CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE

Abstract

A single- or double-knit circular knitting machine having a cylinder (11) equipped with cylinder needles and/or a dial equipped with dial needles for the production of single- or double-jersey knitted webs, which machine has at least one thread-selection device, threads being able to be supplied to any cylinder- and/or dial needle by the thread-selection device.

Claims

1. A single- or double-knit circular knitting machine having a cylinder (11) equipped with cylinder needles (22) and/or a dial (12) equipped with dial needles (19) for the production of single- or double-jersey knitted webs, which machine has at least one thread-selection device (13), wherein at least one thread (17) can be supplied to any cylinder- and/or dial needle (22, 19) by the thread-selection device (13).

2. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the thread-selection device (13) has at least one thread-clamping- and feed device (14).

3. The circular knitting machine according to claim 2, wherein the thread-clamping- and feed device (14) has a thread-transport unit, in particular a thread-transport nozzle (16).

4. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the thread-selection device (13) has a suction funnel (18) for receiving the starting ends of the threads.

5. The double-knit circular knitting machine according to claim 3, wherein the thread-transport unit (16) and the suction funnel (18) can be disposed relative to each other such that the thread (17), which is supplied by a thread transport unit (16) and the free end of which is received by the suction funnel (18), can be gripped by a dial needle (19) in a feed region (20) which is situated radially outside the cylinder needles (22) and can be drawn into a knitting region (21).

6. The circular knitting machine according to claim 2, wherein the thread-clamping- and feed device (14) has an actuatable pair of transport rollers (15), the rollers of which can be moved apart.

7. The circular knitting machine according to claim 2, wherein the thread-selection device (13) has one pair of transport rollers (15) for each suppliable thread (17), with the help of which and with cooperation of the thread-transport unit (16), a starting end of a thread can be supplied to the suction funnel (18) and/or to the knitting needles (19, 22).

8. The circular knitting machine according to claim 2, wherein the thread-clamping- and feed device (14) can be deactivated during the knitting process.

9. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the thread-selection device (13) has cutting units (23) for each suppliable thread (17).

10. The circular knitting machine according to claim 9, wherein, during the cutting process by the cutting unit (23), the thread-clamping- and feed device (14) can be activated for this thread (17) for thread clamping.

11. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the thread-selection device (13) has a pneumatic and/or electrical control unit.

12. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein it has no thread-guiding device.

13. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein it is a Jacquard machine with a single-needle selection device for cylinder- and dial needles (22, 19).

14. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein it has a knitting speed of more than 0.6 m/s.

15. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein it has a system density of at least 1.6 systems per inch of machine diameter.

16. The circular knitting machine according to claim 15, wherein a thread-selection device (13) can be disposed on each system.

17. The circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder (11) and/or the dial (12) can be actuated to rotate only in one circumferential direction.

18. A method for the production of a double-jersey tubular knitted fabric with Intarsia patterns on a double-knit circular knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein an Intarsia thread (17) which is required for the production of an Intarsia pattern field is supplied by the thread-selection device (13) to a needle (19) of that knitting head (12)cylinder (11) or dial (12)on which the reverse side of the tubular knitted fabric is produced and, for binding in the starting end of the Intarsia thread (17) at least with this needle (19), a stitch is formed on the knitting head (12), before, on the other knitting head (11) on which the visible side of the tubular knitted fabric is produced, stitches for the Intarsia field are knitted, and subsequently, on the first knitting head (12), at least one stitch is knitted with the Intarsia thread (17) before the Intarsia thread (17) is cut off.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the Intarsia thread (17) is supplied to the needle (19) on the reverse-side knitting head (12) by the thread-clamping- and feed device (14) of the thread-selection device (13) and then the thread-clamping- and feed device (14) is deactivated.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein, during cutting of the Intarsia thread (17), this is clamped by the thread-clamping- and feed device (14).

Description

[0025] There are shown:

[0026] FIG. 1 a partial view of a circular knitting machine with a thread-selection device;

[0027] FIG. 2 a detailed illustration of the thread-clamping- and feed device during the thread feed;

[0028] FIG. 3 a detailed illustration of the thread-clamping- and feed device before a thread change.

[0029] In FIG. 1, a section of a circular knitting machine 10 with a needle cylinder 11 and a dial 12 is illustrated. Furthermore, the knitting machine 10 has a thread-selection device 13 with which three different threads can be supplied. For this purpose, the thread-selection device 13 has a thread-clamping- and feed device 14 for each thread. Each thread-clamping- and feed device 14 is provided with a pair of transport rollers 15 and also with a thread-transport nozzle 16. The pair of transport rollers 15 and the thread-transport nozzle 16 move the start of a thread 17 up to a suction funnel 18. In this position, the thread 17 can be moved by a dial needle 19 from a thread-feed region 20 into a knitting region 21, as FIG. 2 illustrates. With the dial needles 19 and the thread 17, a few stitches are formed on the reverse side of the knitted fabric to be formed in order to bind in the start of a thread into the knitted fabric.

[0030] FIG. 3 shows the state of the thread-clamping- and feed device 14 after the thread feed into the dial needles 19. The transport rollers 15 are moved apart. The thread 17 is drawn freely through the rollers 15 and the now likewise inactive transport nozzle 16 until stitches are formed with the thread 17. This takes place firstly on a few dial needles 19 and subsequently, corresponding to the pattern to be produced on the visible side of the knitted fabric, with cylinder needles 22 (FIG. 2). If the pattern region is prepared on the visible side, stitches are formed again with a few dial needles 19 in order also to bind in the thread end on the reverse side of the knitted fabric before the thread 17 is clamped by the transport rollers 15 and is cut with a cutting device 23. The free end of the thread 17 anchored in the knitted fabric can thereby be gripped by a thread brake (not illustrated) in order to maintain the required thread tension. The thread 17, which is retained clamped by the transport rollers 15, is thereafter available once again for renewed thread feed according to FIG. 2 on a different circumferential portion of the knitted fabric. After knitting with the thread 17, the knitting row is knitted further with a basic thread (not illustrated here). This can be floated on the reverse side if an Intarsia field is knitted with the thread 17 on the visible side. If however the Intarsia fields are very large and/or very many Intarsia fields are provided over the circumference of the knitted fabric, then also the basic thread can be supplied to the needles 19, 22 by thread-selection devices 13 in the same way as the Intarsia thread 17 and be removed from the knitting process during knitting of Intarsia fields.

[0031] Formation of thread-clamping- and feed mechanism 14 with a thread-transport nozzle 16 and a pair of transport rollers 15 is only one possible embodiment which is however distinguished by only a few mechanical parts requiring to be moved, as a result of which very high knitting speeds can be achieved. The air flow of the nozzle 16 ensures in addition that guides for thread feed can be dispensed with.