GB2087934A

GB2087934A - Production of plush fabric on flat knitting machine

Info

Publication number: GB2087934A
Application number: GB8037902A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS Ltd
Current assignee: MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS Ltd
Priority date: 1980-11-26
Filing date: 1980-11-26
Publication date: 1982-06-03

Abstract

A cam box for a V-bed knitting machine includes a first set of cams for operating one of the needle beds and a second set of cams for operating the other needle bed, the first and second sets of cams being arranged so that on every traverse of the cam box, the first set of cams operate the needles of said one bed to knit the main fabric whilst the second set of cams operate the needles of the other needle bed to cooperate with needles of the said one bed to hold plush loops and also operate the same needles of the other needle bed to press-off the hold plush loops. A movable cam 26 of the second set is rendered operative in the leading position to raised needles along track 25a and thereby press-off plush loops formed in a knitting system 20 on the previous traverse. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Production of single system plush fabric The present invention relates to a V-bed knitting machine adapted to produce plush fabric.

Knitting of plush fabric on a V-bed knitting machine has been practiced for many years but the rate at which such a machine knits plus fabric is slow. This is because the conventional way of knitting such fabric involves the cam box traversing the needle beds three times but only on one traverse does the cam box operate the needles to knit. Thus in accordance with the conventional method, the cam box traverses across the needle beds together with the yarn feeder to produce a 1 x 1 fabric on the rear bed with alternate needles on the front bed holding loops formed in the 1 x 1 fabric. These held loops have to be pressed off the front bed needles and to achieve this the cam box traverses the needle bed without the yarn feeder and operates the front bed needles only to press off the held loops to thereby form the plush loops.

The cam box traverses the needle beds without operating either bed of needles to pick-up the yarn feeder. The above three traverses are repeated to produce a desired length of fabric.

It is a general aim of the present invention to provide a cam box for a V-bed knitting machine which enables the knitting machine to produce plush fabric on every traverse of the cam box across the needle beds.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cam box for a V-bed knitting machine, the cam box including a first set of cams for operating the other needle bed, the first and second sets of cams being arranged so that on every traverse of the cam box, the first set of cams operate the needles of said one bed to knit the main fabric whilst the second set of cams operate the needles of the other needle bed to cooperate with needles of the said one bed to hold plush loops and also operate the same needles of the other needle bed to press-off the held plush loops.

Preferably the second set of cams includes pressing-off cams positioned either side of one or more knitting cams, one pressing-off cam being arranged to operate only when the cam box is traversing in one direction and the other pressing off cam being arranged to operate only when the cam box is traversing in the opposite direction.

Advantageously, existing V-bed machines having a cam box which incorporate transfer and receiving cams both sides of knitting cams may be modified so that the transfer and receiving cams are arranged to perform as said pressing-off cams.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a V-bed knitting machine including a cam box according to the present invention.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a set of cams used in a conventional V-bed knitting machine.

Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 showing a set of cams according to the present invention.

Referring initially to Figure 1 there is shown a set of cams 10 for operating the front bed of a V-bed knitting machine. The set of cams for operating the rear bed is identical and will not be described.

The set of cams 10 includes 3 groups of cams, the uppermost group of cams 11 defining a cam track 12 for operating the needles (not shown) and the middle group of cams 14 defining a cam track 1 5 for operating selectors (not shown) The group of cams 10 includes a transfer cam 1 8 and receiving cam 19 either side of a pair of knitting cams 20.

In accordance with the present invention transfer cams 1 8 and receiving cams 19 of Figure 1 are replaced by a pressing-off cam 25 and deflector cam 26 respectively. Cam 25 retains the outer track shape 27 of the conventional transfer cam 1 8 and so may still be used as a conventional transfer cam on appropriate programming of the selectors running along cam track 1 5. Each cam 26 is movably mounted so that in a raised position it deflects needle butts along cam track 25a formed in cam 25 and so that in a lower position it resides in a retracted position so as not to cooperate with the needle butts.

To produce plush fabric in accordance with the present invention, a cam box is provided having a conventional set of cams as shown in Figure 1 for operating the rear bed of needles to produce a 1 x 1 knitted fabric and a set of cams as shown in Figure 2 for holding plush loops and then pressing them off.

In operation, deflector cams 26 are alternately raised and lowered at each end of the traverse of the cam box so that, in the direction of traverse the leading deflector cam 26 is raised and the trailing deflector cam 26 is lowered. Raising and lowering of the deflector cams 26 is achieved using the stroking bars of the cam box which, in the conventional box, operate the receiving cams 19. Thus when the cam box traverses across the needle beds, the leading deflector cam 26 deflects needle butts of the front bed needles to ride up cam track 25a to achieve clearing height so that subsequent downward movement of the needles caused by the needle butts riding down the trailing portion 27a cam track 27 causes the hold loop to be pressed off the needles.The exit position 25b of cam track 25a is preferably chosen to be such as to raise the needles to the minimum height necessary for effecting clearance.

After the needles have left pressing-off cam 25 they pass in succession through knitting cams 20 to hold further plush loops. These held plush loops are subsequently cleared by the leading pressingoff cam 25 on the return traverse of the cam box.

Accordingly plush fabric is produced on every traverse of the cam box of the present invention.

The present method has been illustrated with reference to the modification of a conventional cam box having transfer and receiving cams. In such cam boxes the transfer cam of one cam set and the co-operating receiving cam of the other cam set, are normally brought into operation simultaneously. This is obviously not desirable to perform the present method as the operation of the transfer cams of the rear cam set would interfere with the pressing-off operation which relies on the conventional mechanism used for actuating the receiving cams of the front set of cams.

Accordingly, when the cam box is programmed to produce plush fabric in accordance with the present method, operation of the transfer cams on the rear set of cams is prevented by suitable programming of the selectors which are maintained in a low position to prevent the needles on the rear bed rising to run along the transfer cams.

Claims

1. A cam box for a V-bed knitting machine, the cam box including a first set of cams for operating one of the needle beds and a second set of cams for operating the other needle bed, the first and second sets of cams being arranged so that on every traverse of the cam box, the first set of cams operate the needles of said one bed to knit the main fabric whilst the second set of cams operate the needles of the other needle bed to co-operate with needles of the said one bed to hold plush loops and also operate the same needles of the other needle bed to press-off the hold plush loops.

2. A cam box according to Claim 1 wherein the second set of cams include pressing-off cams positioned either side of one or more knitting cams, one pressing-off cam being arranged to operate only when the cam box is traversing in the opposite direction.

3. A cam box for a V-bed knitting machine substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

4. A V-bed knitting machine having a cam box according to any of Claims 1 to 3.

5. A method of knitting plush fabric on a V-bed knitting machine where for each traverse of the cam box needles of one bed operate to knit the main fabric whereas the needles of the other bed operate to hold plush loops formed by the first bed of needles and also operate to press-off the held plus loops.