#218 Inside KARL MAYER TIC: Full Textile Innovation Centre Tour Warp Knitting to Warp Prep

What does a full-scale textile innovation environment look
like—from yarn preparation to finished applications?

In this episode of #Composites360onTour, Ilkay Özkisaoglu
(Thought Leader in Advanced Materials & Co Founder of
Composites Lounge) conducts a complete engineering walkthrough of
the KARL MAYER Textile Innovation Centre (TIC) in Obertshausen,
Germany, recorded during the Grand Opening on April 21,
2026.
This is not a showroom visit.
This is real industrial textile production with full process
transparency.

Warp Knitting: Speed, Precision, Versatility
The tour begins with KARL MAYER’s HKS tricot machines:
• HKS 3-M EL PLUS (E14) coarse gauge for thick yarns and open
structures (footwear, medical, technical textiles)
• HKS 2-SE (E40, 4100 rpm) fine gauge elastic fabrics
(sportswear, swimwear)
• HKS 3-M EL (186", E28) versatile applications including
automotive roof linings
• HKS 4-M EL extended pattern capabilities for furniture and
technical fabrics
Key insight:
Operators validate quality at low speed (“turtle”) before
switching to production mode (“rabbit”).

Raschel Technology: Pattern & Function
The second part covers Raschel machines:
• MJ 92/1 F (Jacquard) lace structures with post-processing
(clipping yarns)
• RS 2 NET net production for agriculture and sports
o integrated film-to-yarn conversion (FTL aggregate)
o machine produces its own yarn from raw film
• TM 4-TS EL (210") terry towel production with brushing for
loop formation
Key innovation:
Direct transformation from raw material to final product within
one system.

Inspiration Hub & Applications
The TIC integrates engineering with application:
• Textile archive with up to 100 years of developments
• Pattern cards including machine parameters
• Applications across:
o workwear
o medical
o defense
o fashion
Engineers can: reverse-engineer fabrics
reduce development risk using proven setups

️ Warp Preparation: Where Quality Begins
With Tobias Kraus, the focus shifts to warp preparation:
• Creel systems with up to 2000 packages
• PROWARP HT sectional warping
o width: 3600 mm
o speed: up to 1000 m/min
Critical controls:
• FILGUARD monitoring stops machine immediately on yarn
break
• Uniform yarn tension across all ends
• Controlled beam build-up
Advanced system:
• MULTIMATIC 128
o 128 yarn guides for color and pattern flexibility
Core takeaway:
Every fabric quality is defined in warp preparation.

Why This Episode Matters
The TIC provides a complete textile value chain in one
place:
• yarn preparation
• fabric formation
• application validation
For textile engineers and operators, this means: real machine
insight
process understanding
quality control visibility

️ Featuring
• Ilkay Özkisaoglu (Composites Lounge)
• Melanie Bergmann (KARL MAYER)
• Tobias Kraus (Warp Preparation Expert)

Up Next
A second episode will focus on technical textiles and composite
applications.


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