New N.SSR flat-knitting machines and cloud-based programming tools highlight how digital design, virtual sampling and automated production are converging in knitwear manufacturing.
Japanese knitting-technology specialist Shima Seiki will showcase its latest computerized flat-knitting and digital-design systems at Egypt Stitch & Tex in Cairo from September 24–27, 2026, targeting manufacturers seeking greater automation, product flexibility and lower development costs.
The company will exhibit with Egyptian representative TTS at the Cairo International Convention Centre, presenting the new N.SSR112 and N.SSR132 computerized flat-knitting machines, SDS KnitPaint-Online software and its SDS-ONE APEX4 3D design platform.
Cost-focused machines widen access
The N.SSR112 and N.SSR132 extend Shima Seiki’s established shaped-knitting platform with a more cost-focused configuration. Both use a compact lightweight carriage and R2CARRIAGE system for faster carriage returns, alongside Digital Stitch Control, movable sinkers, stitch pressers, yarn gripping and cutting, and takedown-comb technology.
A new 52-inch, or 132-cm, knitting width accommodates larger garment sizes, while optional sub-rollers expand product flexibility. At the Cairo exhibition, Shima Seiki will demonstrate an N.SSR112 in 7 gauge and N.SSR132 in 14 gauge.
Software connects design to machine
The machinery is being positioned as part of a wider digital production workflow.
SDS KnitPaint-Online makes Shima Seiki’s established knit-programming software available as a standalone application rather than only through its broader APEX design system. It also adds basic planning and design functions.
The SDS-ONE APEX4 system takes the process further by creating realistic fabric simulations and 3D virtual samples that can substitute for some physical prototypes. Once a style is approved, generated knitting data can be converted into machine-ready information, linking product development more directly with manufacturing.
Digital sampling becomes a productivity tool
For Egyptian and regional knitwear manufacturers, the commercial opportunity is not simply faster knitting. Combining virtual sampling with machine programming can reduce sample iterations, material waste, development time and communication gaps between designers and production teams.
The competitive test will be adoption: mills that integrate digital development and flexible knitting capacity effectively could respond faster to smaller orders, greater style variety and increasingly compressed fashion lead times.
