Colosio introduces circular knitting machine for shoe uppers

Italian sock knitting machine manufacturer Colosio has introduced a new knitting machine for the production of shoe uppers to meet global demand for sports and fashion shoes with knitted uppers.

A recent Knitting Industry article says that the S1+ is a circular knitting machine based on Cesare Colosio’s Argyle Intarsia sock knitting technology.

According to the Brescia-based company, the S1+ system can produce a shoe upper every 5 to 7 minutes. The S1+ can manufacture shoe uppers formed of independent zones, each composed of one or more yarns with different elastic properties, mechanical resistance and performance requirements. This, owner Fabiana Colosio said, enables endless designs and color combinations, without producing waste.

“The operator can easily create three-dimensional areas and eyelets for the laces, which will form a whole with the upper, directly on the S1+ machine during the upper production,” Gianfranco Colosio says.

Fabiana and Gianfranco Colosio own the company, which was founded in 1958 by their father, Cesare Colosio. More than 300 S1+ machines are reported to be in production in China.