Circular Knitting Needle Wall Assembly With Heat-Treatment Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional circular knitting machines face issues with accuracy and wear resistance due to heat treatment deformation and subsequent processing challenges, leading to increased friction, component wear, and reduced machine productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method for manufacturing needle walls assembly that involves introducing heat treatment deformation coefficients, milling slot bottoms, and precision machining of insertion sheets to ensure accurate fit and reduce deformation, eliminating the need for grinding and polishing, and maintaining parallelism within specified tolerances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If heat treatment is applied to the needle bed body, then the strength and durability are improved, but the deformation of slots and datum planes increases, reducing manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and introducing heat treatment deformation coefficients during the CNC machining process. The slot bottoms and datum planes are milled with predetermined compensation values that anticipate the deformation that will occur during subsequent heat treatment, allowing the final dimensions to meet specifications after heat treatment without requiring post-processing grinding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the machining parameters by introducing deformation coefficients that modify the slot bottom depths and datum plane positions. These parameter adjustments compensate for the expected heat treatment deformation, transforming the machining process from a post-heat-treatment correction approach to a pre-compensated direct machining approach.
2Manufacturing precision
If grinding and polishing processes are applied to insertion sheets, then surface smoothness is improved, but the manufacturing time and labor are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the time-consuming grinding and polishing operations from the manufacturing process. By achieving the required surface smoothness and dimensional accuracy through optimized CNC milling with deformation compensation, the patent removes these secondary processing steps entirely, significantly improving manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The machining process itself provides the required surface quality through optimized cutting parameters and deformation compensation, eliminating the need for separate finishing operations. The CNC milling process delivers both dimensional accuracy and acceptable surface smoothness in one operation.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional post-processing including deburring and polishing is applied, then surface quality is improved, but the friction and wear of knitting needles increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface finish parameters by optimizing the CNC milling process to produce a surface texture that reduces friction. Instead of creating a highly polished surface through multiple finishing passes, the optimized milling process produces a surface with appropriate roughness characteristics that minimize needle wear while maintaining dimensional accuracy.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple post-processing steps are applied to remove burrs and polish surfaces, then component quality is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and time are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes multiple post-processing steps (deburring, polishing, sandblast grinding) from the manufacturing process. By achieving burr-free, accurately dimensioned components through optimized CNC milling with deformation compensation, the patent eliminates an entire class of secondary processing operations, reducing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by designing the machining process to prevent burr formation and achieve final dimensions in the primary milling operation. By anticipating heat treatment deformation and compensating for it in the slot bottom depth calculations, the process avoids the need for subsequent grinding and finishing operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances the lifespan of knitting needles and needle walls, reduces friction, and increases machine productivity by improving the accuracy and surface smoothness of the needle walls assembly, thereby preventing quality issues like yarn forking and machine malfunction.
Implementation Method 1
the bottoms of the slots 19a are always deformed by the heat treatment
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes the steps of: a) providing a needle bed body and insertion sheets, wherein the needle bed body is provided with slots, the needle bed body has a first datum plane and a second datum plane, each insertion sheet has a first and second portions at two ends thereof and corresponding to the first datum plane and the second datum plane; b) measuring sizes of the inserting sheets and the bottom of the slot and milling each slot when needed; c) measuring sizes of the first datum plane and second datum plane and machining the first and second datum planes when needed; and d) inserting the insertion sheets into the slots with making the first and second portions attached on the first and second datum planes, respectively.