Knitting is a method of producing the fabrics, where yarns are interlooped to form a flat fabric. Two types of knitting exist, namely, warp knitting and weft knitting whereas, weaving is another method to produce fabrics by the right angle interlacement of 2 sets of yarn –named as warp [longitudinal direction or length-wise direction] and weft [transverse direction or width-wise direction]. The prominent differences between the knitted and woven fabrics, machine and manufacturing process are mentioned below.
Comparison between knitted and woven fabrics, machine and manufacturing process:
Sl
no. |
Parameter
|
Knitted Fabric
|
Woven Fabric
|
01
|
Process requirement
|
Fabric can be produced from a single
end or a cone of a yarn in case of weft knitting. |
Fabric requires two sets of
yarn for interlacement, one is warp and other is weft yarn. |
02
|
Dimensional stability
|
Less stable. Careful handling
is required for knitted fabric during wet processing and stitching. |
More stable.
|
03
|
Comfort
|
More open spaces that give
better air permeability and moisture management. |
Less comfort due to tight
structure. |
04
|
Shape retention properties
|
Knitted garments get the shape
of the wearer’s body, hence, best for undergarments. |
Woven garments retain their
own shape. |
05
|
Crease resistant
|
High crease resistance
|
Poor crease resistance
|
06
|
Development route
|
Fabric can be produced from
yarn package. So process route is very short. |
Yarn preparation requires like
warping, sizing drawing, etc. |
07
|
Conversion Cost
|
Conversion requires no
preparation, so conversion cost is low. |
Conversion from yarn to fabric
involves various processes. The conversion cost is higher. |
08
|
Environmental effect
|
The yarn is just waxed. No
need to size the yarn, so development cause less environmental hazards. |
Preparation includes a sizing
of warp yarn that has to remove before color application, that may cause environmental pollution |
Reference: Textile Engineering by Yasir Nawab.
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