Dubied

Brand History & Overview

Dubied is an iconic Swiss brand of industrial flatbed (V-bed) knitting machines. Manufactured in Couvet, Switzerland, by Edouard Dubied & Cie S.A., these machines were the global textile industry standard for commercial knitwear development and sampling for over a century.

The company was founded in 1867 by Henri-Edouard Dubied, who purchased the rights to the recently invented V-bed knitting machine design. Dubied quickly became a leader in commercial knitting technology, expanding globally. While mass production of mechanical hand-flat machines ceased in the late 20th century due to the rise of fully computerized industrial knitting systems, Dubied machines remain highly active in design studios, fashion houses, and textile universities due to their mechanical precision and longevity.

Technical Design and Mechanics

Dubied machines are heavy-duty, double-bed industrial flat machines designed to withstand continuous, manual operation. They are constructed on a heavy cast-iron stand:

• V-Bed Configuration: Two opposing needle beds meeting in an upside-down "V" layout, enabling ribbing, circular tube knitting, and stitch transfers.
• Cam Boxes: The carriage houses manual cams that can be adjusted to select knit, tuck, or slip stitch pathways.
• Gauges: Produced in a wide variety of gauges, ranging from coarse bulky (2.5gg) to extremely fine (14gg).
• No Punchcards/Software: Patterning is achieved purely through mechanical selector cams, high/low butt needles, and manual needle bed racking (shifting the front bed left or right).

History

Founded in 1867 in Couvet, Switzerland, by Edouard Dubied, Dubied & Cie is widely regarded as the manufacturer of the finest manual flat knitting machines in history. After acquiring the European rights to Isaac Lamb’s V-bed patent at the 1867 Paris World Expo, Edouard Dubied refined the design with Swiss precision engineering, creating machines that would define the global knitwear industry for over a century.

Dubied machines are characterized by their massive cast-iron frames, exceptional needle durability, and a unique gauge system based on the French inch. Although the company ceased production in the late 1980s, their mechanical models—specifically the NH and MM—remain the professional standard in high-end fashion ateliers and textile universities due to their superior stitch definition and "indestructible" build quality.

Manual Flat Bed Machines (V-Bed)

These professional-grade machines are categorized by their carriage complexity and patterning capability.

• Dubied NH (The standard "workhorse" for rib and jersey)
• Dubied MR (Refined version of the NH with improved carriage cams)
• Dubied MM (The "Master" model; features high-level needle selection for complex textures)
• Dubied MUT (Specialized for transfer stitches and pointelle lace)
• Dubied SDR (Advanced manual machine with semi-automatic power-assist features)
• Dubied NHZ (Compact/Narrow version of the NH used for sampling)

Automated & Electronic Models

• Dubied JET 2 (Early electronic power machine)
• Dubied JET 3 (High-speed computerized flat machine from the 1980s)
• Dubied Ducad (The specialized CAD/CAM software system used for late-era Dubied electronics)

Gauge Reference

Dubied machines use "E-gauge" (needles per French inch, approx. 27.07mm).

• 5-cut to 7-cut: Comparable to Bulky/Chunky gauge.
• 8-cut to 10-cut: Comparable to Standard/Mid-gauge.
• 12-cut and higher: Fine gauge for luxury knitwear.

Accessories

Machine Accessory Compatibility Matrix

The following is a dynamically generated list of Dubied accessories and their compatible knitting machines, populated directly from the wiki's database:

Accessory	Type	Compatible Machines	Release Year
Dubied Ducad	CAD Patterning System	Dubied JET series
Dubied MUT	Yarn Changer Carriage	Dubied manual flat machines