMCOS control platform as a differentiator across its equipment lineup.