Imagine a 3D printer, but with textiles – that’s the Shima Seiki WHOLEGARMENT knit machine.
This computerised seamless knitting machine is among the most advanced of its kind on the market. And now, it’s coming to UTS.
“UTS has recently taken ownership of the latest model Shima Seiki WHOLEGARMENT knit machine, which was launched in 2022,” says Dr Lisa Lake, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, a collaboration between UTS and TAFE NSW.
“Ours is the first of its kind to be installed in a university setting anywhere in the world and the only machine in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Towards sustainable fashion futures
Unlike traditional knitting machines, the Shima Seiki enables the creation of entire knitted garments in a single piece — gone are the days of producing individual sleeves and body panels and then laboriously linking them together.
Instead, the machine can be programmed to produce a vast range of garments and shapes made of different technologies and fabricated using complex knitting techniques, including intarsia, ottoman and punch lace.
“There are no panels to collect, no wasted yarn or fabric on the cutting-room floor,” says Dr Lake.
“Compared to traditional cut and sewn knitwear, seamless knitting techniques use less raw material and enable made-to-order and made-to-measure garments with fewer inputs than handmade pieces.”
Upskilling the Australian fashion industry
Reducing waste is just one area of interest for Dr Lake and her peers, who deliver sustainability-led education and professional development opportunities for the Australian fashion industry.
The Shima Seiki is set to feature in a series of upcoming, knitwear-specific courses that will be offered through the centre, and Dr Lake expects that it will also form the basis for a range of research partnerships with fashion companies interested in overhauling their knitwear production processes.
In turn, these partnerships could lead to new opportunities to re-onshore Australian textiles production. Given that the Shima Seiki can produce a complete garment — like a jumper — in under an hour, it offers exciting opportunities for the revitalisation of an ever-shrinking industry.
“We’re actively looking for industry partners to use this machine so that we can work with them to understand how their internal systems and processes need to change to enable this type of production,” Dr Lake says.
Supporting next-generation textiles research
Elsewhere in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, the Shima Seiki will support novel research that pushes the boundaries of traditional fashion and textiles. Academic Lead for Seamless Knitting Research and Senior Lecturer in the School of Design, Dr Nga Wun (Doris) Li, will deploy the machine as part of a project to create seamless compression stockings that prevent DVT.
While similar products already exist on the market, Dr Li’s stockings will have the capacity to continuously monitor the pressure that they’re exerting on the wearer’s legs and alert them via a smartphone app if that pressure level is changing.
“After prolonged usage, fabric fatigue affects the effects of a compression stocking, but at the moment, measuring those impacts is an inexact science,” she says.
The suggested usage timeframe from the manufacturers is just an estimate, but the changing body condition of the wearer also affects the pressure that the compression stockings exert on their lower limbs.
Dr Li’s research is just one example of the power of this novel technology. The machine also has potential for future application in other disciplines beyond fashion and textiles, including the architecture, aerospace and automotive industries.
Tech-driven learning for UTS students
But it’s not just UTS research that’s set to benefit. Students will get hands-on experience with the Shima Seiki too, says Alyssa Choat, Course Director for the UTS Fashion and Textiles Program.
That means they’ll graduate with working knowledge of the world’s leading computerised knitwear system, something no other university is currently offering its students.
“Students will become familiar with the digital programs and technologies of digital knit design and construction, with the potential to plug in other programs that are frequently used in industry,” says Ms Choat.
“They’ll have the opportunity to design and create 'fully fashioned' knitwear, a staple of our local fashion industry.”
The Shima Seiki WHOLEGARMENT knit machine is among the most advanced of its kind on the market. Photo: UTS.
The Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion & Textiles – a UTS and TAFE NSW partnership – will host a demonstration of the Shima Seiki on Wednesday, 20 September 2023 11.30am-12.30pm, 1-2pm. Dr Lisa Lake will also facilitate a panel discussion with fashion designer Gary Bigeni and Dr Doris Li. Find more information and register.