Circular Hosiery Machine With Turner-Based Internal End Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hosiery and knitwear circular machines face challenges in efficiently closing the ends of tubular articles, such as socks, with solutions either requiring complex modifications, producing unsightly external seams, or being difficult to implement and prone to wear and tear.
Innovation Solution
A circular machine with a turner mechanism that aligns axially with the cylinder, extracts and turns the tubular article inside out, and uses a transferring apparatus to position stitches on opposite needles, ensuring the seam is internal and robust, with minimal machine modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the sock is kept sucked in a recess of small dimensions during formation, then the machine structure is simplified, but the production method becomes extremely complex and prone to malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional production approach by turning the tubular article inside out before closing the end, rather than keeping it sucked in a recess. This allows the article to be produced in a traditional manner and then overturned for closing, simplifying the production method while maintaining machine structure simplicity.
2Device complexity
If the seam is placed externally on the tubular article, then the closing operation is simplified, but the aesthetic quality deteriorates due to unsightly seams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the article inside out before performing the closing operation. This allows the seam to be formed on the internal surface of the article, which then becomes hidden when the article is worn, achieving both simplified closing operation and aesthetic quality.
3Productivity
If a semicircular sector with bifurcation elements is used to transfer stitches, then the end closing is achieved, but the device complexity increases and wear and tear occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the stitch transfer function from a complex semicircular sector mechanism and implements it using the machine's own cylinder needles. The needles that formed the tubular article are reused to transfer and join the stitches, eliminating the need for separate transferring apparatus and reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylinder needles serve multiple functions: they form the tubular article during production and then transfer and join the stitches at the end closing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate transferring apparatus, reducing device complexity while maintaining end closing capability.
4Ease of operation
If the machine head and yarn feeding stations are moved away from the cylinder to accommodate the turner, then the turning operation is enabled, but the machine configuration becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the machine head and yarn feeding stations movable rather than fixed. These components can be moved away from the cylinder during the turning operation to accommodate the turner, and then returned to their original positions after closing. This dynamic configuration enables the turning operation while minimizing permanent machine complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A circular machine for producing tubular manufactured articles and a respective process are provided. The circular machine comprises a turner arranged above and axially aligned with a cylinder of the machine and configured to extract the tubular manufactured article from said cylinder. At the same time, turn it inside out, and a transferring apparatus for collecting, from at least one first half of the cylinder needles, the respective stitches and coupling them with the stitches initially arranged on a second half of the cylinder needles. As such, there are two stitches that have to be joined by processing at least one yarn through at least said half of the cylinder needles on each of the needles of one half of the cylinder needles.