WEFT KNITTING

PARTS OF WEFT KNITTING MACHINE

• FEED ZONE
• KNIT ZONE
• DELIVERY ZONE
 FEED ZONE
Creel:
• Creel is used to place the yarn cone. Yarn is
supplied from here to the machine through the
pipe.
Yarn tensioner:
• It is used to perfect gripping of yarn by needle.
Yarn guide:
• Yarn guide is used to guide the yarn. During it is
necessary for maintaining proper tension on
yarn.
Auto Stopper:
• If knitting machine is in the faulty situation
then auto stopper will stops the knitting
machine automatically
 KNIT ZONE
• Cylinder
• Dial
• Flat bed
• Sinker
• Needle
• CAM
 DELIVERY ZONE
• Take up Motion
• Cloth roller
• Spreader
• Fabric
• Light
 Knitting machine parts
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ib1Dwlr
0_Y
 CREEL
• A part to hold the feeding material ( Cone or
cheese)
• Which is used to place the yarn cone, from
where the yarn is supplied to m/c, through
pipe.
• Types
– Combi creel
– Fan creel
– Filter creel
 creel
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56fEG_Ri
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 Tensioner
• To give optimum tension to the yarn feed
• Yarn from the guide
• Spring type Tensioner
• Electronic Tensioner
• Load type Tensioner
• Link :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2J057DT
XSM
• Link :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltBE0m10
Strippers
 Feeder/ Stripper
• Placed close to needle to the circumference
• Feed yarn to needle hooks
• Consists of yarn guiding hole , bevel edge to
guard the latches of approaching needles
• They are slightly curved
• Plaiting can be done for two holes
 Strippers
- Designed to deliver 2 or more yarns
individually to the same feeder
- Have moving guides
- Engagement of a particular yarn is controlled
by an endless chain
- Control chain governs the guide change at
the appropriate feeders
- A counter select the movement all striper
chains for every revolutions
Needle:
• Needle is the main part of knitting machine.
Needle is used to knit the fabric.
• There are different types of needle such as
latch needle, bearded needle, compound
needle etc.
• Among those latch needle is widely used in
knitting technology.
Cylinder
Cylinder:
• Cylinder is one of the important parts of
knitting machine where all the needles are set
 CYLINDER

• Cylinder is a circular steel bed having grooves /

tricks /cuts on it’s outer periphery into which
the needles are mounted.
• With reference to the tricks, the needles move
vertically up and down by their butt being in
contact with the cam track.
• The diameter of the cylinder also varied based
on the type and width of the fabric.
• Maximum diameter of the cylinder: 46 inches.
 GAUGE
• Number of needles per inch
• In knitting it is used to express the number of
needle in a unit length of the needle bed
• This needle bed may flat or circular
• In double knit circular machine it is used for
cylinder and as well as dial
 DIAL

• Dial is the upper steel bed used in double knit

circular machines.
• Into the grooves of the dial, the needles are
mounted horizontally and are allowed to
move radically in and out by their dial cams.
• The number of grooves per unit space
conforms with the cylinder gauge in most of
the cases.
 Yarn count to gauge calculation
• Circular bed:
– For single jerseyNe
– For ribNe = (Gauge2) / 6
– For interlockNe = (Gauge2) / 9.6
• Flat bed:
– For single bedNe = (Gauge2) / 15
– For rib double bedNe = (Gauge2) / 12.5
 SINKERS
• The sinker is the second primary knitting
element. It is a thin metal plate with an
individual or a collective action operating
approximately at right angles from the hook
side of the needle bed, between adjacent
needles.
 SINKER
• 1=Butt
• 2=Butt breadth
• 3=Height of shank
• 4=Buldge
• 5=Neb
• 6=Length of neb
• 7=Throat angle
• 8=Sinker platform height
• 9=Breadth of lower shank
• 10=Clearance
• 11=Throat
• Sinkers capable of producing loop fabric are well known in the knitting
industry. In such machines the sinkers generally include a blade having an
upper edge which defines a lower knitting level and a nib having an upper
edge which is at an upper knitting level. Long loops are formed at the upper
knitting level of the sinkers with a loop yarn and a base yarn is knitted over
the blade. The sinkers may be formed and their movement controlled to
cause either the loop yarn to appear on one side of a fabric and the base
yarn on the other or the loop yarn to appear on both sides.

In the past it has not been possible to producing loop cloth of ideal quality
since loops would twist or coil making it difficult to finish a loop fabric into
satisfactory velor. Furthermore loops which were supposed to appear on the
front of a fabric would sometimes appear on the other side. The back of loop
cloth was therefore apt to have objectionable loose protruding loops and
double tuck stitches.
 SINKER OPERATION
• The held loop is positioned in the throat of the sinker
when the sinker moves forward and the needle moves
upward for clearing. The held loop is held by the throat
and hence its movement along the needle is restricted.
• The sinker remains at its forward position when the
needle attains its clearing position.
• The sinker retracts when the needle comes down after
feeding. At this stage, due to sinkers retraction, fabric or
held loop is eased out. Also the sinker belly supported
the fabric or held loop and hence its movements along
the needle is prevented.
• Sinker remains in backward position and the
needle descends to its lowest position drawing
the new loop through the old one.
• Before the needle ascends, the sinker moves
forward to push the knitted fabric a little and
to hold the old loop away from the head of
the needle and to be in a position to control
the fabric.
 Engineering cam
• These are of circular type and indirectly control the motions of bares of
elements. They are attached to a rotary drive shaft situated parallel to
and bellow the needle bar, a number of independent cams correctly
aligned movement. The drive is transmitted and adapted cam-followers,
levers and rocker shafts. One complete 360-degree revolution of the
drive shaft is equivalent to one knitting cycle.

In warp knitting machines four Types of cam have been employed.

• Single acting cams
• Cam and counter cam
• Box cam or enclosed cam
• Counter cam/ring cam/pot cam
• Due to excessive vibration at speeds above 800 courser/minute for
engineering cams eccentric drive is employed where speed is
2000courser/minute or more.
 Knitting cam
• The knitting cam is of angular type and acts
directly on to the butt of needles or other
elements to produce individual movement in
the tricks of needle weft knitting machine as
the butts pass through the stationary cam
system or the cams pass across the stationary
tricks.
• Knitting cams are attached either individually or in unit form to a cam plate and
depending upon the machine design, are fixed exchangeable or adjustable. At each of at
least a raising cam, a stitch cam and an up throw cam whose combined effect is required.
Usually four main types of knitting cams are used.

i. Raising cam: The raising cam causes the needle to be lifted to either tuck, clearing
loop transfer or needle transfer depending upon machine design.

ii. Stitch cam: The stitch cam controls the depth to which the needle descends
thus controlling the amount of yarn drawn in to the needle loop. It al so a knock-over
cam.

iii. Up throw or counter cam: The up throw or counter cam takes the needles back to
the rest position and allows the formed loops to relax.

iv. Guard cam: The guard cam is often placed on the butts and to prevent needles from
falling out of track.
 Function of Cam
The functions of cam are as follows
• To produce motion to needles .
• To drive the needles.
• Formation of loops.

• Link :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmBsm
mlAML0
• NEEDLE CAM
• DIAL CAM
• SINKER CAMs
 Multi cam track
• Generally used in double jersey knitting
machine
• Track for long and short needle separately
• Both cylinder and dial is positioned with multi
cam track
Spreader
 Spreader
- In circular knitting machines, a tubular fabric is
converged into a double layer
flattened fabric.

- This convergence causes irregular tension

on fabrics due to distance variations leading to
wrinkles, crease marks and stitch
deformations.
 Spreader
- Apply a more uniform tension throughout the fabric
- Normally it is made up of two curved metal
bars with adjustment for their length and placed
inside the fabric roll
- Tension should be adjusted so that there should not
be any bend on the courses
- Excess tension affects the life of needles, cams and
needle beds
 Take Down

- Take down mechanism take/remove the fabric from

the needles and leaves it to the winding mechanism
to wind on the cloth

- It consists of a pair of grooved rollers, between which

the fabric is nipped and drawn downwards

- The drawn fabric is wound on a revolving square bar

 TAKE DOWN MECHANISM
• Mechanism withdraws the fabric from needles
and winds in cloth roll
• It consists of grooved rollers which fabric is
nipped and pulled.
• Storage of fabric on a bar
• Continual winding done by external device
( motor , etc..,)
• Spreader is attached
• Light system
 TYPES
• MECHANICAL DRIVE
• ELECTRICAL DRIVE
 MECHANICAL DRIVE
• Pressure rollers
• Circular rail or ring with
same axis of cylinder
• Positioned inclined to
horizontal
• Ratchet wheel is fixed
with the take down
roller
 ELECTRICAL DRIVE
• Separate motor drive
• Compact
• 2 lateral support and
3 take down rollers
• Control panel drive
through
potentiometer
Feeders
 Feeders

- Yarn guides placed close to the needles

- Feed the yarn to the needle hooks
- Arranged full circumference of the knitting
zone
- Brackets of feeders can be adjusted to set the
distance between the needle and the feeder
 YARN FEEDER
• The yarn fed to the needles in order to form
the fabric must be conveyed along a
predetermined path from the spool/cone to
the knitting zone.
• The various motions along this path guide the
yarn (thread guides), adjust the yarn tension
and check for eventual yarn breaks.
• There are two types of feed device.
– Positive feed device
– Negative feed device
 POSITIVE FEEDER
• Positive feed device is a knitted loop-shape and loop-length
control device
• employs small pulleys moved by belts, or gears etc., to
exactly control the yarn feeding speed
• keep it constant speed
• Positive feed device are designed to overcome loop-shape
and loop-length variation by positively supplying yarn
• correct rate under low yarn tension to the knitting point
instead of allowing the latch needles or loop forming
sinkers to draw loops whose length could be affected by
varying yarn input tension.
• A continuous tape driven from the machine drive by a single
pulley
• It encircles the machine above the feeders and provides identical
and constant feed for any yarn threaded through the nip it forms
with a free running feed wheel at each feed position.
• The faster the tape speed relative to the machine speeds, the
faster the rate of yarn feed and the longer the resultant course
length.
• The tape speed is altered by adjusting the scrolled segments of
the drive pulley (V.D.Q pulley) to produce a larger or smaller
driving circumference.
 NEGATIVE FEEDER
• 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.
 ELASTANE FEEDER
• spandex yarns are fed from separate attachment called
memminger lycra attachment.
• The spandex packages were kept on the surface driven rods and
directly fed to needle through guide roller and stop motion.
• The cotton yarns are fed from the positive storage feeders.
• This attachment gets drive from separate variable diameter
pulleys from the machine.
• Spandex packages get drive from the surface driven rollers in
its attachment.
• The cotton yarn loop length and spandex feed tension
adjustments can be varied for the two yarns separately
PATTERN MECHANISM
• Needle selection procedure
• Control of needle movements
• To create surface effect with various stitches
formation.
 TYPES
• DIRECT
– Needle is directly controlled by contact (cam parts,
pattern wheel etc…)
• INDIRECT
– Needle selection will be indirect form by contact
with additional device. Needle selection by film
tapes, control magnets etc..,
 DIRECT INDIRECT
• Swing cam • Battery selector
• Split cam • Pattern drum (battery
• Multi cam track selector)
• Pattern wheel • Mono film
• Revolving cam boxes
• Electronically control
jacquard
 SWING CAM
• Knit, tuck & float
• Single track for single jersey
• Multi cam track for interlock
• Swing cam can oscillate by rivet
• Adjustable
 SPLIT CAM
• Cam in different depth and butt length
• 6 possible positions
• Only knit,only tuck, only miss, knit and tuck,
knit and miss & tuck and miss
• Different depth and thickness
 MULTI CAM TRACKS
• Two or more cam tracks (2 to 4)
• Fixed feed position
• Exchangeable knit, tuck and miss cams
• Different butt positions
 PATTERN WHEEL
• Mechanical jacquard on
multi feed machines
• Revolves same linear
speed of the machine
• Slots opposing the
cylinder tricks
• High or low bits are put
in tricks makes the stitch
type
 BATTERY SELECTOR
• Presser are placed
under needles
• 2 control butt and
selection butt
• Needle movement by
jack butt
• Selector push will
decide the needle
selection
 PATTERN DRUM
• Produce large dimensions
• Increased height of pattern area
• Pattern drum with peg that push selector
elements
• Minimum energy
• Large pattern
• Electromagnet
• Magnet is polarised by solenoid
• Control unit for design
 Yarn tensioner,
 Cam box,
 Creel,
 Feeder,
 Needle
 Base plate,
 Take up roller,
 Yarn guide,
 Cylinder,
 Auto Stopper,
 VDQ pulley,
 Body,
 Sinker.
1. Yarn tensioner:
It is used to perfect gripping of yarn by needle.

2. Cam box:
It is used to hold the cam according to the fabric design. Knitting cams are arranged according to
the design.

3. Creel:
Creel is used to place the yarn cone. Yarn is supplied from here to the machine through the
pipe.

4. Feeder:
It is totally related with fabric production. If the number of feeder is higher then fabric
production will be higher.
5. Needle:
Needle is the main part of knitting machine. Needle is used to knit the fabric. There are different types of
needle such as latch needle, bearded needle, compound needle etc. Among those latch needle is widely
used in knitting technology.

6. Base plate:
Cylinder is situated on the base plate.

7. Take up roller:
It is used to take-up the fabric from the knitting machine. Take up roller also controls the proper tension on the
fabric.

8. Yarn guide:
Yarn guide is used to guide the yarn. During it is necessary for maintaining proper tension on yarn.

9. Cylinder:
Cylinder is one of the important parts of knitting machine where all the needles are set.

10. Auto Stopper:

If knitting machine is in the faulty situation then auto stopper will stops the knitting machine automatically.

11. Sinker:
During loop formation sinker is used to hold and support the thread.
• Cylinder rotates and cam stationary
• FEEDER
• CYLINDER
• NEEDLE
• SINKER
• NEEDLE CAM
• SINKER CAM
 SINGLE JERSEY
• CLEARING • TECHNICAL FACE –
• FEEDING FRONT
• KNOCK OVER • TECHNICAL BACK -
• LOOP PULLING REVERSE
 FEATURES
• Widthwise extension is twice than length wise
• Edge will curl or roll
• Unravel of fabric course by course
• Thickness of fabric is twice than diameter of
yarn
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEIiaLnIQ
pY

• Flat knitting
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm3T7zv
JKRw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7UnxIq
HfeU
 RIB KNITTING MACHINE
• Rib circular knitting machine : The structure in
which the face and back loop occurs along to
the coarse successively but all the loops of a
wale is same is called rib structure. The
circular knitting machine which is used to
produce the rib structures is known as rib
machine.
 RIB FABRIC
 The simplest rib fabric is 1 x 1 rib. The first rib
frame was invented by Jedediah Strutt of Derby
in 1755
 Rib has a vertical cord appearance
 Rib stitch knits have stitches drawn to both
sides of the fabric, which produces columns of
wales on both the front and back of the fabric
 Excellent elasticity
 Rib gating
• The fabric has alternate wales of knit and purl
stitches
• Reversible fabric
• Identical on both sides of the fabric
 FEEDER
 CYLINDER
 NEEDLE
 SINKER
 NEEDLE CAM
 SINKER CAM
 DIAL
 DIAL NEEDLE
 DIAL CAM
 INTERLOCK MACHINE
• Interlock structure is a double faced Interlock
structure which consists of two 1×1 Interlock
structures. These two 1×1 Interlock structures
are joined by interlocking sinker loops and
thus produce interlock structure. Interlock
structure is produce by special cylinder dial
circular machines.
 FEEDER
 CYLINDER
 NEEDLE
 SINKER
 NEEDLE CAM(multi)
 SINKER CAM
 DIAL
 DIAL NEEDLE
 DIAL CAM (multi)
 The machine has two sets of needles on two
different beds
 one set on cylinder one in the dial bed.
 These two sets of needles must be exactly opposite
to each other. (interlock gating)
 The machine has two separate cam system in each
bed needles of different length called short needles
and long needles.
 Each cam system controls half of the needles in
alternate sequences
 The cylinder cam

A → clearing cam which lifts the needles to clear the
old loop
B, C → stitch cam and guard cams respectively both
vertically adjustable to control the stitch length.
D → up through to rise the needle whilst dial needle
knock over
E, F → guard cam to complete the truck
G, H → guide cam to provide the track for idling
needles
 The dial system:
1. Raising cam for tuck position only
2, 3. Dial knock over cam
4. Guard cam to compete the truck
5. Auxiliary knock over cam to prevent the dial needle
reentering the old loop
6, 7 Guide cams provides the tracks for idling needles
8. Sewing type clearing cam which may occupy the
knitting position as shown in feeder 1 or in tuck
position at feeder 2.
INTERLOCK GAITING
INTERLOCK FABRIC
Characteristics of Interlock Knitted Fabric
 Interlock the technical face of plain on both sides so the
appearance of face and back are same.
 The Wales of each side re exactly apposite to each other and are
locked together.
 Width wise and length elongations are approximately the same
as single jersey .
 The fabric does not curl at the edges .
 The fabric can be unraveled from the knitted last.
 Two yarn must be removed to unravel a complete repeat of
knitted courses.
 Fabric thickness is approximately twice than that of single jersey
.
 Applications
• Sweat shirt
• T shirt
• Outer wears
 PURL STRUCTURE
• Purl structures have one or more wales which
contain both face and reverse loops. This can
be achieved with double-ended latch needles
or by rib loop transfer from one bed to the
other, combined with needle bed racking.
• There are two types of purl needle bed
machine –
– flat bed purls, which have two horizontally
opposed needle beds
– circular purls (double cylinder machines)
 FEEDER
 CYLINDER 1
 CYLINDER 2
 NEEDLE
 SINKER
 NEEDLE CAM 1
 NEEDLE CAM 2
 SINKER CAM
 Engagement of the head of the receiving slider with the needle
hook that was originally knitting from the opposing bed.
 Cam action causing the head of the delivering slider to pivot
outwards from the trick and thus disengage itself from the other
hook of the needle.
 Sufficient free space to allow the heads of the sliders to pivot
outwards from their tricks during engagement and
disengagement of the needles.
 A positive action which maintains the engagement of the head of
a slider with a needle hook throughout its knitting cycle by
ensuring that it is pressed down into the trick.
 Characteristics of Purl Fabric
 Purl is reversible structure the both side appearance are same.
 Extensibility is same as all direction.
 There is no curling tendency.(it does not curl at the edges).
 The fabric will run in the wale direction starting from either
end.
 Unraveling of fabric course by course from either side is
possible.
 The fabric tends to be two or three times thicker than single
jersey.
 There are two types of purl needle bed machine:flat bed purl
and circular purls.
 TYPES OF STITCHES
• KNIT STITCH
• TUCK STITCH
• FLOAT or MISS STITCH
 KNIT STITCH
• The knit stitch is the basic stitch.
• It is also called the plain stitch.
• Knit stitch is formed when the needle carries
out a complete stroke, reaching the maximum
height on the looping plane
 TUCK STITCH
• A tuck stitch is formed when a knitting needle
holds its old loop and then receives a new
yarn.
• Two loops then collect in the needle hook.
The previously formed knitted loop is called
the held loop and the loop which joins it is
a tuck loop.
• Incomplete stitch formation will create tuck
stitch
 MISS STITCH
• A miss stitch is created when one or more
knitting needles are deactivated and do not
move into position to accept the yarn.
• The yarn merely passes by and no stitch is
formed.
• The float will lie freely on the reverse side of
the held loop, which is the technical back, and
in the case of rib and interlock structures it
will be inside the fabric.
 VIDEO
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3zKoST
_gqU

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWB8JR
eKTuY
 LOOP LENGTH
• Loop length is found by dividing the stretched
yarn length by the number of loops in one
course and expressed as follows: Loop length (
) = uncrimped yarn length in one
course/number of loops in one course
 EFFECT
• Knitted Fabric Loop Length. Loop length is the
fundamental unit of weft knitted structure .
• Stitch/loop length is the fundamental unit
which controls all the properties of
weft knitted fabrics.
• Mainly stitch length and knit structure affect
all the dimensional, comfort, handle, and
other properties
 EFFECTS
• TIGHTNESS FACTOR
• WEIGHT
• HANDLE
• GEOMETRICAL PARAMETERS
– CPI
– WPI
• STITCH DENSITY
 PERFORMANCE
• DRAPE CO-EFFICIENT
• ELASTICITY
• HANDLE / COMFORT
 DETERMINATION
• To measure loop length of a knits fabric
sample use following steps-

Step #1: Take your sample. Cut fabric swatch

of 10 cm X 10 cm from the fabric sample.
While cutting fabric swatch, consider cutting
on the wales line. Count number of wales in
the 10 cm of fabric swatch. For example see
the right side image, that has 6 wales.
• Step #2: Take out yarns by pulling the loop. Don't consider
yarns those are not the full length of a swatch. Take five
yarns of complete length and stretch yarns to remove
curling on yarns.

Step #3: Measure yarn length. Use measuring tape or scale

to measure yarn length. Measure all 5 sample yarns. Note
yarn lengths in a paper or notebook. Calculate average
length of the sample yarns.

Step #4: Calculate the loop length. Now divide the average
length of the yarns by no. of loops on the fabric sample.
 Loop Length Control
• In a knitting m/c, V.D.Q. Pulley is used to supply the
specific length of yarn. There are two or more
adjustable pulleys which are known as V.D.Q.
Pulley. By adjusting the V.D.Q. pulley we can
control the speed of accumulator which supply the
required amount of yarn. V.D.Q. pulley is very
important to set up the correct loop length. The
amount of yarn wound on accumulator by one
revolution of cylinder is called the course length of
fabric.
• Course length= 1 × (A/B) × (C/D) × (E/F) × (G/H) × πd, Where d is the diameter of
accumulator.

Course length =K × G

K = Constant = (A/B) × (C/D) × (E/F) × πd

K = Course length/ G

Course length =K X G

N×l=K×G

=>l = ( K× G) / n

= (K/n) × G

= MG (M=K/n Which is fixed for a specific cylinder)

Sometimes, for a specific loop length, the required V.D.Q pulley is needed more or
less than the numbered V.D.Q pulley value. For this condition, we have to change
the constant value ‘k’. For change the ‘k’ we have to change E,F,E’,F’ gear.
 CALCULATIONS
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtZ1GDs
ROjc