Shima Seiki pitches integrated knitting to medical textiles

Shima Seiki showed four computerised flat knitting machines — the SES-R, N.SVR123SP, SWG091N2 and SWG-XR144 — at "The Loop – Chapter One: Medical Textiles", held at needle maker Groz-Beckert's global headquarters in Albstadt, Germany. The presentation, delivered by Shima Seiki Italia's Giulio Codato, laid out the machinery builder's case that medical and technical textile manufacturers should treat knitting hardware and digital design as one integrated production chain.

What's new in the SES-R?

The headline machine is the SES-R, the latest evolution of Shima Seiki's long-running SES series of computerised flat knitting machines. A redesigned movable sinker system (the component that supports loops as they form) significantly increases three-dimensional shaping capability, giving engineers more freedom in developing structured knits.

That's paired with motorised Auto Yarn Carriers, which move independently of the knitting carriage, and individually controlled loop pressers. Together they widen flexibility in yarn handling, stitch formation and fabric construction — the capabilities technical-textile producers need when precise shaping and structural complexity matter.

Where does inlay knitting fit?

The N.SVR123SP brings inlay knitting, a technique that introduces additional yarns into a knitted structure. In medical and orthopaedic textiles that matters where elastic or reinforcement yarns must drive fabric properties, support or dimensional stability. Codato's presentation pointed to knitted orthopaedic supports, compression panels and other shaped technical products as candidate applications.

Seamless production, from 1995 onwards

Shima Seiki also demonstrated WHOLEGARMENT technology, first introduced in 1995, which produces complete garments directly on the machine with no conventional linking or sewing. The payoff: fewer production stages, less material waste and three-dimensional products with more design freedom and comfort.

The compact SWG091N2 WHOLEGARMENT machine targets smaller, close-fitting products — Shima Seiki has previously shown compression socks and medical knee braces made on it. The SWG-XR144, also on display in Albstadt, extends the seamless portfolio to larger three-dimensional products.

Why flat knitting, not circular, for medical?

The presentation drew a clear machinery boundary. Conventional graduated medical compression stockings are generally produced on specialised circular knitting machines (cylindrical needle beds knitting a continuous tube). Flat knitting is the relevant technology for shaped compression garments, orthopaedic supports and more complex medical structures.

Applications such as orthopaedic supports, compression garments and anatomically shaped textiles demand tight control of fabric construction, elasticity, fit and repeatability. For medical compression specifically, achieving a defined pressure profile requires disciplined yarn selection, elastic yarn tension control, stitch construction, garment dimensions, plus appropriate testing and validation — a compliance point anyone entering this segment has to plan for.

Digitalisation: APEXFiz and the connected workflow

Alongside the hardware, Shima Seiki pushed its digital stack. The core is APEXFiz, a software-based design solution that runs on users' own computer hardware rather than requiring the dedicated configuration of the older SDS-ONE APEX system. That's a meaningful cost and IT-architecture shift for buyers weighing capex.

APEXFiz covers original design, colour variations and realistic digital product images for e-commerce, and supports virtual sampling — visualising knitted products and testing variations before physical production, which cuts sample counts and shortens development cycles. Crucially for production planners, design data can be carried forward and converted into knitting machine data by a qualified knit technician, connecting creative and manufacturing stages and improving communication between designers, brands and manufacturing partners.

The wider ecosystem includes Shima Seiki Online Services (Shima Online), the yarnbank material-sourcing platform and ShimaNavi, supporting material selection, product development and manufacturing operations.

The message to sourcing and technical teams in medical textiles: flat knitting plus an integrated digital workflow is now a credible route into shaped, seamless and functionally engineered products — and the machine-selection decision starts with whether your target application is tubular compression or anatomically shaped support.