Circular Knitting Needle Wall Assembly With Heat-Treatment Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing needle walls assemblies in circular knitting machines result in insufficient accuracy, surface roughness, and wear resistance due to heat treatment deformations and laborious post-processing requirements, leading to reduced machine productivity and increased component wear.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a needle bed body with heat treatment deformation coefficients and precision-controlled insertion sheets, where the slots are milled to prevent deformation, allowing for accurate assembly without grinding or polishing, and maintaining parallelism within specified tolerances to reduce friction and extend component lifespan.
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 parallelism accuracy and dimensional precision deteriorate due to heat treatment deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-reserving a correctable size range in the datum planes before heat treatment. The needle bed body is designed with predetermined deformation compensation, allowing the datum planes to be adjusted after heat treatment to achieve the required parallelism accuracy of 0.03mm or less.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and dimensions of the needle bed body through heat treatment to improve strength, while simultaneously implementing a compensation mechanism that adjusts the datum plane parameters after treatment to maintain manufacturing precision within specification limits.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional post-processing (grinding, polishing, deburring) is performed, then the surface smoothness and accuracy are improved, but the production time and labor cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by designing the slots and datum planes with pre-controlled dimensions and surface qualities that meet the final specification requirements. The insertion sheets are manufactured with precise dimensions and rounded corners before assembly, eliminating the need for subsequent grinding, polishing, and deburring operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the time-consuming post-processing steps (grinding, polishing, deburring) from the manufacturing流程 by implementing precision control at earlier stages, thereby removing unnecessary operations while maintaining product quality.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the slots are milled deeply to prevent heat treatment deformation, then the dimensional stability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and processing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively controlling the milling depth and precision only in critical areas such as the slot bottoms and datum planes, rather than the entire needle bed body. This localized precision approach maintains dimensional stability where needed while reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements preliminary action by pre-calculating and pre-reserving the correctable size range in the datum planes before heat treatment, allowing for controlled deformation compensation without requiring excessive milling depth or complexity in the slot formation process.
4Manufacturing precision
If the insertion sheets are ground to achieve required accuracy, then the parallelism precision is improved, but the round corners become right-angled and cause increased wear on knitting needles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by manufacturing the insertion sheets with precise dimensions, parallelism, and rounded corners before assembly. The sheets are produced with the final required geometry through precision manufacturing processes that eliminate the need for subsequent grinding, thereby preserving the protective round corners that prevent knitting needle wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harm of rounded corners (which might reduce effective contact area) into a benefit by demonstrating that the rounded corners actually protect the knitting needles from wear and damage, while the precision manufacturing ensures that parallelism requirements are met without compromising the corner geometry.
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 eliminates the need for extensive post-processing, enhances the accuracy and durability of needle walls, reduces friction, and increases knitting speed and productivity by ensuring precise assembly and maintaining required tolerances.
Implementation Method 1
the needle bed body 1a is known as a needle wall. However, the bottoms of the slots 19a are always deformed by the heat treatment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
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.