Knitting Machine Feeder Pushing Member for Strand Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear uppers are complex and inefficient to manufacture due to multiple material elements requiring stitching or bonding, leading to increased waste and reduced recyclability.
Innovation Solution
A knitting machine with a feeder system that incorporates a feeder arm with a dispensing area and a pushing member to feed yarns into a knitting bed, allowing for the formation of a unitary knit component that reduces material complexity and enhances manufacturing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional footwear uppers are manufactured using multiple material elements requiring stitching or bonding, then structural integrity can be achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases and recyclability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple material elements into a single knitted component that integrates different functional zones (e.g., toe box, vamp, quarter, heel) into one continuous structure. This eliminates the need for separate pieces requiring stitching or bonding, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining structural integrity through the knitted construction itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The knitted component serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, creates aperture patterns for breathability, defines footwear zones, and enables recyclability. This multi-functionality is achieved through a single integrated component rather than multiple specialized pieces, improving ease of manufacture while reducing material complexity.
2Loss of substance
If multiple material elements are used to construct footwear uppers, then structural integrity can be maintained, but waste increases and recyclability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By combining multiple material elements into one knitted component, the patent eliminates waste associated with cutting, stitching, and bonding separate pieces. The single continuous knitted structure reduces material loss during manufacturing and simplifies end-of-life recycling since the entire upper can be processed as one material type without separating different components.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified knitted component design facilitates recovery and recycling of the entire footwear upper as a single material stream. Unlike multi-component constructions that require separation and generate mixed waste, this design allows the whole upper to be discarded or recovered together, maximizing recyclability and minimizing waste.
3Manufacturing precision
If a pushing member is added to the feeder to provide clearance for strand incorporation, then knitting precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder is segmented into distinct functional zones: the dispensing area for strand delivery and the pushing member for clearance creation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, improving strand incorporation precision while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through modular functional division.
Solution Approach 2:
The pushing member acts as an intermediary element between the dispensing area and the knitting bed. It mediates the strand incorporation process by creating necessary clearance and guiding the strand into the knitting zone, thereby improving precision without requiring complex mechanical systems at the dispensing tip itself.
Data Source
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AI summary
A feeder (220) for a knitting machine includes a feeder arm (240) with a dispensing area (245) configured to feed a strand (206) toward a knitting bed of the knitting machine. The feeder (220) also includes a pushing member (215) that is operably supported by the feeder arm (240). The pushing member (215) is configured to push a portion of the knit component to provide clearance for the strand (206) to be incorporated in a knit component.