Flat knitting machine giant Shima Seiki has given Knitting International an exclusive preview of the new technology it will be offering knitwear producers at next month''s IKME in Milan.

On its huge 1088 sq. metre booth at the International Knitting Machinery Exhibition (IKME), Shima will show a total of 25 flat knitting machines, seven glove knitting machines, five computer design systems, and 17 other related products.

Shima Seiki''s knitting machine lineup will include the brand new SWG-X 15G machine for knitting elegant, delicate and refined high-end complete garments with an ultrafine gauge fabric texture. Like its 12G sibling, the new 15G machine features four needlebeds, as well as Shima''s original slide needle and pulldown device from its flagship FIRST machine.

At the other end of the WholeGarment spectrum the NewSES-C WG coarse gauge machine features 5G compound needles capable of 3G fabric texture. The C WG is an entry-level WholeGarment machine based on the NewSES-S WG, with similar features such as the FIRST-inspired fabric pulldown device and optional yarn carrier kickback device. All WG machines will now feature twice as much memory capacity in their new control units for supporting large WHoleGarment data.

Shima says its SDS-ONE computer knit design system also features upgrades to further support WholeGarment production.

Away from WholeGarment, Shima will feature the NewSES-series, which is based on its work-horse SES series. This is designed to cater for knitwear production centres in low-cost labour regions.

"While carrying over the various patented technologies of the original SES-series, the NewSES machines offers further improvement over the previous machines including: new control unit with LCD monitor and improved graphic interface; increased memory capacity; standard network interface for production monitoring; easier maintenance; and menu display in 10 languages (English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Chinese, Korean and Japanese)," the company said.

Using the standard network interface on the NewSES machines, factories with multiple machines can take advantage of Shima Network Solutions, a new software package that can configure up to 240 machines via a PC network for data transfer, production monitoring, workshift management, yarn management, file archiving and more.

Another item of note on Shima''s stand will be eagerly awaited the SIP-100F on-demand inkjet printing system. The SIP-100F permits high-resolution, full-colour printing on a variety of fabrics, quickly and easily. With its flatbed design and adjustable printing head height, printing can be performed directly on finished goods and fabrics with 3-dimensional textures, and of course, WholeGarment products.

Shima Seiki had been selling similar printing systems in its domestic market for years, while keen interest from its overseas customer base has been growing steadily. This is the first time overseas customers will have a chance to utilise this printing system developed especially for knitwear.