Business

Pailung’s Innovations Meet Industry Demands

7 innovations released at ITMA 2019 from Pailung

Spacer

Stay Spacer
Eyelet Spacer
Sculpted Spacer

Spacer is very common in shoe materials and other industrial use, but it is rarely used in apparels. In 2016, an intimate wear manufacturer wanted to create an underwear to perfectly fit the female curve to provide comfortable support. The company reached out to Pailung with a collaboration request. The collaboration resulted in the development of the Sculpted Spacer, which provides a changing-thickness spacer fabric. The enhanced knittability of this technology offers a more skin-friendly yarn. The Sculpted Spacer with changing thickness has replaced the molded one which reduces elasticity and bounce. Now it offers jacquard and eliminates many procedures in the past underwear production. Eyelet Spacer was started from innovating shoe upper materials. The double-face eyelet spacer is knit by warp machine - fabric knit by warp machine has strength in structure but lacks tenderness. In shoe uppers, comfort is the priority, and so spacer in warp knit is not the best choice. In 2018, a shoe upper manufacturer came to Pailung OIL (Open Innovation Lab) with a specific request, asking for double-face eyelet spacer knit by circular knit. Through much effort, Pailung developed Eyelet Spacer, it brings double-face eyelets to spacer, and provides the best breathability and comfort to shoe uppers. 2. Quadro Stretch

Quadro Stretch with - Interlock+Spandex
Quadro Stretch with - Jacquard + Mesh + Shaping

The idea of Quadra Stretch came from the yoga trend of the past few years. In 2013, an international brand of yoga wear faced a problem in knitting leggings and wanted to find a solution from Pailung. After putting much effort in developing how to feed spandex into structure perfectly, Pailung found the way to solve problems in knitting 4-way-extension fabrics. This development, through high-rate spandex and extraordinary interlock structure, delivers the ultimate extension to particular exercises which need more body stretch. It gives the most appropriate pressure to support body muscles and offers wide-ranging properties to all sports. In flat knit, Quadro Stretch is adopted to be close-fitting to body shape for active wears. In early 2018, OIL (Open Innovation Lab) collaborated with R&D department and developed a knitting technology which gives 3D knitting effects in body close-fit. Meanwhile, this technology replaces the labour-intensive process of cut-and-sew which even cannot closely fit to shape. Also, it brings the best breathability and comfort to indoor sports avoiding stuffiness. Moreover, the Quadro Stretch gives a snug support and is skin-friendly to wearers. 3. Intarsia-like

Duo-colour Intarsia
Multi-colour Intarsia
Inverse Plating

Traditionally, the Intarsia was born to create the specific patterns but generate zigzag juncture on the edge of pattern connection. In circular knit, there are even floating yarns at the back side of intarsia patterns. As a result of these issues, Intarsia is not widely used in the market. Pailung has been doing a lot of R&D in this technique since 2013. At that moment, the researchers just wanted to figure out how to combine inverse and reverse plating techniques together. Then, in 2019, Pailung developed a solution named Duo-colour Intarsia - which solves the problem from one of Pailung’s clients, worldwide suppliers for apparel. The client made a request to put Intarsia effects on fabrics but without any flaw. At this point, Pailung firstly developed Duo-colour Intarsia knitting technology, which adopts inverse plating technique and makes 2-colour plating yarns knitted into single jersey, to inverse colours when it is needed. By this Duo-color Intarsia, the fabric turns out lighter, delicate, and without floating yarns. This technology fits to application in t-shirts which emphasizes comfort. In 2019, Pailung combined Duo-colour Intarsia and striper technology, which allowed the 2-colour inverse plating to be increased to 4-colour variety. This Multi-colour Intarsia retains the same weight and thickness, but gives more possibilities in colours and designs. Without floating yarn on the back of the fabric, Multi-color Intarsia is the one of the best choices in apparels. 4. High Pile

Trilayer Knit
Furknit

In the past, the fabric of outdoor activewear normally was made of different fabrics combined through different lamination procedures. Each layer of laminated fabric brings particular function from each structure and property, this is traditionally how the process of activewear fabric works. In 2018, an international outdoor activewear manufacturer came to Pailung. This knitter wanted Pailung to develop a way to knit a 3-layer fabric. According to the previous method of production, pile dropping was a problem, the production was time-consuming, and lamination involved a cost. To overcome these drawbacks, and to provide better property and benefits, Pailung innovated the Trilayer Knit, which knits the outer, middle, and inner layer at the same time without any pile-dropping issue. This technology gives the best efficiency and more cost-saving and a better quality to every user. 5. Swiss Fleece

Swiss Fleece Jacquard
Swiss Fleece + Mesh

Fleece fabric offers warmth by the fur layer which locks up the heat and provides better skin-touch. Normally, it is used in inner layer for lamination, requires a bunch of procedures and causes some damages due to lamination. Through a large number of communications and collaborations inside of Pailung, the company found a way to knit fleece layer and jacquard layer simultaneously. This innovation greatly reduces the complex production process and fabric weight, and more importantly, it continuously provides thermal property to the fabric. 6. ShupperKnit

Spacer Jacquard + Mesh
3D Flat Knit
Segue Jacquard

Even before the knitted shoe was launched in London Olympics in 2012, Pailung has been dedicated to shoe upper innovation for every possibility. In 2016, Pailung collected its technologies from circular knit and flat knit, and eventually launched ShupperKnit for all shoe upper technology. By endless innovation, ShupperKnit takes up every challenge in the market. In ShupperKnit, Pailung launched a technology providing breathable mesh on spacer fabrics in 2018. Following a request from a shoe upper manufacturer, the R&D team developed a specific structure on spacer and gave mesh effect which delivers breathability like warp knit, and also, tenderness from weft knit feature. With Pailung’s state-of-the-art circular knitting technology, the spacer provides excellent wearing experience and it reached a milestone in circular knit. During 2016 to 2018, knitted shoes met with incredible success. There was however one production issue - the post-processing required large number of workers, increasing labour costs. 3D Knit is the solution to this issue. At that time, Pailung built up this unprecedented technology which knits the upper and the inner sole simultaneously, without cut and sew. This incredible innovation can be connected to mid-sole and outer-sole directly without unnecessary labour hours. Moreover, it creates a snug-fit wearing experience which is close-fitting to any angle of foot. 3D Knit from Pailung brings shoe upper manufacturing to another milestone that helps achieve to automatic and smart production. Segue Jacquard is one initiative of ShupperKnit in circular knit. Firstly, it focuses on how to knit thermo-fusible bonding yarn in the structure itself, because previously the thermo-fusible bonding yarn had to be knitted in all the courses. Due to this method, the whole fabric became stiff and hard, instead of comfortable with good support. In 2019, Pailung led its mechanical and electrical development team to collaborate in developing independent yarn-switch device which can knit in different yarns partially to the place we want. This mechatronical innovation is not only in shoe upper but also in apparel a remarkable achievement.

Ribbon Knit

In 2019, a global well-known ribbon manufacturer was faced with the challenge of meeting the requirements of a rapid-changing market which demanded delicate patterns and variety of designs. For this purpose, Pailung innovated a flat knitting machine, IRJ203, breaking the barriers of warp knit and woven, such as the huge cost and preparation in initial process and the smoothness of patterns. The Ribbon Knit can really play a role helping knitters to produce high-quality products and be rapid-responding to the market. Moreover, it enhances the clients’ competitiveness to reach to a high-profit market.