Needle for loop formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine, knitting or warp-knitting machine having a plurality of such needles, and method for producing such a needle

Abstract

The invention provides a needle for stitch formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine, the needle comprising a main body, a needle hook, and a transfer member or tongue member which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the main body relative to the main body and the needle hook and is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of a relative movement with respect to the main body. The needle further comprises a connecting element which engages around the transfer member or tongue member at least along a part of the length of the transfer member or tongue member, such that the relative movement of the transfer member or tongue member with respect to the main body is guided by the connecting element, wherein the connecting element is connected to an upper portion of the main body. The invention additionally provides a knitting or warp-knitting machine comprising a plurality of such needles, and a method for producing such a needle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a needle for stitch formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine, to a knitting or warp-knitting machine comprising a plurality of such needles, and to a method for producing such a needle.PRIOR ART[0002]The invention is a further development of German Patent No. 10 2007 039 973 of Aug. 23, 2007, which achieves advantageous control of the opening and closing movement of a longitudinally guided tongue member without the second cam track that is necessary in the case of compound needles. The aim of the patent was to avoid the disadvantages of the latch needle for increasingly small needle pitches, that is to say to demonstrate a needle technology without pivotable latches.[0003]In contrast to the loom method, which was established thousands of years ago and allowed components made of wood, mechanical knit production is based on new materials created in the technical age for precisely controllable knitting elements, on which the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a knitting or warp-knitting machine that has several advantages, including the use of needles that can be easily detached. The machine can also have a unique engagement unit that connects to the transfer members of the needles. This engagement unit has protrusions and cutouts that are arranged in an alternating pattern, similar to a caterpillar's footprint. The engagement unit can also have a retaining rocker. The technical effects of this invention include improved efficiency, flexibility, and a more robust machine design.

Problems solved by technology

However, as the speeds of circular knitting machines increase, along with a simultaneous increase in the number of knitting systems, the described advantage proves to be a weak point in terms of production reliability.

The disadvantage of this technology in knitting machines, however, is that, for each element, a separate control cam is necessary for the control base thereof, each of these having to be accommodated in the cam systems.

This poses an additional problem for double-faced application with the associated confined cam constructions.

The two-part solution was too complicated for general use and therefore was unable to prevail over the latch needle for a number of decades.

However, this solution is not suitable for high-performance machines owing to the disadvantages due to the heating caused by the braking effect of the slide.

Not as much development time or design effort is available for being able to utilize the advantage of stitch-forming elements without pivoting latches for the varied applications using high-performance machines.

This increases the pressure on inventive new developments.

From the implementation point of view, longitudinal guidance is always more complicated than a pivot bearing of a component.

This would also be the case here with conventional design models: the sinker would have to have a guide projection and be secured laterally by a tongue and groove configuration to prevent it from falling out of the needle shank, which, besides said difficulties in terms of mass production, limits the compactness of the design.

The smaller the sinker must be, the more complex the solution compatible with mass production.

However, the flat structured transfer member requires lateral shoulders, which in the case of mini components require an additional procedure that is not very simple, and this also applies to the guide depressions on the needle shank.

In another type, which is an alternative that is of particular interest for very small needle sizes, the components are somewhat more complicated and the mounting with respect to the functional unit is possible only by hand, which requires skill.

In addition, it has proven to be a disadvantage that lint particles can penetrate into the gaps of the components, which lint particles do not remove themselves but rather settle therein and continue to build up.

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