Knitting Technology

Primary elements of knitting:

 Needle
 Cam
 Sinker

A. Needle:
Needle is the principal knitting element. Prior to yarn feeding, the needle is raised to clear the old
loop from the hook and to receive the new loop above it on the needle stem. The new loop is then
enclosed in the needle hook as the needle starts to descend. The hook then draws the new loop down
through the old loop as the latter slides over the outside of the descending bridge of the closed hook.
All needles must therefore have some method of closing the needle hook to retain the new loop and
exclude the old loop.

Classification of Knitting Needles:

According to the functions as knitting needles are of 2 types.

i) Independent needles:

Needles which can slide in the needle bed and be moved individually during a stitch or loop forming
process. Needles used in single jersey/ rib/ interlock circular knitting machine, V-bed flat knitting
machine, socks knitting machine are independent needles.
ii) United/ Unison needles:

Needles which are fixed in the needle bar and which can only be moved in unison during the stitch or
loop forming process. Needles used in warp knitting machines, straight bar frame machines are
united or unison needles.

Fig: Latch needle bar

According to the physical structure knitting needles are of 3 types:

i. Latch

- Single Hooked

- Double Hooked

ii. Bearded

iii. Compound
i. Latch Needle
Features and working principles of Single hooked Latch Needle:

[1]. The hook, which draws and retains the new loop.
[2]. The slot, which receives the latch-blade
[3]. The cheeks or slot walls, which are either punched or riveted
to fulcrum the latch blade
[4]. The rivet, which may be plain or threaded. This has been
dispensed with on most plate metal needles, by pinching in
the slot walls to retain the latch blade.
[5]. The latch-blade, which locates the latch in the needle.
[6]. The latch spoon, which is an extension of the blade, and
bridges the gap between the hook and the stem covering the
hook when closed, as shown in broken lines.
[7]. The stem, which carries the loop in the clearing or rest
position.
[8]. The butt, which enables the needle to be reciprocated when
contacted by cam profiles on either side of it, forming a
track.
[9]. The tail, which is an extension below the butt, giving additional Fig: Latch Needle

support to the needle and keeping the needle in its trick.

Double hooked latch needles are used only in purl knitting machine.

ii. Bearded needle:

The beard needles have the following parts:

[1]. Stem: The stem around which the needle loop is formed.
[2]. Head: The head where the stem is turned into a hook to draw the
new loop through the old.
[3]. Eye or groove: The eye or groove cut in the stem to receive to pointed
tip of the beard when it is pressed thus enclosing the new loop.
[4]. Shank: The shank, which may be bent for individual location in the m/c
[5]. Beard: it supports in loop formation.
iii. Compound needle:

 At the top of the compound needle stem there is a

hook.
 The 2 parts raise & fall as a single unit but at the top of
the rise the hooks moves faster to open & at the start
of the fall the hook descends faster to close the hook.
 Two types of compound needle have been employed in
warp knitting m/c.

Applications of Needle:
- The latch needle is the most widely used needle in weft knitting, because it is self- acting or loop
controlled. It is also regarded as more versatile in terms of the range of materials that can be
processed on latch needle machines.
- Bearded needles are less expensive to manufacture, can be produced in finer gauges and supposedly
knit tighter and more uniform stitches compared with latch needles, but have limitations with regard
to the types of material that can be processed as well as the range of structures that can be knitted
on them.
- Bearded needle machines are faster than the equivalent latch needle machines.
- The compound needle has a short, smooth and simple action, and because it requires a very small
displacement to form a stitch in both warp and weft knitting, its production rate is the highest of
the three main types of needle. Compound needles are now the most widely used needles in warp
knitting and a number of manufacturers also offer circular machines equipped with compound
needles.

B. CAM
Cam is the second primary knitting element. The cams are the mechanical devices which convert the
rotary machine drive into suitable reciprocating action for the needles or other elements. The cams
are carefully profiled to produce precisely-timed movement and are of two types:

i. Engineering cams:

This circular engineering cams indirectly control the motion of bars of elements which move single units
in warp knitting machines. They are attached to a rotary drive shaft situated parallel to and below the
needle bar. A number of identical cams are positioned along the shaft to ensure correctly aligned
movement. One complete 360-degree revolution of the drive shaft is equivalent to one knitting cycle.
In warp knitting machines, 4 types of engineering cam have been employed:

a. Single acting cams: This type requires a powerful spring to negatively retain the cam follower in

contact with the cam surface, bounce and excessive wear occurs at speed.

b. Cam and counter cams: This arrangement provides a cam and its follower in each direction of

movement but more expensive to manufacture.

c. The box /enclosed cams: This employs a single cam follower which is guided by the two cam races

of a groove on the face of the cam.

d. The contour /ring /pot cams: It is the reverse of the box cam. This is a popular and easily adaptable

arrangement.

ii. Knitting cams.

The angular knitting cam acts directly on to the butts of needles to produce individual movement in the

tricks of latch needle weft knitting machines as the butts pass through the stationary cam system

(revolving cylinder machines) or the cams pass across the stationary tricks (reciprocating cam

box flat machines or rotating cam- box circular machines). Knitting cams are attached either

individually or in unit form to a cam - box and depending upon machine design, are fixed, exchangeable

or adjustable. Weft Knitting cam is of 3 types:

a) Knit cam to produce knit loop (face/ back loop)

b) Tuck cam to produce tuck loop

c) Miss cam to produce miss loop

Cam system: There are 4 parts in a cam system

a) Clearing Cam: It performs clearing of latch needles and takes the needle to top most position.
b) Stitch Cam: It performs loop forming of needles.
c) Upthrow Cam: It moves the needle upward after a stitch formation from the lower position.
d) Guard Cam: It guards the needles from moving away from the cam track.
 Fig: 4 Parts in a cam system

Sinker:

The sinker is the third primary knitting

elements. It is a thin plate with an individual

or collective action approximately at the

right angle from the hook side between

adjacent needles.

Function of sinker:
- Loop formation
- Holding down
- Knocking over
Secondary knitting elements:

Jack:

The jack is a secondary weft knitting element which may be used to

provide the flexibility of latch needle selection & movement. The

needle may thus be controlled directly by its butt and cam system

or indirectly by movement of jack.

Yarn Feeder:

There are 2 types of yarn feeder used in a circular knitting machine. a) Positive b) Negative yarn

feeder. Positive feeder has an yarn storage wheel which receives yarn from creel and then supplies

to the knitting machine. Negative feeder works like a guide and provide yarn directly to needle

without storing any yarn.

Negative Yarn Feeder Positive Yarn Feeder

Methods of Yarn Feeding:
There are two methods of yarn feeding. Yarn feeding involves:
i. moving the yarn past the needles:
ii. moving the needles past a stationary yarn feed position.

Methods of Forming Yarn into Loops:

There are 3 methods of forming the newly fed yarn into the shape of a loop:

1. By sinking the yarn into the space between adjacent needles using loop forming sinkers or other
elements which approach from the beard side. The action of a straight bar frame is illustrated.

(1) (2) (3)

2. By causing latch needles to draw their own needle loops down through the old loops as they descend
one at a time down the stitch cam.
3. By causing a warp yarn guide to warp the yarn loop around the needle. The lapping movement of the
guide (a swinging motion which occurs between the needles and a lateral shagging of the guide
parallel with the needle bar) is used form a warp knitted loop.