A flat knitting machine structure with an adjustable gap between two knock-over bits includes two needle beds and two cam systems. Each needle bed comprises a plurality of needles and a plurality of knock-over bits. Each needle comprises a butt. Each of the knock-over bits comprises a control butt. The two needle beds are disposed at interval so that the knock-over bits face each other to define a gap. The distance of the gap is equal to a space between two knock-over bits facing each other. Each cam system comprises a needle cam to provide the plurality of butts being placed and guide each needle to make a knitting stroke towards the gap, and a knock-over bit cam provides the control butts being placed. The knock-over bit cam is controlled to define a displacement stroke for driving the plurality of knock-over bits to change the size of the gap.

A knitting system includes a seamless circular knitting machine. It has a circular set of needles having a particular number of needles (M), in the range of 500 to 2,500 needles, arranged in a circular pattern; and a knit controller to selectively operate each one of the needles on a needle-by-needle basis. The system includes a digital computational design tool, to receive a bitmap image, having a pixel width resolution that is identical to the particular number of needles; and based on analysis of the bitmap image, to generate and to send knitting instructions to the knit controller of the seamless circular knitting machine, based on direct correlation between (I) a particular Nth pixel in a particular Rth row of the bitmap image, and (II) needle activity of a corresponding particular Nth needle needles when said Nth needle knits the Rth row of a knitted product.

A knitting system includes a seamless circular knitting machine. It has a circular set of needles having a particular number of needles (M), in the range of 500 to 2,500 needles, arranged in a circular pattern; and a knit controller to selectively operate each one of the needles on a needle-by-needle basis. The system includes a digital computational design tool, to receive a bitmap image, having a pixel width resolution that is identical to the particular number of needles; and based on analysis of the bitmap image, to generate and to send knitting instructions to the knit controller of the seamless circular knitting machine, based on direct correlation between (I) a particular Nth pixel in a particular Rth row of the bitmap image, and (II) needle activity of a corresponding particular Nth needle needles when said Nth needle knits the Rth row of a knitted product.

Methods for fabrication of articles, in particular knitted articles, using computer-controlled machines. A 3D model of the article is characterized by a 3D polygonal mesh defining a surface of the 3D model. A streamline is drawn on the 3D model, and used to define a set of isolines over the surface described by the 3D polygonal mesh. The isolines are quantized into equidistant points along their respective lengths and a cut line traversing each of the isolines is defined. Courses are defined by connecting quantization points of the isolines based on knitting rules to produce a 2D knitting map containing apexes. Apex attraction may be performed on a first portion of the 2D knitting map by decreasing a spatial distance between respective ones of the apexes. The 2D knitting map is subsequently converted to knitting instructions for a computer-controlled knitting machine.

Methods for fabrication of articles, in particular knitted articles, using computer-controlled machines. A 3D model of the article is characterized by a 3D polygonal mesh defining a surface of the 3D model. A streamline is drawn on the 3D model, and used to define a set of isolines over the surface described by the 3D polygonal mesh. The isolines are quantized into equidistant points along their respective lengths and a cut line traversing each of the isolines is defined. Courses are defined by connecting quantization points of the isolines based on knitting rules to produce a 2D knitting map containing apexes. Apex attraction may be performed on a first portion of the 2D knitting map by decreasing a spatial distance between respective ones of the apexes. The 2D knitting map is subsequently converted to knitting instructions for a computer-controlled knitting machine.

Methods for fabrication of articles, in particular knitted articles, using computer-controlled machines. A 3D model of the article is characterized by a 3D polygonal mesh defining a surface of the 3D model. A streamline is drawn on the 3D model, and used to define a set of isolines over the surface described by the 3D polygonal mesh. The isolines are quantized into equidistant points along their respective lengths and a cut line traversing each of the isolines is defined. Courses are defined by connecting quantization points of the isolines based on knitting rules to produce a 2D knitting map containing apexes. Apex attraction may be performed on a first portion of the 2D knitting map by decreasing a spatial distance between respective ones of the apexes. The 2D knitting map is subsequently converted to knitting instructions for a computer-controlled knitting machine.

A method may include knitting a first portion of a knitted component on a first region of a knitting machine, knitting a second portion of the knitted component on a second region of the knitting machine, moving the first portion of the knitted component towards the second portion of the knitted component by moving a first needle bed of the knitting machine relative to a second needle bed of the knitting machine, and knitting at least one course with the knitting machine that connects the first portion of the knitted component to the second portion of the knitted component.

A method may include knitting a first portion of a knitted component on a first region of a knitting machine, knitting a second portion of the knitted component on a second region of the knitting machine, moving the first portion of the knitted component towards the second portion of the knitted component by moving a first needle bed of the knitting machine relative to a second needle bed of the knitting machine, and knitting at least one course with the knitting machine that connects the first portion of the knitted component to the second portion of the knitted component.

A feeder for a knitting machine may include: a carrier configured to secure the feeder to a knitting machine such that the feeder is movable along an axis with respect to a rail of the knitting machine; a feeder arm extending from the carrier, the feeder arm including a dispensing area configured for supplying a yarn to a needle bed of the knitting machine; and a cutting device coupled to the feeder arm, where the cutting device includes a cutting edge for cutting the yarn to disengage an upper portion of the yarn from the needle bed of the knitting machine.

A feeder for a knitting machine may include: a carrier configured to secure the feeder to a knitting machine such that the feeder is movable along an axis with respect to a rail of the knitting machine; a feeder arm extending from the carrier, the feeder arm including a dispensing area configured for supplying a yarn to a needle bed of the knitting machine; and a cutting device coupled to the feeder arm, where the cutting device includes a cutting edge for cutting the yarn to disengage an upper portion of the yarn from the needle bed of the knitting machine.