GB2068022A - Stitch presser for a knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The stitch presser for a knitting machine, which acts on the stitches held back by needles between the needle beds, comprises an elongated profile portion provided with a support and having a roof-shaped cross- section. The groove on the inside of the profile portion, which may be V- shaped as shown or semi-cylindrical, faces away from the support and towards the stitches. The special cross-sectional shape of this stitch presser exerts an improved action on the knitwear, regardless of the yarn thickness, the type of knitting or other irregularities in the stitch formation. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Stitch presser for a knitting machine The invention relates to a stitch presser for a knitting machine having needles disposed in at least two needle beds and controlled by a carriage movable over the needle beds to act on the stitches held back by the needles between the needle beds by means of alternating control of the stitch presser by the carriage.

A hold-down device for knitting machines with needle beds disposed in V-shape, of the kind indicated, is already known from the DE-PS 1 956 1 90. In this case each pair of holding-down devices is formed from a single metal strip with a rectangular cross-section.

In a modified form of a stitch presser device according to DE-OS 2 649 387 of the Applicant, a combination of overlapping slides is used so as to be suitable for mixed kinds of knitting also. The cross-sections of the slides seen in the Figures are clearly made round but without being described in detail in the text.

In an improved stitch presser device according to DE-OS 2 707 637, the width of the slide of rectangular cross-section is made narrower at certain parts which, in cooperation with a necessary control device, is an advantage for different kinds of knitting.

Finally, a stitch presser is known from the DE-AS 2 707 636 wherein different thicknesses are allocated to the various working regions. A bent metal wire with a uniform diameter can be used for this or a wire consisting of various offset diameters or a punched metal strip.

All the stitch pressers hitherto known, however, have the disadvantage that with different kinds of knitting, the flexible slides are easily lifted from the fabric in the region of the moving needles and are dislodged from their normal position. It has also been found that with the solid profiles hitherto used with a round or rectangular cross-section of the slides, the contact with the fabric, particularly in the event of irregularities in the stitch formation, always takes place at the highest point in the last row of stitches formed, which leads to an uncertain method of working.

It is the object of the invention to provide a suitable cross-sectional shape of the stitch presser which exerts a better effect on the fabric, regardless of yarn thickness, type of knitting or other irregularities in the stitch formation.

According to the invention there is provided a stitch presser for a knitting machine having needles disposed in at least two needle beds and controlled by a carriage movable over the needle beds to act on the stitches held back by the needles between the needle beds by means of alternating control of the stitch presser by the carriage, which stitch presser comprises an elongated portion provided with a support and at least one slide, characterised in that the elongated portion is a one-piece profile portion with a roofshaped cross-section, the hollow inside of which faces away from the support.

The profile portion with a roof-shaped crosssection may be an equal-sided angle profile portion or a semicircular profile portion.

The profile portion advantageously comprises apertures extending in the longitudinal direction, and the profile portion can be wider in the region of these apertures than in the other regions.

Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows a partial view of a stitch presser device for a flat knitting machine with two knitting systems, Figure 2 shows a front view of a stitch presser according to the invention, Figure 3 shows a sectional view on a larger scale on the line Ill-Ill in Figure 2, Figure 4 shows a sectional view on a larger scale on the line IV-lV in Figure 2, Figure 5 shows a view A of Figure 2 on a larger scale, Figure 6 shows a section through the needle beds on a iarger scale with the stitch presser according to the invention, Figure 7 shows a section through the needle beds similar to the illustration in Figure 6 but for another embodiment.

The stitch pressing device 1 illustrated in Figure 1 comprises two stitch pressers 2. Each stitch presser 2 comprises a slide or shoe 3 which works when the carriage is moving from right to left on the knitting machine and a slide or shoe 4 which works when the carriage is moving in the opposite direction. Stops 5 and 6 serve to reverse the stitch pressers at each end of the travel of the carriage.

The means for securing the stitch pressing device 1 to the carriage and the reversing devices are known and do not form part of the present invention. Therefore they are neither illustrated nor described.

The slides or shoes 3 and 4 are connected to a support 7 which in turn is secured to a lever 8 by means of known means, not illustrated.

The slides 3 and 4 (Figure 2) form a roofshaped profile which is illustrated in more detail in Figure 3. The upper surfaces 9 of the slides form an angle a with one another, which is smaller than the angle dformed by the crossing needles (Figure 6). The under side of the slide has a groove 10.

As can further be seen from Figure 2, the slides 3 and 4 are formed with apertures 11, the longitudinal extent b of which extends at both sides of the slides 3 and 4.

The apertures 11 can be seen in Figures 4 and 5. The profile is widened by the amount c at both sides in the region of the aperture 11 and at this point has the characteristic of yielding resiliently.

The situation illustrated in Figure 6 exists immediately before the needles 1 2 and 13, which are disposed in the needle beds 14 and 1 5 for individual movement in the usual manner, are moved by the cams of the carriage (not illustrated).

During the knitting on both needle beds, the knitwear 16 is held by the stitches 19 and 20 engaged in the needle hooks 17 and 18.

The roof-shaped slide 3, which fills the space between the stitch formers 21 and 22 in use of the needle beds 14 and 15, presses on the lastformed stitches, at both sides, helped by the groove 10. Accumulations of stitches or other irregularities in the kind of knitting can easily penetrate into the groove 10 without altering the position of the stitch presser.

The precise lateral guiding of the slide is facilitated by the fact that the widened portion in the vicinity of the aperture 11 (Figure 5) can bear without play and resiliently against the stitch formers 21 and 22.

Should the lateral position of the stitch presser nevertheless alter, then the roof-shaped profile causes a gentle sliding back on the movement of the needle head 17 or 18 on the inclined upper surfaces of the presser, because their angle is less than the angle formed by the crossing needles.

The same advantages also result with the modified semicircular profile shape illustrated in Figure 7. Each longitudinal edge of the semicircular profile 23 lies in a plane below the path of movement of the needles and thus permits a safe method of working.

A stitch pressing device has been described with reference to the Figures which comprises a slide or shoe at each of its end regions, is pivotally mounted on the carriage of the knitting machine and is automatically reversed at the end of a carriage travel. Instead of this, it is also possible to provide a separate stitch presser for each direction of movement, which is then automatically lowered or raised at each end of the travel of the carriage.

Such separate stitch pressers may also be constructed to advantage as profile portions with a roof-shaped cross-section according to the invention.

It is understood that the stitch presser according to the invention permits knitting both on one and on two needle beds, in which case similar or different rows of stitches may occur.

Claims (6)

1. A stitch presser for a knitting machine having needles disposed in at least two needle beds and controlled by a carriage movable over the needle beds to act on the stitches held back by the needles between the needle beds by means of alternating control of the stitch presser by the carriage, which stitch presser comprises an elongated portion provided with a support and at least one slide, characterised in that the elongated portion is a one-piece profile portion with a roof-shaped crosssection, the hollow inside of which faces away from the support.

2. A stitch presser as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the profile portion with a roof-shaped cross-section is an equal-sided angle profile portion.

3. A stitch presser as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the profile portion with a roof-shaped cross-section is a semi-circular profile portion.

4. A stitch presser as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 3, characteised in that the profile portion is formed with an aperture which extends in the longitudinal direction.

5. A stitch presser as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the profile portion is wider in the region of the aperture than in the remaining regions.

6. A stitch presser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.