INTRODUCTION TO

KNITTING MACHINES
MACHINES FOR
WEFT KNITTING
Generally two types:
1. Circular knitting machines
- Single knit machine
- Double knit machine

2. Flatbed/V-bed knitting machines

 According to the number of needle bed used-
a) Single jersey knitting machine
b) Double jersey knitting machine
 According to the end product-
a) Fabric machine
b) Garments length machine
 According to the basic structure-
a) Plain or single jersey circular knitting machine
b) Rib circular or flat knitting machine
c) Interlock circular knitting machine
d) Purl flat or circular knitting machine
 According to needle action
a) Independent needle action machine
b) Grouped needle action machine
CIRCULAR
KNIT MACHINE
o In circular knitting machines needles are fixed on a cylinder or dial in a circular shape.
o There are more than one feeders to feed yarn to needles at different places.
o In most of the cases needle bed (cylinder or dial) moves while feeders remain stationary.
o Diameter of cylinder and dial is fixed but in case of sock knitting machines it is changeable
due to structure of socks.
o Yarn is supplied from cones, placed either on an integral overhead bobbin strand or on a
free standing creel through tensioners, stop motion, yarn accumulator and yarn guide eyes
down to the yarn feeder guides.
SINGLE
KNIT MACHINE
In this machine, needles are fixed on
cylinder and sinker are fixed on sinker
ring. Needles knit with the help of sinkers.

Used for producing plain or single jersey

fabrics.
DOUBLE
KNIT MACHINE
In double knit machines, needles are fixed
on dials as well as on cylinders- no sinkers
necessary.

These machines are used to knit rib,

interlock, and other double jersey fabrics.
TOP BRANDED
CIRCULAR KNIT MACHINE (Single/Double)
FUKAHARA (Japan) MASA (Taiwan) LISKY (Taiwan)
ORIZIO (Italy) Zhenlihua (China) Tayo (Taiwan)
MAYER & CIE (Germany) DONG HO (Taiwan) Hun-lung (Taiwan)
YUANDA (China) WELL (Taiwan) FUKAHAMA (Taiwan)
HUPTER (Taiwan) JINHAR (Taiwan) Zentex (Singapore)
JIUNN LONG (Taiwan) PAILUNG (Taiwan)
Fukuhara Industrial & Trading Co.,Ltd.
USES OF
CIRCULAR KNIT MACHINE
 Rolls of fabric for jacket, ladies tops, sports and t-shirts.
 Casual wear, suits, dresses, swimwear, bath robes, dressing
gowns, track suits, jogging suits.
 Furnishing, upholstery, automotive and technical fabrics,
household fabrics.
FLAT
KNIT MACHINE
In a flat knitting machine, needles are fixed on a
straight plate. On this machine needle bed remains
stationary while yarn feeding system, carriage
moves from one end to other end.

This machine is used to knit collars, arm bands and

sweaters.
Main Features of Flat Knitting Machine
 Flat knitting machine has two stationary needle beds.
 Latch needles are used.
 Angular cam of a bi directional cam system is used.
 The cam system is attached to the underside of a
carriage which with its selected yarn carriers.
 The carriage traverse in a reciprocating manner
across the machine width.
 There is a separate cam system for each needle bed.
 The two cam system are linked together by a bridge
which passes across from one needle bed to the others.
 Normally machine gauge is 3-18 needles per inch
and machine width up to 79 inches.
FLATBED/V-BED KNIT MACHINE
TOP BRANDED
FLATBED KNIT MACHINE
SHIMA SEKI (Japan)
STOLL (Germany)
Jy-leh (Taiwan)
KAUOHENG (Taiwan)
JAMES (Taiwan)
FLYING TIGER (Taiwan)
STOLL | THE EVOLUTION OF KNITTING
STOLL
THE EVOLUTION OF KNITTING
USES OF
FLATBED KNIT MACHINE
 Trimmings, edgings and collars to garment panels and integrally
knitted garments.
 Jumpers, pullovers, cardigans, dresses, suits, trouser suits, hats,
scarves, accessories, ribs for straight-bar machines.
 Cleaning clothes, three-dimensional and fashioned products for
technical applications.
 ADDITIONAL
KNITTING TERMINOLOGY
 Selvedge Fabric

A selvedge fabric is one having a “self edge”

to it and can only be produced on machines
whose yarn reciprocates backwards and
forwards across the needle bed so that a
selvedge is formed as the yarn rises up to the
next course at the edge of the fabric.

Selvedge Fabric
 Cut edge Fabric

Cut edge fabric usually produced by slitting

open a tube of fabric produced on a circular
machine. A slit tube of fabric from a 30”
diameter machine will have an open width
of 94”(πd) at knitting & before relaxation.

Cut edge Fabric

 Tubular Fabric

This may be produced in double faced or single

faced structures on circular machine, or in a single
faced from on a straight machine with two sets of
needles provided each needle set only knits at
alternate cycles and that the yarn only passed
across from one needle bed to other at the two
selvedge needles at each end, thus closing the
edges of the tube by joining the two single faced
fabrics produced on each needle set together.
Tubular Fabric
STRIPED FABRIC
STRIPED
FABRIC
A stripe is a line or band that differs in color or tone from an adjacent area. Stripes are a group of such
lines.

For hundreds of years, stripes have been used in clothing. Stripes on garment first appeared in the
Medieval times. During that era, only prisoners, criminals, clowns, prostitutes, hangmen, etc. were seen
wearing a black and white striped garment. However, by the end of the nineteenth century, a new
definition of stripes was created by Queen Victoria.

Situation now? Do you like it?

STRIPED GARMENT
TYPES OF
STRIPED FABRIC
In knitting you can produce three types of stripped fabric:
Feeder Stripe
Engineering Stripe
Auto Stripe

Feeder Stripe Engineering Stripe Auto Stripe

FEDDER STRIPE
Feeder stripe is a pattern that repeatedly comes in the fabric and generally fits within 1.9 inches or not more that 5
cm.
- Require no extra device with the machine producing such fabrics
- High productivity
- Low production cost
ENGINEERING STRIPE
Engineering stripe has a very large indefinite repeating unit. The size of the stripe repeat is larger than 2 inch which is
beyond what the feeder stripe method can produce. Engineering stripe designs are produced on special type of auto
stripe/engineering stripe circular machine.
- Low productivity
- Substantially high production cost (7 to 10 times as that of feeder stripe)
ENGINEERING STRIPE
MACHINE
AUTO STRIPE
Auto stripe also has a very large indefinite repeating unit. The size of the stripe repeat is larger than 2
inch which is beyond what the feeder stripe method can produce. It differs from the engineering stripe in
a sense that the stripes comes repeatedly.
 GSM OF KNIT FABRIC
GSM is a number. It indicates the thickness of a knitted fabric. GSM is directly proportional to fabric thickness i.e.
GSM ∞ Fabric thickness.
GSM range is 105 to 350 (generally). It depends upon:
(a) Density of needle.
(b) Yarn count.
(c) Courses per unit length.
(d) Wales per unit length.
 Methods of yarn feeding:
Yarn feeding involves either-
1. Moving the yarn past the needle or
2. Moving the needles past the stationary yarn feed.

1. Moving the yarn past the methods:

When the yarn moves past the needles, the fabric will be stationary, because the loops hang from the needles.
This arrangement exists on all warp knitting machines and on weft knitting machines with straight beds and
circular machines with stationary cylinder and dials. This method is also known as Negative feeding system.
Negative feed device is a knitted loop-shape and loop-length control device as a yarn guide which employs direct
drive by yarn tension. In negative feed device, yarn is not wrapped.
2. Moving the needles past the stationary yarn feed:
Most circular weft knitting machine have revolving needle cylinders and stationary cams, feelers and yarn
packages. In this case, the fabric tube must revolve with the needles as must the fabric rollers and take- up
mechanism. This is also known as positive feeder. Positive feed device is a knitted loop-shape and loop-length
control device which employs small pulleys moved by belts, or gears etc. to exactly control the yarn feeding
speed and keep it constant.