According to the Shima Seiki history page: https://www.shimaseiki.com/company/dna/history/ it was a world first in 1995. That doesn't make it novel anymore in 2026.
replyI would nonetheless find it interesting to read an "ultimate guide" explaining how the knitting machines work, but this ain't it.
These are not cheap machines! Looking around online, i found a lot of 4 Shima Seiki machines listed for $40k! If someone is interested getting into knitting, I would recommend starting with some cheap hand-crank machines from a brand like Sentro. You will learn a lot more, and there is a lot you can do with knit tubes. If absolutely don't want a tube, you can get a so-called panel machine. I think you can find one on Amazon or Etsy - i forget the listing i saw, but it was like $500(much less than a Shima Seiki).
replyHere are a couple useful sites to get started:
https://machineknitting.fandom.com/wiki/Machine_Knitting_Wik...
https://www.knittingparadise.com/forums/machine-knitting.20/
But the site doesn't say anything about being new, and in fact says it was invented in 1995:
reply When Was 3D-Knitting Invented?
The concept of 3D-knitting was first envisioned and then developed by the
Japanese company SHIMA SEIKI. They launched their first WHOLEGARMENT knitting
machine at the ITMA trade fair in 1995.