Circular Knitting Machine Miniature Bar Drawing Frames
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circular knitting machines face reduced productivity and complex maintenance due to large dead zones and excessive drive requirements from combined drawing frames, which hinder efficient operation and repair.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of miniature bars, each comprising multiple drawing frames that can be connected and dismantled individually, allowing for easier access and maintenance without interrupting the knitting process, using switchable cam parts or electromagnets to manage needle selection and fibrous material flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If drawing frames are combined to form large bar-shaped assemblies, then the number of drives required is reduced and investment volume decreases, but productivity is reduced due to large dead zones and limited usable knitting systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the drawing frame assembly into multiple small modular units (miniature bars) that can be independently arranged around the needle cylinder. Each miniature bar contains a limited number of drawing frames (e.g., 2-4 frames per bar), allowing the system to maintain reduced drive complexity while eliminating large dead zones and maximizing the number of usable knitting systems through flexible circular arrangement.
2Ease of repair
If drawing frames are disposed individually in segment shape around the circular knitting machine, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but the number of drives required increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements segmentation by creating modular miniature bars that can be independently accessed and maintained. Each bar is positioned around the needle cylinder such that maintenance personnel can access drawing frames without dismantling the entire assembly, while multiple drawing frames within each bar share common drive mechanisms, thereby reducing the total number of drives required compared to completely individual disposal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple drawing frames within each miniature bar to share common drive mechanisms and support structures. This merging approach reduces the total number of drives required while maintaining the modular, accessible segmental arrangement that facilitates ease of repair.
3Device complexity
If large bar-shaped drawing frame assemblies are used, then investment costs are reduced, but maintenance becomes difficult requiring complete dismantling of the drawing frame bar
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the drawing frame assembly into multiple small miniature bars that can be independently accessed and maintained. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to work on individual bars or small groups of bars without dismantling the entire drawing frame assembly, thereby reducing maintenance difficulty while keeping investment volume low through the modular approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic accessibility by arranging miniature bars around the needle cylinder in a circular configuration, allowing maintenance personnel to access drawing frames from multiple positions and angles. This dynamic arrangement enables maintenance operations on individual bars without requiring complete dismantling of the entire assembly.
4Productivity
If switchable cam parts or electromagnets are used for needle selection, then continuous knitting operation is maintained during maintenance, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the needle selection control function into separate switchable cam parts or electromagnets that can be independently activated or deactivated. This extraction allows specific knitting systems to be switched to non-knitting mode during maintenance operations on associated drawing frames, enabling continuous operation of the remaining systems while maintaining relatively simple control mechanism complexity through localized switching rather than system-wide control changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A circular knitting machine is described which has a plurality of knitting systems which are arranged on the circumference of the needle cylinder and a corresponding plurality of drawing frames which are assigned individually to the knitting systems for feeding substantially untwisted fibrous materials to knitting tools which can be deployed in the knitting systems into in each case a fibre-receiving position. According to the invention, the drawing frames are configured as miniature bars which have at least four and at most eight adjacent drawing frames and a central housing (25) which is designed to receive the drives and from which the upper and lower rolls (26b, 27b, 28b) of the drawing frame assembly protrude on both sides.