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University, Kolhapur), Maharashtra. He has also done Diploma in Export Management (Apparel Export) from the Indian Institute of Export Management, and Garment Export and Merchandising Management from NIFT, Bangalore. Presently, hes working as an Assistant Professor in Department of Fashion Technology, NIFT, Bangalore. (This is his tenth input from the series of articles in Knitting Views)
knitting machine is a device used to create knitted fabrics in a semi or fully automated fashion. There are numerous types of knitting machines, ranging from the simple, non-mechanical, to the highly complex and electronic. All, however, produce single jersey fabrics to complicated jacquard knitted fabrics, usually either flat or tubular, and of varying degrees of complexity. Pattern stitches can be selected by hand manipulation of the needles, or with push-buttons and dials, mechanical punch cards, or electronic pattern reading devices and computers. These knitting machines also ranges from high production to limited production capacity.
The three main groups of weft knitting machinery may broadly be classified as either straight bar frames, flats, or circulars, according to their frame design and needle bed arrangement. From table it can be seen that the simplest weft knitting machinery has one set of needles, arranged either in a straight line (flat bar/straight bar) or around cylinder (circular). These machines are capable of producing single jersey fabrics, but not double jersey fabrics, and can use a combination of three types of stitch: Knit, miss or tuck. With two needle beds, double jersey fabrics such as rib and interlock can
In dividing step, the catch bar moves the dividers forwards, collectively, whilst the needle bar tips slightly outwards to allow the double loops to be divided into equalsized needle loops around every needle.
The needle bar starts moving away from the pressing-edge and the sinkers and dividers withdraw so that the newlyformed course of loops drops off their noses onto the knocking-over bits. At the time of completion of knock-over, the needle bar descends to its lowest position. As the heads descend below the belly of the knocking-over bits, the old course of loops is collectively knocked-over. The sinkers and dividers move collectively forward to hold down the fabric, the needle bar rises to the thread-laying position. The catch bar is slightly raised to release the sinkers for individual movement at the start of the next course.
Straight bar frames are long and expensive machines that are highly productive in a very narrow sphere of garment manufacture. The knitting width is small and fashion tends not to encourage full exploitation of the fashion shaping and stitch-transfer patterning potential of the machines. Straight bar machines are known for their production of high-quality garments as a result of the gentle knitting action, low fabric tension and fashion shaping, which reduces the waste of expensive yarn during cutting and is emphasised on the garments by carefully-positioned fashion marks. The straight bar frame is the only bearded needle weft knitting machine that is still commercially viable, although it now faces serious competition from electronicallycontrolled flat machines
Source: Knitting Technology by David J Spencer (Third Ed) (In the next session, we would be discussing about flat knitting machine.)
The next step is Sinking, in which the slurcockcontacts the jacks; it is shaped so that each jack in turn pushes the sinker forwards to kink a loop around every two adjacent needles.
The needle bar start descending, placing the new loops inside the hooks of the beards. The catch bar is now lowered so that the sinkers, as well as the dividers, are collectively controlled by it for the rest of the knitting cycle. They now start to withdraw. The needle bar moves towards the sinker verge, causing the beards to be pressed. A further downward movement of the needle bar lands the previous course of loops, resting on the knock-over bits, onto the closed beards.
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