Open-Width Circular Knitting
The open-width circular knitting park: the tube is opened, flat full-width fabric comes off.
Open-width circular knitting opens the tube and delivers flat, full-width fabric. The raw material is 100% polyester and elastane-blended qualities.
Output is mainly for t-shirts and sweat suits. With no edge crease, the open-width construction lets the fabric lie flat through cutting and the finishing steps that follow; that gives the dyehouse and stenter a consistent start.
Because the machines sit on one line, we track the settings and the records from a single point. Which roll ran on which machine, who tended which shift; it is all on the record.
| Method | Open-width circular knitting |
|---|---|
| Raw material | 100% polyester and with elastane |
| End use | T-shirts and sweat suits |
Related guides: Tubular or Open-Width? The Take-Down Route and Why It Matters · The Circular Knitting Machine: Single-Jersey vs Double-Jersey Architecture, OEMs and Production Ranges · Knit Defects: Spirality, Barré and Holes — Root Cause and Control
Questions about this unit
Why is fabric processed open-width (slit)?
Open-width slits the fabric at the edge and opens it flat, which allows disperse dyeing and stenter fixation without creasing or fold marks and clarifies the width. The tubular route instead offers a seamless edge and a particular hand.
From the guide: Tubular or Open-Width? The Take-Down Route and Why It Matters
Should I choose tubular or open-width?
Tubular for a seamless edge and a specific innerwear hand; open-width for crease-free even dyeing, stable width and most outerwear fabrics.
From the guide: Tubular or Open-Width? The Take-Down Route and Why It Matters
What is the difference between single-jersey and double-jersey machines?
Single-jersey machines use one needle cylinder; the face and the back of the fabric are visibly different. Single jersey, single-face net and piqué come from this family: they give lightness and stretch in both directions but the EDGE CURLS. A double-jersey machine adds a dial to the cylinder; interlock, rib, 8-lock and 3D spacer are born here: both faces smooth, no curling, twice the thickness and a dimensionally stable ground.
What sets the fabric weight on the machine?
In practice, loop length and yarn count. A common model expresses weight as GSM ≈ K / (Ne × loop length); however a constant such as K ≈ 12,069 is NOT AN ESTABLISHED STANDARD but a published model and should be treated as indicative. Typical ranges: diameter mostly 30–34 inches, gauge E18–E28. Positive yarn feed (Memminger-IRO/BTSR) delivers a constant yarn length to every loop, which is what makes the weight repeatable.