Circular Tubular Double-Needle Bed Knitting for Seamless 3D Fabrics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional double-needle bed warp knitting machines produce tubular fabrics in a single plane, limiting their structural complexity and application range.
Innovation Solution
A tubular double-needle bed warp knitting machine with circularly arranged guide needles and needle beds, synchronized expansion and contraction motions, and a take-up mechanism to create three-dimensional tubular fabrics, utilizing natural and chemical fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional double-needle bed warp knitting machines are used to produce tubular fabrics, then production efficiency is maintained, but the fabric structure is limited to single plane which restricts application range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional single-plane knitting to three-dimensional tubular fabric construction by adding radial and axial dimensions to the traditional planar knitting space. The guide needles are arranged in multiple radial layers and can move independently in radial, axial, and tangential directions, enabling the creation of complex 3D structures that go beyond the limitations of traditional two-dimensional fabric planes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic control of guide needles through independent driving mechanisms that allow each guide needle to move flexibly in radial, axial, and tangential directions. This dynamic positioning capability enables the guide needles to adapt their positions during the knitting process, creating varied three-dimensional patterns and structures that respond to different knitting requirements.
2Loss of substance
If traditional double-needle bed warp knitting machines produce tubular fabrics, then production process is straightforward, but material waste increases due to cutting and seams
Solution Approach 1:
By constructing fabrics in three-dimensional tubular form directly during the knitting process, the patent eliminates the need for post-production cutting and joining operations. The tubular structure allows continuous knitting without breaks, maintaining the fabric as a seamless tube that can be directly used for applications requiring tubular forms, thereby eliminating material loss from cutting and seam creation.
3Loss of time
If conventional knitting machines are used, then device structure is simple, but production cycle is lengthy due to post-processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the three-dimensional tubular fabric construction directly during the knitting process itself, rather than creating flat fabrics first and then performing post-processing operations. The guide needles are positioned and moved in advance to create the desired 3D tubular structure as the fabric is being knitted, eliminating the need for subsequent cutting, joining, and shaping operations that would extend the production cycle.
4Adaptability or versatility
If single-plane tubular fabrics are produced, then manufacturing is simple, but product variety is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic positioning capability of the guide needles, controlled by independent driving mechanisms, enables the creation of varied three-dimensional patterns and structures. By adjusting the radial, axial, and tangential positions of guide needles during knitting, the machine can produce different fabric densities, pore structures, and three-dimensional patterns, significantly expanding product variety beyond what is possible with static, single-plane knitting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the guide needle system into multiple radial layers with independent driving mechanisms, allowing each layer to be controlled separately. This segmentation enables different sections of the fabric to have different structures and properties, creating product variety through localized structural variations within the same fabric piece.
Data Source
AI summary
A tubular double-needle bed warp knitting machine includes a warp let-off mechanism, and a loop-forming mechanism. The loop-forming mechanism includes guide needles in a circular pattern, two circular needle beds arranged internally and externally, knitting needles in a circular pattern along the internal and external needle beds, and knitting components that move in coordination with the knitting needles. Some of the guide needles form loops on the internal and external circular needle beds to connect sections of the two fabric pieces to create a three-dimensional tubular fabric. The formed three-dimensional tubular fabric gradually exits the knitting area.