What Is a Warp Knit?

Understanding of warp knitting technology

Warp knitting technology refers to the method of using warp yarns to connect loops vertically to form knit fabrics. What is a warp knit? Warp knitted fabric is a knitted fabric formed by one or several sets of warp yarns simultaneously knitted into loops and interlaced with each other on a warp knitting machine. In this kind of knitted fabric, each yarn in a set of warp yarns forms only one or two loops in a crosswise row, and then forms loops in the next row. The loops formed by one yarn are arranged along the warp direction of the knit fabric.

The name of warp knitting comes from machine weaving, and the difference between warp knitting and weft knitting is that the loops it forms are arranged in the vertical direction or the warp yarn direction, and are interlaced by adjacent yarns. The machine used in warp knitting technology looks somewhat like a weaving machine, and all the yarns are wound on the warp beam, which is located behind and above the knitting area, and all the yarns are fed into the knitting area at the same time. In the interlacing process, each yarn is controlled by a separate needle.

However, the warp comb controls the position of the yarn, and the needle used for each loop may change. Jacquard mechanism can be used to control the needle and produce warp knitted fabrics with complex patterns. Due to the characteristics of the process, the location of the yarn supply device, and the interlacing between parallel yarns, warp knitting machines are sometimes called warp knitting machines.

Fundamentally, warp knitting technology is a processing system for producing flat fabric. The fabric has straight side edges, high production speed, and large output. Warp knitted fabrics can be classified according to the type of equipment used and the characteristics of the fabric. The main types include tricot, raschel, milanese, and simplex, with tricot and raschel being the most common.

Understanding what is a warp knit

What is a warp knit? Warp knitted fabrics have a certain degree of elongation and stretch, although their values are lower than those of weft knitted fabrics. Factors that affect the stretch performance of the fabric include: fabric structure (such as single comb, double comb warp knitted fabrics, raschel warp knitted fabrics); fabric density (the tighter the fabric, the lower its stretch performance); finishing process (can give the fabric good size stability); machine gauge (the number of needles per unit width); yarn type (such as elastic core-spun yarns, elastic small or poor jacquard yarns, single or plied yarns with good size stability).

Now that you know what is a warp knit, methods to increase the strength of warp knitted fabrics include: using high-strength fiber yarns, using yarns with balanced structures, adopting higher machine gauge and finer high-strength yarns. In addition, using plied yarns made of different fiber yarns, changing the loop spacing, and so on will also affect the strength of the fabric.