Raschel Jacquard Explained: How Jacquard Bars Pattern the Fabric
Raschel jacquard is a raschel warp knitting setup in which one or more guide bars are jacquard bars: every guide on that bar can be pushed sideways by one needle space, independently of its neighbours, on any course. That per-guide offset, switched on and off by the pattern file, is what draws the motif into the fabric while the ordinary guide bars knit the ground.
Search the term and you mostly land on machine catalogue pages, press releases and patent text. This page fills the gap between them: what the jacquard bar physically does, how the piezo version is driven, and which fabrics the single and double needle bar versions are used for.
What a jacquard bar does that an ordinary guide bar cannot
Every guide bar on a warp knitting machine has two basic motions. It shogs, a straight sideways movement in front of or behind the needles, and it swings between the needles. On an ordinary bar all guides are fixed to the bar, so every thread on that bar makes the same lap. Pattern comes only from threading and from how far the whole bar shogs.
A jacquard bar adds a third, individual motion. As described in patent US7992415B2, the jacquard device lets each thread guide move one further needle space relative to the shog of the bar, either in the same direction as the shog or against it, according to the pattern. So two neighbouring threads on the same bar can make different laps in the same course.
In practice this means the bar still runs a simple base lapping, and the pattern is built by deciding, guide by guide and course by course, whether to add the offset. Where the offset is applied the thread covers more or less of the ground, and the eye reads that as dense, open or textured areas.
| Ordinary guide bar | Jacquard bar | |
|---|---|---|
| Sideways motion | Whole bar shogs together | Whole bar shogs, plus each guide can offset one needle space |
| Lap of neighbouring threads | Identical | Can differ thread by thread |
| Where the pattern comes from | Threading and bar shog | Pattern-controlled offset of single guides |
| Typical role | Ground structure, pile | Motif, relief and colour effects |
How the piezo jacquard element moves a single guide
Modern jacquard bars are piezo driven. The same patent describes the principle: a piezoelectric element deflects a thin strip that is rigidly fixed at its upper end, while the lower end, which carries the guide, is free to swing under control. Apply the signal and the strip bends to one side; reverse it and the strip bends to the other.
Two consequences matter on the shop floor. The displacement can be triggered at any moment in the knitting cycle, and it is faster than the conventional mechanical selection systems it replaced. That is why piezo jacquard is the form you will meet on current raschel machines. The wearing part is the guide itself; see our guide needle for piezo jacquard page and the piezo jacquard system page for the components involved.
Single needle bar and double needle bar raschel jacquard
The jacquard principle is the same on both machine families; what changes is the fabric that comes off the machine.
On a single needle bar raschel machine the jacquard bars pattern a flat fabric. Machine makers offer this type for both elastic and non-elastic patterned fabrics. Our comparison of jacquard lace machine types covers that branch in more detail.
On a double needle bar raschel machine two needle beds knit two fabric faces that can be joined, held apart as a spacer, or closed into a tube. Sources from machine makers list these uses for double needle bar jacquard raschel: shoe uppers, mattress fabrics, spacer fabrics for sports and leisure footwear, and plain or patterned tubular goods knitted without side seams for apparel and sportswear. If the double-bed principle is new to you, start with our double needle bar machine guide.
A current market example: three jacquard bars on one machine
To see how far the concept has been pushed, look at one machine announced in July 2026, the Karl Mayer RDJ 7/3. According to the trade press report it carries three split jacquard bars that can counter-lap, runs in gauge E 24 at a working width of 138 inches, and uses eight guide bars for pile formation. The distance between the trick plates is adjustable from 2 to 5 mm to suit different fabric thicknesses. The stated results are two-colour jacquard patterns plus relief and embossed surface effects, aimed at shoe fabrics, mattress fabrics and footwear spacers.
These figures belong to that one model and are quoted only to show what the numbers on a jacquard raschel spec sheet refer to. They are not a specification of any GrandStar machine.
What to check when a fabric calls for raschel jacquard
If your design needs neighbouring threads on one bar to behave differently, for example a motif that is not a simple repeat of the threading, then you need a jacquard bar; an ordinary multi-bar setup will not produce it. This conclusion does not apply if your pattern is a plain stripe, mesh or all-over structure, which ordinary guide bars handle without jacquard.
If the product is a spacer, a shoe upper or a tube, then you are looking at double needle bar raschel jacquard, and the trick plate distance range tells you which fabric thicknesses the machine can reach. This does not apply to flat single-face patterned fabric, which is single needle bar territory.
If you want two-colour or relief effects, ask how many jacquard bars the machine has, whether they are split, and whether they can lap against each other. One jacquard bar gives you offset or no offset; several bars working in opposition are what give the colour and relief effects described above.
Also ask which guides the jacquard bars take and how they are replaced, because the individually moving guides are the parts that will be changed during the life of the machine.
For the machines and parts our group supplies, see grandstarcn.com. If you have a fabric sample or a pattern in hand and want to know which jacquard configuration it needs, send the details through our contact page and an engineer will go through it with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is raschel jacquard?
It is a raschel warp knitting configuration where some guide bars carry individually controlled guides. Each one can shift sideways by a single needle space on command, so neighbouring threads make different laps and a motif appears on the ground structure.
How does a piezo jacquard bar work?
A piezoelectric element bends a thin strip that is clamped at the top and free at the bottom, where the thread guide sits. Switching the signal swings that lower end left or right, which moves one yarn independently of the rest.
What is the difference between a jacquard bar and a normal guide bar?
On a normal bar every guide is fixed, so all threads follow the same lap. A jacquard version lets each guide add or skip an extra sideways step, letting adjacent yarns behave differently within one course.
What is a double needle bar jacquard raschel machine used for?
Machine makers list shoe uppers, mattress fabrics, spacer fabrics for sports and leisure footwear, and plain or patterned tubular goods for apparel and sportswear.
Hey, I’m Vincent!
Solving complex challenges with precision and creativity in the warp knitting industry. Passionate about advancing textile engineering and turning innovative ideas into reality. Shaping the future of warp knitting.
