Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
  • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
  • B08B3/024—Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04B—KNITTING
  • D04B37/00—Auxiliary apparatus or devices for use with knitting machines
  • D04B37/02—Auxiliary apparatus or devices for use with knitting machines with weft knitting machines

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a machine for cleaning needle holder plates for knitting machines.
• Knitting machines are known of the automated type, which have a plurality of moving needles suitable for intertwining the stitches of one or more yarns.
• needles are usually fitted on a needle holder plate, so-called “needle bed”, which has a rectangular shape and a series of grooves.
• the needles are housed in a sliding way along an equal number of parallel grooves and overhang out of one side of the needle holder plate, which defines the work side along which the yarns run during use.
• one or more actuating rods so-called “sub-needles”, “sinkers” and “jacks” are also arranged in a sliding way with the aim of moving the needles according to the type of knitting job to be performed on the yarns.
• the needle holder plates tend to become considerably dirty, not only because of the dust and fine dust but, above all, due to the yarn fibres which, passing through the machine needles, lose a number of strands.
• the needle guide and housing grooves thus tend soon to fill with dirt, with the risk of jeopardizing and impairing normal knitting machine operation.
• the main aim of the present invention is to provide a machine for cleaning needle holder plates for knitting machines which permits washing the needle holder plates in a practical, easy and functional way, in particularly short times and without requiring the personnel to perform long jobs.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for cleaning needle holder plates for knitting machines which permits reducing greatly the costs for the maintenance and management of the needle holder plates.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for cleaning needle holder plates for knitting machines which allows to overcome the mentioned drawbacks of the state of the art in the ambit of a simple, rational, easy and effective to use as well as low cost solution.
• the present machine for cleaning needle holder plates for knitting machines characterized by the fact that it comprises: at least a base frame;
• At least a supporting device which can be placed in correspondence to said washing tank and suitable for supporting, in a preset washing position, at least a needle holder plate for knitting machines, said needle holder plate comprising:
• a plurality of needles for knitwear housed sliding in said grooves and having at least a work extremity which protrudes overhanging from said work side;
• dispensing means associated with said base frame and suitable for dispensing a washing fluid under pressure towards said needle holder plate - placed in said preset washing position.
• Figure 1 is an axonometric view of the machine according to the invention
• Figure 2 is an axonometric view, on enlarged scale, of a detail of the needle holder plate than can be cleaned by means of the machine according to the invention
• Figure 3 is an axonometric view, from another angle, of the needle holder plate of figure 2;
• Figure 4 is an axonometric view, on enlarged scale, of a detail of the machine according to the invention.
• Figure 5 is a section view of the machine according to the invention.
• Figure 6 is an enlarged scale view of a detail of figure 5;
• FIG. 7 is a block diagram which shows the hydraulic circuit of the machine according to the invention.
• globally- indicated by 1 is a machine for cleaning needle holder plates for knitting machines.
• the machine 1 is intended to wash one or more needle holder plates or needle beds 2, comprising:
• a plurality of needles 6 for knitwear housed sliding in the grooves 5 and having at least a work extremity 7 which protrudes overhanging from the work side 4.
• the plate-shaped body 3 has a first main face 8 and a second main face 9 opposite one another.
• the grooves 5 are obtained on the first main face 8 and are all orthogonal to the work side 4.
• the grooves 5 substantially extend along the entire width of the plate-shaped body 3, from the work side 4 as far as the opposite side 10.
• the actuator rods 11 are also housed in a sliding way.
• the attached illustrations always show just one needle holder plate 2 but it is easy to appreciate that the machine 1 is sized so as to also house several needle holder plates 2 at the same time.
• the machine 1 comprises a base frame 12 for resting at the ground.
• a cabinet 13 is fitted for containing the machine 1 out of which protrudes a sliding drawer mechanism 14.
• the sliding drawer mechanism 14 is made up of a drawer that can slide horizontally between a washing configuration, wherein it is inserted in the cabinet 13, and a loading and unloading configuration, wherein it is extracted from the cabinet 13 and its contents are accessible from outside to load the needle holder plates 2 to be washed and remove the needle holder plates 2 already washed.
• the machine 1 For the cleaning of the needle holder plates 2, the machine 1 has:
• a supporting device 16 which can be placed in correspondence to the washing tank 15 and suitable for supporting, in a preset washing position, at least one of the needle holder plates 2; a locator element 17 which can be placed in correspondence to the washing tank 15 so that, when the needle holder plate 2 is placed in the preset washing position, the locator element 17 is arranged at a preset distance from the work side 4 and the work extremities 7 are arranged in contact - against it to prevent the needles 6 from completely exiting from the grooves
• dispensing means 18 suitable for dispensing a washing fluid 19 under pressure towards the needle holder plate 2 placed in the preset washing position.
• washing tank 15, the supporting device 16 and the locator element 17 are associated with the base frame 12 through a sliding drawer mechanism 14.
• the washing tank 15, the supporting device 16 and the locator element 17 are fitted on the drawer 14, with the supporting device 16 and the locator element 17 arranged above the washing tank 15, which defines the bottom of the drawer 14.
• the dispensing means 18, on the other hand, are arranged at the top v of the cabinet 13.
• the supporting device 16 is shaped so that, in the preset washing position, the needle holder plates 2 are substantially tilted, with the first main face 8 turned upwards and the work side 4 turned downwards.
• the needle holder plates 2 are arranged with the work side 4 and the opposite side 10 substantially horizontal and with the work side 4 at a lower height than the opposite side 10/
• the supporting device 16 comprises a tilted plane 20 on which the needle holder plates 2 can be rested.
• the second main face 9 has specific coupling holes 22a for coupling with screws 22b.
• the locator element 17 is associated with the supporting device 16 by means of a series of supporting arms 23 extending overhanging from the tilted plane 20.
• the locator element 17 is defined by a first edge that extends horizontally along the entire length of the tilted plane 20.
• the work side 4 of the needle holder plates 2 is arranged substantially facing and parallel to the first edge 17.
• the first edge 17 has a surface 17a which receives in support the work extremities of the needles 6 and which is substantially orthogonal to the tilted plane 20.
• the machine 1 also comprises a protection element 24, which can be placed substantially between the dispensing means 18 and the work extremities 7 of the needles 6 in the preset washing position and which is suitable for protecting the work extremities 7 from the washing fluid 19.
• the work extremities 7 can be more or less thin and fragile; to prevent the pressure of the washing fluid 19 from damaging the work extremities 7, the protection element 24 is arranged so as to divert the jet of washing fluid 19.
• the protection element .24 is defined by a second edge which extends horizontally along the entire length of the tilted plane 20 and which is arranged substantially in the proximity of the first edge 17.
• first edge 17 and the second edge 24 are defined by a profile having a "L"-shaped transversal section, in which one side of the "L” defines the first edge 17 while the other side of the "L” defines the second edge 24.
• the machine 1 also comprises a positioning bar 25 which can be placed in correspondence to the washing tank 15 at a preset distance from the needle holder plates 2 so that, when the needle holder plates 2 are placed in the preset washing position, the work extremities 7 of the needles 6 are arranged resting on the positioning bar 25 and kept in a substantially inclined configuration with respect to the plate-shaped body 3.
• the needles 6 usually enjoy a certain amount of freedom of movement which enables them, therefore, to be positioned in the above tilted configuration.
• the positioning bar 25 is fitted on the supporting arms 23 and extends horizontally along the entire length of the tilted plane 20.
• the positioning bar 25 has a tilted border 26, defined by a rounded or joined corner, which acts as an invitation for the positioning of the needles 6 in the tilted configuration.
• the tilted border 26 diverts the forward movement of the needles 6 ' making them tilt with respect to the plate-shaped body 3.
• the operation of loading the needle holder plates 2 on the machine 1 is therefore particularly easy and can be performed in just a few minutes.
• the washing operation is generally very quick and efficient.
• the dispensing means 18 comprise at least a nozzle 27 suitable for directing a jet of the washing fluid 19 towards the needle holder plates 2.
• the nozzle 27, in particular, is fitted on first movement means 29, 30 suitable for moving the nozzle 27 along a direction Dl which, when the needle holder plates 2 are placed in the preset washing position, is substantially parallel to the work side 4.
• the first movement means 29, 30, for example, comprise one or more horizontal guides 29, which define the direction Dl and on which is operated sliding a first slide 30 supporting the nozzle 27.
• the nozzle 27 is fitted on second movement means 32, 33 suitable for moving the nozzle 27 along a direction D2 which, when the needle holder plates 2 are placed in the preset washing position, is substantially parallel to the needle holder plate 2 and to the grooves 5.
• the second movement means 32, 33 for example, comprise one or more tilted guides 32 which are mounted on the first slide 30, and define the direction D2 and on which is operated sliding a second slide 33 supporting the nozzle 27.
• the nozzle 27, finally, is fitted on third movement means 34 suitable for turning the nozzle 27 around a rotation axis A which, when the needle holder plates 2 are placed in the preset washing position, is substantially parallel to the work side 4.
• the third movement means 34 are defined by a rotational actuator which is mounted on the second slide 33, defines the rotation axis A and supports the nozzle 27.
• the machine 1 is only equipped with fixed nozzles 27, distributed so as to cover the entire extension of the needle holder plates 2.
• the machine 1 has a reduced set of nozzles 27 fastened to the first slide 30, which are mobile along the direction Dl but which are not mobile along the direction D2 or around the rotation axis A.
• the machine 1 has just one nozzle 27 fastened to the second slide 33, which is therefore able to move along the direction Dl and the direction D2, but not around the rotation axis A.
• the machine 1 has just one nozzle 27 fitted on the rotational actuator 34 which, in turn, is fastened to the first slide 30; in this case, the nozzle is therefore able to move along the direction D 1 and around the rotation axis A, but not along the direction D2.
• the washing fluid 19 used in the machine 1 is a liquid mixture specifically studied so as not to damage or deteriorate the material from which the needle holder plates 2 and the needles 6 are made;
• the washing fluid 19, in particular, consists of a mixture of demineralised water and passivating substances, but lots of other substances or substance mixtures can be used.
• the washing fluid 19 sprayed by the nozzle 27 is collected in the washing tank 15 and made to circulate inside a hydraulic circuit 35 (figure 7) housed in the machine 1.
• the washing fluid 19 collected in the washing tank 15 first of all passes through a first filtering element 36, which collects up the dirt S.
• the first filtering element 36 for example, consists of a rough filter which is intended to trap the particles of dirt S of larger size.
• the first filtering element 36 is fitted to the base of the washing tank 15 and of the drawer 14.
• a first pumping element 37 Downstream of the first filtering element 36, a first pumping element 37 is also housed, which operates at low pressure (2 ⁇ 4 bar) and which collects up the washing fluid coming out of the first filtering element 36 and conveys it through a second filtering element 38.
• the second filtering element 38 for example, consists of a fine filter intended to collect up the particles of dirt S of smaller size.
• the washing fluid 19 coming out of the second filtering element 38 then reaches a storage tank 39.
• the storage tank 39 consists, for example, of a boiler intended to heat the washing fluid 19.
• the washing fluid 19 used on the needle holder plates 2 does in fact have a temperature substantially between about 50 °C and 70 °C (preferably 60 °C); such temperature allows increasing the cleaning power of the washing fluid 19 and the efficacy of the wash.
• a second pumping element 40 is positioned which is suitable for taking the washing fluid 19 from the storage tank 39 and pressurizing the washing fluid 19 before conveying it to the washing tank 15.
• the washing fluid 19 used on the needle holder plates 2 does in fact have a pressure substantially higher than 40 bar and preferably between about 130 bar and 150 bar; such pressure allows increasing the cleaning power of the washing fluid 19 and the efficacy of the wash.
• the hydraulic circuit 35 has two filtering elements 36, 38.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Knitting Machines (AREA)
• Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
• Socks And Pantyhose (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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• 2012
  • 2012-04-26 IT IT000110A patent/ITMO20120110A1/it unknown
• 2013
  • 2013-04-22 HU HUE13725821A patent/HUE031816T2/en unknown
  • 2013-04-22 EP EP13725821.6A patent/EP2841632B1/de active Active
  • 2013-04-22 WO PCT/IB2013/053165 patent/WO2013160817A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2013-04-22 RS RS20160980A patent/RS55322B1/sr unknown
  • 2013-04-22 CN CN201380021669.2A patent/CN104246041B/zh active Active
  • 2013-04-22 RU RU2014140836A patent/RU2624177C2/ru active
  • 2013-04-22 BR BR112014026629-8A patent/BR112014026629B1/pt active IP Right Grant
  • 2013-04-22 SI SI201330371A patent/SI2841632T1/sl unknown
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• 2016
  • 2016-11-03 HR HRP20161455TT patent/HRP20161455T1/hr unknown

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