GB1078462A - Method of manufacture of fashioned knitted garments, machine for carrying out this method and garment obtained by this method - Google Patents

Abstract

Undergarments, such as mens' pants or vests, swimsuits or other shaped articles having part tubular portions are knitted on a circular machine which produces the tubular portion by continuous rotary knitting and also produces shaped portions by reciprocatory knitting. In a two feed machine having the knitting stations diametrically opposed the tubular portion is formed by knitting on all of the needles of the machine at both knitting stations. Shaped portions are then produced by reciprocatory knitting on the needles of each half of the machine or on other divided groups of needles, the shaping being achieved by casting loops off the needles as they are rendered inoperative and subsequently forming fresh loops on them when they are reintroduced. In addition pouches may be formed in the garment during reciprocatory knitting by narrowing and widening effected by rendering the end needles when they are rendered inoperative. The edges of the garments are subsequently seamed to prevent them unravelling. The machine for producing the fabric garments comprises in one embodiment, a two feed machine in which the needles are capable of being elevated or lowered into one or more of four guide channels for the needle butts in which they occupy a high inoperative position with the loops on their shanks, an intermediate position in which the loops are positioned on the shanks beneath the latches, knitting position and a lowered inoperative position on which the needles reside after having cast off their loops. The movement of the needles from one channel to the next or another channel is achieved by narrowing and widening pickers during the shaping operations and also by cams which selectively guide groups or individual needles into or out of their operative and inoperative positions. In addition splicing mechanism is provided for reinforcing portions of the fabric garments and the reinforcing area control may be achieved by either needle selection on which needles are raised to take both ground and reinforcing yarns or the reinforcing yarn guide may be swung to wrap its yarn around and feed it to selected needles. The garments may be knitted in string form separated by separating courses each successive garment being a mirror image of the preceding garment, the garments being separated after removal from the machine stitched across the edges where required to secure them together and the edges trimmed and secured.