A/SHORTHISTORYOFKNITTING

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/History/A_short_history_of_knitting _1_of_4.htm

B/INTODUCTIONTOKINTTING
http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/default.htm 1/INTODUCTION

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Introduction.htm 2/WEFTKNITTING

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Weft_knitting.htm 3/WARPKNITTING

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Warp_knitting.htm 4/BINDINGELEMENTSINWEFTKNITTING

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Binding_elements_in_ weft_knitting.htm 5/STITCHES

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Stitches.htm 6/BASICWEFTKNITSTRUCTURE

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Basic_weft_knitted_str uctures.htm 7/PLAINKNITSTRUCTURES

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Plain_knit_structures.h tm

8/RIBKNITTEDSTRUCTURES

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Rib_knitted_structures .htm 9/PURLKNITTEDSTRUCTURES

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Purl_knitted_structure s.htm 10/INTERLOCKKNITTEDSTRUCTURE

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Interlock_knitted_stru ctures_.htm 11/Comparisonbetweensimpleweftknittedandwovenfabrics

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Introduction/Comparison_between _simple_weft_knitted_and_woven_fabrics.htm

C/VBEDMACHINETECHNOLOGY
1/MACHINEARCHITECTURE/CONSTRUCTION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Machin e_architecture__construction_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Machin e_architecture__construction_2_of_2.htm

2/NEEDLETECHNOLOGY LATCHNEEDLES

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Needle_tec hnology_latch_needles.htm

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machi ne/viewer/V_bed__mach_tech_img_1592_1.htm

COMPONDNEEDLE

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/ Needle_technology_compound_needles.htm 3/NEEDLEKNTTINGACTION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Knit ting_action_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Knit ting_action_2_of_2.htm 4/KNITTINGBEDTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Needle_be d_technology.htm 5/SINKERTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Sinker_tech nology.htm 6/FEEDERTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Feeder_tec hnology.htm 7/CAMTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Cam_techn ology.htm 8/STITCHSIZEANDSTITCHCAMADJUSTMENT http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Stitch_size_ and_stitch_cam_adustment.htm

9/TAKEDOWNTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Take_down _technology.htm 10/ROLLARTAKESOWNSYSTEM http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Roller_take _down_systems.htm 11/TAKEDOWNSYSTEMS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Take_down _systems.htm 12/NEEDLESELECTION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Nee dle_selection_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Nee dle_selection_2_of_2.htm 13/STITCHTRANSFER http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Stitch_trans fer.htm 14/RACKING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Racking.ht m 15/MACHINECONTROL http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_machine/Machine_c ontrol_introduction_.htm

D/CIRCULARMACHINETECHNOLOGY
1/MACHINEARCHITECTURE/CONSTRUCTION

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Machine_ architecture__construction_1_of_3.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Machine_ architecture__construction_2_of_3.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Machine_ architecture__construction_3_of_3.htm 2/NEDDLETECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Needle_te chnology.htm 3/KNITTINGACTION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Kni tting_action_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Kni tting_action_2_of_2.htm 4/SINKERTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Sin ker_technology_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Sin ker_technology_2_of_2.htm 5/RELATIVEDISPLACEMENT http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Relative_d isplacement.htm 6/FEEDTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Feed_tech nology.htm 7/CAMTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Cam_tech nology.htm

8/NEEDLESELECTION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Ne edle_selection_1_of_3.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Ne edle_selection_2_of_3.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Ne edle_selection_3_of_3.htm 9/TAKEDOWNTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Take_dow n_technology.htm 10/MACHINECONTOROL http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Circular_machine/Machine_ control_.htm

E/WARPKNITTINGMACHINETECHNOLOGY
1/MACHINEARCHITECTURE/CONSTRUCTION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Machine_arc hitecture__construction.htm 2/NEEDLETECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Needle_tech nology.htm 3/KNITTINGELEMENTSDISPLACEMENT http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Knitting_ele ment_displacements.htm 4/TRICOTKNITTING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Tricot _knitting_1_of_2.htm

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Tricot _knitting_2_of_2.htm 5/RASCHELKNITTING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Raschel_knitt ing.htm 6/YARNFEEDINGTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Yarn_feeding _technology.htm 7/KNITTINGELEMENTDISPLACEMENTTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Knitting_ele ment_displacement_technology.htm 8/GUIDEBARSHOG,OVERLAPANDUNDERLAP http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/G uide_bar_shog_overlap_and_underlap_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/G uide_bar_shog_overlap_and_underlap_2_of_2.htm 9/TAKEDOWNTECHNOLOGY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Take_down_t echnology.htm 10/MACHINECONTROL http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Warp_Knitting/Machine_con trol.htm

F/VBEDMACHINEFABRICSTRUCTURE/PATTERENING
1/KNITTEDFABRIC http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Kn itted_fabrics_1_of_2.htm

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Kn itted_fabrics_2_of_2.htm

2/USEOFFOURBASICSTRUCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Use_of_t he_four_basic_structures.htm 3/PATTERENING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Patternin g.htm 4/TUCKLOOPS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Tuck_loo ps.htm 5/MULTIPLETUCKS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Multiple_ tucks.htm 6/FLOATS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Floats.ht m 7/INLAYYARNS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Inlay_yar n.htm 8/RACKING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Racking.h tm 9/LIMITATIONSOFRACKING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Limitation s_of_racking.htm

10/LOOPTRANSFERRACKING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Loop_tra nsfer_racking.htm 11/PATTERENRACKING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Pattern_r acking.htm 12/KNITTEDLOOPTRANSFER http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Knitted_l oop_transfer.htm 13/YARNFEEDINGTECHNIQUES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Yarn_fee ding_techniques.htm 14/DOUBLING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Doubling _.htm 15/JACQUARDKNITTING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/V_bed_patterning/Jacquard_ knitting.htm

G/CIRCULARKNITTINGFABRICSTRUCTURE/PATTERENING
1/INTODUCTION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/Introduction.htm 2/DEVELOPMENTOFJERSEYKNITTING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/The_develop ment_of_jersey_knitting_in_the_UK_1_of_4.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/The_develop ment_of_jersey_knitting_in_the_UK_2_of_4.htm

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/The_develop ment_of_jersey_knitting_in_the_UK_3_of_4.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/The_develop ment_of_jersey_knitting_in_the_UK_4_of_4.htm

3/DOUBLEJERSEYBOOM19601975 http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/The_double_jersey_ boom_1960_1975_.htm 4/DOUBLEJERSEYBLISTERSTRCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/Double_jersey_blist er_structures.htm 5/COLOURJACQUARDSTRUCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/Colour_jacquard_str uctures.htm 6/ENDOFDOUBLEJERSEYBOOM http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/CircKnit/The_end_of_the_do uble_jersey_boom.htm

H/YARNTENSION,CAMFORCESANDROBBINGBACK
1/KNITTINGONANEEDLEARRAY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Knittin g_on_a_needle_array_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Knittin g_on_a_needle_array_2_of_2.htm 2/CAMANGLEANDYARNTENSION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Cam_angle_an d_yarn_tension_.htm

 3/NEEDLEBUTIMPACTWITHCAMSYSTEM http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Needle_butt_i mpact_with_cam_system.htm 4/CAMANGELANDYARNTENSION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Cam_a ngle_and_yarn_tension_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Cam_a ngle_and_yarn_tension_2_of_2.htm 5/COMPROMISEB/WNEEDLE/CAMIMPACTFORCESANDYARNTENSIONS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Compromise_ between_needle__01.htm 6/CAMANGELANDCIRCULARMACHINEPRODUCTIVITY http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Cam_angle_an d_circular_machine_productivity.htm 7/QUALITYCONTROL,ROBBINGBACK,LOOPLENGTHANDINPUTTENSION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Quality _control_robbing_ba_01.htm 8/TRUEPOSITIVEFEEDANDQUALITYCONTROLINWEFTKNITTING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/The_True_Posi tive_Feed_and_quality_control_in_weft_knitting_.htm 9/ASSISTEDFEEDSYSTEMSANDTRUEPOSITIVEFEED http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Yarn_tension/Assisted_feed _systems_and_the_True_Positive_Feed.htm

I/QUALITYCONTROLINVBEDKNITTING
1/IntroductionThismoduleaddressestheissuesthatmustbeconsideredwhen implementingqualitycontrolsystemsforvbedknitting,includingyarnquality/lubrication, machinesettings,yarnfeeding,positiveandassistedfeedsystemsandlintcontrol.Inaddition thecausesofdropstitches,holesandpressoffsandneedlelinesaswellasfabricbarrare discussed.

2/QualityThequalityofaknittedproductisacomplexconcept.Aonelevelitmeans aholisticassessmentofarangeofvisibleandinvisiblefactorssuchasthecut'ofthegarment, thelustreandsoftnessoftheyarn,thehandle'ofthefabric,thefinenessoftheknitstructure, theexcellenceofthemakeupandthequalityofthedesign. Atanotherlevelitisassessedintermsofstrictlymeasurableparameterssuchascourseand waledensity,looplengthorstitchlength,fabricweight/squaremetre,%ofaddonssuchas lubricantsandfinishes,faults/metresuchascutsandholesorknotsanddirtmarks/metre,etc. Thismodulewillnotaddressthemoresubjectivemeasuresbutwillconcentrateonthe measurableandthuscontrollablevariablesthatprovidethekeytoproducingconsistently reproduciblegoodqualityknittedfabric.

3/YarnqualityIngeneraltermstheresponsibilityforyarnqualitycontrollieswith theyarnsupplier;howeveranumberofaspectsneedtobeunderstoodbytheknitterand regularyarntestingmaybenecessarytoensuretheyarnsareconsistentandfitforpurpose. Thistestingmayinclude:

Tensilestrengthandextensibility Yarncountcheck Filamentcounting Twisttesting Yarnbulktesting(falsetwistyarns) Solventextractiontoassesslubricant/finishlevels Blackboardtestingtoassessslubsandotheryarnirregularity/faults

4/Yarncount(tex)andtwist(turns/cm)Theresponsibilityfortheaccuracyoftheyarn countandthetolerancelevelsforvariationinyarncountandtwist(turns/cm),aswellasthe typeandleveloflubricant/finish,liewiththespinnerandarenormallydeclaredintheterms andconditionsofsale.Forhighlycriticalendusessuchasmilitaryitemsandtechnicaltextiles,

specialyarnqualityspecificationsandvariabilitylimitswillberequiredandmustbenegotiated withthespinner. 5/YarnlubricationThetypeandlevelofyarnlubricationdeterminethecoefficientof frictionoftheyarn.Inweftknittinginparticular,thecoefficientoffrictionisakeyfactorin determiningthequalityoftheknittedproductasithasadirectinfluenceonthepeakyarn tensionintheknittingzoneandthusonthenumberofyarnbreakages,aswellastheextentto whichdroppedstitcheswillladder. Objectivesofyarnlubrication Themainaimofyarnlubricationistoreduceyarnfriction.Addedadvantagesinclude:

Reducedabrasioneffectsonguidesurfacesandneedlesthisisimportantwithhard synthetics(PA,PE) Dissipationofstaticchargesthisisimportantwith100%syntheticyarns Bettercohesionofthefilaments Improvedyarnpliability.Duetolubrication,yarnbecomessofterandmorepliable offeringlessresistancetotheloopformation

6/Lubricationoffilamentandspunyarn o Lubricationoffilamentyarn=generallyfluidssuchasmineraloilsand waxemulsionsareusedaslubricants.Theseareappliedinwindingvia lickrollersystems. Theseincludesubstancestoreducefrictionandantistaticandanticorrosive substances.Itisimportanttoapplyabout0.5to2.0%oflubricantforgoodquality lubricationandtocontroltheviscosityverycarefully. o Lubricationofspunyarns=Generallywaxesorwaxemulsionsareused inthelubricationofspunyarns.Thewaxemulsionsareappliedin windingvialickrollerswhilstthewaxesareappliedbyrunningtheyarn overthesurfaceofarotatingwaxcylinder.Waxlevelsof1to2%are typical.

 7/OtherqualitychecksinwindingWinding,whichisthetransferoftheyarnfromthe primaryorspinners'packagetoasecondaryconicalpackage(cone)moresuitablefor weftknitting,providesanopportunitytomonitortheyarnelectronicallyforanumberof faults,including:

Knots Thinplaces Slubsorthickplaces Weakplaces

Thetensionemployedinwindingcausesweakplacestobreakandresultsinknots.Slubsand thinplacesarecutoutbytheelectronicclearerandalsoreplacedbyknots. Allknots,includingthosegeneratedbytheclearingprocess,areplacedonthenoseofthecone wheretheymaybecountedpriortopacking.Anagreedmaximumlimitofknotsperconewill besetandanyconethatexceedsthislimitwillberejected. 8/Qualitycontrol:initialmachinesettingsTheinitialmachinesettingsareimportant (seelooplengthcontrol)especiallyifanumberofsimilarmachinesintheplantaretoproduce thesamefabricqualityandforconsistencywhenrepeatordersarelikely.Anagreedsetting protocolmustbeestablishedincludingthemachinebedtemperature,eitherambientor runningtemperatureatwhichthesettingsaremadeaswellasthespecificsettingstobe measuredandset. Forsinglejerseysinkermachines,thesinkertimingandthesinkerpenetrationmustbethe sameatallfeedersonallmachinesproducingthesamefabricquality,thefabrictakedown systemsmustbesettoproducethesametakedowntractionandthestretcherboardsmustbe settothesamewidth.Aknockovergaugeshouldalsobeusedtocheckthecalibrationofthe stitchcamgaugesonallthefeeders(note:onmodernmachineswithvernierstitchcam settingsthiswillnotbenecessary).Thesettingofthepositivefeedsystemswillbedealtwithin thesectiononstitch/looplength. Forcylinderanddialmachinesthedialheightmustbesetandtheneedletimingandknock overgaugesshouldbeusedtocheckthecalibrationofallthecylinderanddialstitchcams( note:onmodernmachineswithvernierstitchcamsettingsthiswillnotbenecessary).Similarly thetakedownsystemsshouldbesettoproducethesametakedowntractionandthe stretcherboardwidthsmadeconstant.OnmodernmachineswithDCmotortakedown systems,thetakedowntractionsettingissimplyamatterofsettingthecontrolcurrentforthe motortoaspecifiedlevel.Foroldermechanicaltakedownsystemsitwillbenecessarytousea takedowntensiongaugeoncethepositivefeedsystemsandstitchcamshavebeensetand

fabricwiththecorrectlooplengthhasbeenknitteddownthroughthetakedownrollers(see positivefeed). 9/Looplengthcontrol:1of2

Thereisanextensivebodyofresearchthatdemonstratesconclusivelythatthe controllingparametersofknittedfabricqualityarelooplengthandyarndiameter,(normally measuredintermsofTex). Allothermeasurablequalitycontrolparameterssuchascourses/unitlength,Wales/unitlength, stitchdensity,weight/squaremeterandfabricthicknessareultimatelysecondarytoloop lengthandyarndiameterandcontrolledbythem. Despitetheapparentsimplicityofthiscontrolsituationtherealityofmaintainingatightcontrol onfabricqualityinafactorysituationpriortotheintroductionofpositivefeedwasvery complexifnotimpossible.Anintegralpartofthisdifficultyliesinthefactthatthelooplength andyarndiameterdonotactastheprimarycontrolparametersuntilthefabricisclosetothe fullyrelaxedstate.Priortothisconditionthewaleandcoursedensitiesaswellasthethickness continuetobeinfluencedbythemachinegauge,thedialheight,thetakedowntension,the stretcherboardwidth,etc. Inmanycasesthefinalproductisnotinafullyrelaxedconditionwhenitissoldandtherefore thesesecondaryparametersneedtobecontrolledaswell,hencetheneedforandimportance oftheinitialmachinesettingsprotocol. 2of2 Thecomplexityoftheinteractionofthefactorsthatcontrollooplengthhasbeendiscussedin depthinthemodule'Yarntension,camforcesandrobbingback'.Fromthisdiscussionitis apparentthatitisnecessarytocontrolthefollowingvariablesinordertobecertainof controllinglooplength:

Knockoverdepth Camangle Gauge Sinkertimingandpenetrationonasinglejerseymachine Needletiming(delay)onacylinderanddialmachine Yarninputtension Fabrictakedowntension Stretcherboardwidth Coefficientofyarnonmetalfriction

Atfirstsight,thislistofvariablesseemstooextensivetodealwith.Howeveriftheinitial machinesettingprotocoldescribedabovehasbeenfollowed,andthemachinesareofthe sametypeandgauge,thenthefollowingvariableswilleitherbethesameonallthemachines orwillhavebeencontrolled:

Knockoverdepth Camangle Gauge Sinkertimingandpenetrationonasinglejerseymachine Needletiming(delay)onacylinderanddialmachine Fabrictakedowntension Stretcherboardwidth

Convenientlythisleavestwovariablestodealwith:

Yarninputtension Coefficientofyarnonmetalfriction

Thecoefficientofyarnonmetalfrictionisdeterminedbytheyarnstructureandfibretype,as wellasthelevelandtypeoflubricant.Efficientyarnqualitycontrolmeasuresshouldbe sufficienttoensureconsistency. Inaddition,theyarnrubsagainsttheinsideofthecreeltransfertubesaswellasseveral ceramicyarnguidesasittravelstotheneedles.Thisprocesscausesatransferoflubricantonto thetubeorceramicwhentherearehighlevelsoflubricantontheyarnandareversetransferof lubricantfromthetubeorguidetotheyarnwhentheyarnlubricantlevelsarelow.Thistends toaverageorevenoutanyvariationsthatmaybepresent. 10/YarninputtensionTheproblemthatremainsishowtocontroltheinputtensionat thefeedpointforallthefeeders(typically7696)foramultifeedermachine.Iftheneedlesare lefttopulltheyarndirectlyfromthesupplypackageanumberoffactorsintervenetocausethe inputtensiontovary. Perhapsthemostimportantfactorrelatestothediameterofthecone.Onamachinewhere theyarnspeedisconstant(plainfabric),asthediameteroftheconesteadilyreducesduring unwinding,therotationalvelocityoftheballoonincreasesininverseproportionandasaresult, theairresistanceandthecoriolisforcessteadilyincrease,causingtherunningyarntensionto increase. Assumingthecreelisfilledwithfullconesatthestartofknittingthentheyarntensiononall feederswillsteadilyincreaseastheconeswinddown.Ifalltheothercontrolvariablesremain constantthenanincreaseininputtensionwillshiftthetensionbalanceintheknittingzone

towardstheinputsidesothatthenumberofneedlesinvolvedinrobbingbackincreases,with theresultthatthelooplengthdecreases. Converselywhenanemptyconeischangedforafullconethereducedballoontensionwill resultinareductionininputtensionwithacorrespondingincreaseinlooplength.Ifthis processisallowedtocontinuewithoutcheckthenthequalityofthefabricwillbecontinuously alteringand,ifhightensionfeedersaresituatedadjacenttolowtensionfeeders,thenthe differenceinlooplengthmaywellproducehorizontalbarsinthefabric(barr). 11/POSITIVEFEED http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Quality_control_in_v_bed_k n_01/Positive_feed.htm 12/LOOPLENGTHCONTROLANDJACQUARDMACHINE http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Quality_control_in_v_bed_k n_01/Loop_length_control_on_jacquard_machines.htm 13/DroppedstitchesandholesModernmachinesmaybefittedwithfabricscanners thatdetectdroppedstitches,holesandpressoffsandstopthemachine. Droppedstitchesareusuallycausedbytheyarnmissingthehookoftheneedledueto vibrationsintheyarnpath,orduetoadisplacedfeeder.Positivefeedgreatlyreducesyarnpath vibrationsandadisplacedfeederwillgenerateasequenceofdroppedstitchesinaspiraldown thefabricthatcanbetracedback. Holesandminorpressoffsareusuallycausedbytheyarnbreakingintheknittingzonedueto excessinputtensionorduetoinadequateyarnlubrication.Afeedertensioncheckwillreveal theformercause;thesecondismoredifficulttotrackdownbutwillusuallybecausedbyfaulty conesonspecificfeedsandwillresultinaspiralsequenceoffaultsthatcanbetracedback. 14/NeedlelinesNeedlelinesoccurwhenaneedlelatchorneedlehookisdamaged. Inthemostseverecases,theneedlehookisbrokenoffandthisresultsinaverticalwaleof droppedstitchessimilartoamissingneedle.Thisisusuallyeasilyseenduringafabric inspection(evenwhentheneedleissituatedinthedial)andiscorrectedbyreplacingthe needle.Afabricscannerwillalsodetectit.

Thesecondtypeofneedlelineoccursiftheneedlehookisbentbackwards(swanneck) orthelatchistrappedwithinthehook.Whenthishappenstheneedlewilleithertuckinan intermittentfashionorwilltuckcontinuouslycausingaseriesofburststitches.Thisfaultis usuallysufficientlyseveretobevisibleduringaroutinefabricinspectionandmaybedetected byafabricscanner.Thesolutionistoreplacetheneedle. Perhapsthemostdifficultneedlelinetodealwithiscausedbyaprotrudinglatchrivet,oracut orabrasiontotheneedlehookorshank.Thiskindofneedledamageabradestheyarncausinga fuzzyorhairy'needlelinethatwillnotbedetectedbyafabricscannerandisfrequentlymissed inaroutinefabricinspection. Theproblemisparticularlydifficulttodetectiftheneedleisinthedialandtheneedlelinelies insidethetube.Itispossibleforthistypeoffaulttocontinuethroughmanyhundredsofmetres offabricanditisvitalthereforetoinspecttheinsideandoutsideofeachfabricrollwhenitis separatedfromthemachine. 15/FabricbarreThereareamultitudeofdifferentcausesoffabricbarr.Thefollowing listindicatesjustafewofthemanypossiblecauses.

Mixedyarncount(tex) Mixedyarntwist Mixedyarncolour Mixedyarnpolymer Mixednumberoffilaments Afilamentyarnmixedwithspunyarnorviceversa Adeepdyeyarnmixedwithstandardyarn Ahighbulkyarnmixedwithlowbulkyarn Anelastomerstretchyarnmixedwithstandardyarn Afaultystitchcamsetting Ayarndroppedoutofthepositivefeed

Manyofthesefaultsareduetopoorhousekeepingandwillbedetectedbycarefulfabric inspectionontheknittingmachineoraftercutdown.Themostserious,however,arefaultslike adeepdyeyarnmixedwithstandardyarn.Thisfaultwillremainhiddenuntilthefabricisdyed andwillusuallyspoilmanyrollsoffabric.Whenevertheriskofsuchmixesarises,arigorous colourcodingoftheyarnconesisessentialtopreventthepossibilityofseriousfinancialloss.

16/LintcontrolWhenspunyarnisbeingknittedinjerseyplants,aconsiderable amountofflyisgeneratedandthisflysettlesonallstationarymachineparts.Providedall machinesareknittingwhitecottonthentheflycanbecontrolledbyflyblowersonthemachine andsystematicvacuumingoftheplantandfittings.Thisisessentialtopreventafirerisk developingandpreventingflybuildupfromdroppingontothemachineandgettingknitted intothefabric. However,ifcolouredspunyarnsarebeingknittedthencontaminationbecomesaseriouscause offabricfaultsandmustbeprevented.Thebestsolutionistoinstalltotallyenclosedfly control'creelswithflyextractorfans.This,togetherwithplasticsheetseparatorsbetween adjacentmachinesandregularsystematicvacuumcleaning,willkeeptheproblemunder control.

J/GRAPHICALREPRESENTATIONOFWARPKNITTEDSTRUCTURES
1/WARPKNITSTRUCTURE Warpknittingisdefinedasastitchformingprocessin whichtheyarnsaresuppliedtotheknittingzoneparalleltotheselvedgeofthefabric,i.e.inthe directionofthewales.Inwarpknitting,everyknittingneedleissuppliedwithatleastone separateyarn.Inordertoconnectthestitchestoformafabric,theyarnsaredeflectedlaterally betweentheneedles.Inthismanneraknittingneedleoftendrawsthenewyarnloopthrough theknittedloopformedbyanotherendofyarninthepreviousknittingcycle. Awarpknittedstructureismadeupoftwoparts.Thefirstisthestitchitself,whichis formedbywrappingtheyarnaroundtheneedleanddrawingitthroughthepreviouslyknitted loop.Thiswrappingoftheyarniscalledanoverlap.Thediagramshowsthepathtakenbythe eyeletofoneyarnguidetravellingthroughtheneedleline,makingalateraloverlap(shog)and makingareturnswing.Thismovementwrapstheyarnaroundtheneedlereadyfortheknock overdisplacement. Thesecondpartofstitchformationisthelengthofyarnlinkingtogetherthestitches andthisistermedtheunderlap,whichisformedbythelateralmovementoftheyarnsacross theneedles. Thelengthoftheunderlapisdefinedintermsofneedlespaces.Thelongerthe underlap,themoreitliesatrightanglestothefabriclengthaxis.Thelongertheunderlapfora givenwarpthegreatertheincreaseinlateralfabricstability,converselyashorterunderlap

reducesthewidthwisestabilityandstrengthandincreasesthelengthwaysstabilityofthe fabric. Thelengthoftheunderlapalsoinfluencesthefabricweight.Whenknittingwitha longerunderlap,moreyarnhastobesuppliedtotheknittingneedles.Theunderlapcrosses andcoversmorewalesonitsway,withtheresultthatthefabricbecomesheavier,thickerand denser.Sincetheunderlapisconnectedtotherootofthestitch,itcausesalateral displacementintherootofthestitchduetothewarptension.Thereciprocatingmovementsof theyarn,therefore,causethestitchofeachknittedcoursetoinclineinthesamedirection, alternatelytotheleftandtotheright. Inordertocontrolboththelateralandlongitudinalproperties,aswellastoproducean improvedfabricappearancewitherectloops,asecondsetofyarnsisusuallyemployed.The secondsetisusuallymovedintheoppositedirectiontothefirstinordertohelpbalancethe lateralforcesontheneedles.Thelengthoftheunderlapneednotnecessarilybethesamefor bothsetsofyarns.

Runin:theyarnconsumptionduring480knittedcourses Rack:aworkingcycleof480knittedcourses

Therunin,therefore,istheyarnconsumptionforonerack. Foragivenmachinewithagivenwarp:

Alongerruninproducesbiggerstitchesandagenerallyslacker,looserfabric Ashorterruninproducessmallerandtighterstitches Withmorethanoneguidebartheratiooftheamountofyarnfedfromeachwarpis termedtheruninratio

2/LAPPINGDIAGRAMS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Lapping_dia grams.htm 3/NUMERICALNOTATIONRELATEDTOCHAINLINKHEIGHT http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Numerical_ notation_related_to_chain_link_height.htm

4/Chainlinkarrangement Theguidebarispositionedwiththefollowerrolleronchainlink0';itswingsthrough,then movestotheleftastherollermovestochainlink1'.Itswingsbackandreturnstoitsstarting position(chainlink0'). Chainlinkarrangement Thechainshouldread: 0 1 Intheoppositedirection: 1 0 Thesmallestrepeatingunit(repeat)extendsoveronecourse:heightrepeat=1stitch,width repeat=1stitch. Application Pillarstitchconstructioncanbeemployedintheproductionofouterwearandforribbedvelour fabrics(corduroy).Eveninthesefabrics,theopenpillarstitchismorepopularasitprovidesthe necessarylongitudinalstabilityandrunsfreely.Itisusedinconjunctionwiththebinding elementinlay'inlacesandcurtains,thoughalwayswithasecondguidebar. 5/OPENANDCLOSEDSTITCHES

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Open_and_ closed_stitches.htm 6/YARNTHREADINGPLAN

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Yarn_thread ing_plan.htm 7/SinglebarstructuresAplainwarpknittedstructureisproducedonasingleneedle bar.Theresultingstructuresareknownassinglefacefabrics.Ribandinterlockwarpknitted structuresareproducedondoubleneedlebars,andthesestructuresareknownasdoubleface fabrics.

Insinglefacestructures(plain),stitchesarevisibleononeside,knownasthetechnical face,andontheotherside(knownasthetechnicalback)onlyunderlapsarevisible. 8/PILLARLAP http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Pillar_lap.ht m 9/TRICOTLAP http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/1_an d_1_lap_tricot_lap_.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/2_an d_1_lap.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/3_an d_1_lap.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/4_an d_1_lap.htm

10/ATLASLAP http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Atlas_la p.htm 11/Doublebarstructures Rulesforplottinglappingdiagrams

Thelappingmovementofeachguidebarmustberepresentedseparately Thelappingdiagramsofallguidebarsmustbeplottedfromthesamecourseinorderto illustratetherelativelateralpositionoftheguides

Guideforcreatinglappingdiagrams Dottedpapersareusedtocreatelappingdiagrams. 1. Plotthelappingmovementofthefirstguidebar 2. Plotthelappingmovementofthesecondguidebarstartingfromthesamecourse 3. Numberthespacesbetweentheneedlesfromrighttoleftifthepatterningmechanism isontherighthandsideofthemachine.Numberthespacesseparatelyforeachguide bar 4. Consideronlytheoverlapinordertogeneratethechainlinkarrangementsoftheguide bars 12/THREADINGARRANGEMNETOFGUIDEBARS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Threading_arrange ment_of_guide_bars.htm 13/DOUBLETRICOTSTRUCTURE http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Double_tricot_stru cture.htm 14/LOCKKNITSTRUCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Locknit_ structures.htm 15/SATINSTRUCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Satin_st ructures.htm

16/REVERSELOCKKNITSTRUCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Reverse _locknit_structures.htm 17/SHARKKNISTRUCTURE http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Shark_s kin_structure.htm 18/QUEENsCORDSTRUCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Queen_ s_cord.htm 19/NetstructuresNetstructurescanbeclassifiedintothefollowinggroups: 1.Netstructuresinwhichthedistancebetweenthewalesisdeterminedbythegap betweentheneedlesusedtoknitthestructure.Generallytheyarnsofasecondsetofyarnsare usedtobridgethegapbetweenthewales.Theshapeoftheopeningisdeterminedbythe lappingmovementandbythetensionintheyarns.Iftheyarntensionishighitwouldcausethe walestodistort,butgenerallythepillarsareverticaloralmostvertical. 2.Netstructuresthatareformedbyinterconnectingpillars.Thesideconnectionsare achievedbyinclininganddistortingneighbouringwales.Thetypicalopeningsofthesenetsare diamondshaped.Itisalsopossibletoproducenetswithotheropenings. 20/NETSTRUCTURESWITHVARTICALPILLARS

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Net_structu res_with_vertical_pillars.htm

21/NETSTRUCTURESWITHINTERCONNECTEDWALES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_warp/Net_structu res_with_interconnected_wales.htm 22/Layinginstructures Aguidebarisusedtoinsertyarnendsintothefabricstructure.Thelaidinyarnendisnot knittedintothestructure,butitisheldinthestructurebetweenthestitches(inthetechnical front)andtheunderlaps(formedbyotheryarnsinthetechnicalback). Basicprincipaloflayingin 1. Layinginisachievedusingabackguidebar.Generally,atleastonefullythreadedguide barinfrontofthelayinginguidebar(s)producesthegroundstructure. 2. Alayinginguidebarcanbefullyorpartiallythreaded.Fullythreadedlayinginguide barsincreasethefabricstability.Partiallythreadedlayinginguidebarsareutilisedfor patterningpurposes. 3. Thelayinginguidebarscarryoutonlytheunderlaps. Advantagesoflayingin

Layingintechniqueallowsonetoknityarnsthatareotherwisedifficulttoknit Anyyarnwhichiscapableofpassingfreelythroughtheguideeyeandbetweenthe needlescanbeinsertedintothefabric Laidinyarnscontributeverylittletowardsthefabricweightbecauseofthelackofloops Savesonpatterningyarn,whichisusuallymoreexpensive,i.e.acommercialadvantage

Designerscanusethistechniquetoenlargetherangeofdesignsbylayinginyarnswithcoarser counts(uptothousandsofdtex)andyarnsofdifferenttexture.Layingintechniqueisusedin creatinglaceandcurtainfabrics.

K/GRAPHICALREPRESENTATIONOFWEFTKNITTEDSTRUCTURES
1/Introduction

Diagramsareasimplewayofunderstandingknittedstructuresandeasingthe programmingoftheproductionprocess.Aweftknittedfabriccanberepresentedinadiagram inanumberofways.Themostcommonmethodsare:

Stitchdiagram Yarnpathnotation(pointpaper) Technicalpatternrepresentation

2/STITCHDIAGRAMS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Stitch_diagr ams.htm 3/YarnpathnotationsTheyarnpathnotation(derivedfromtheNottinghamnotation) isadiagram,producedonpointpaper,ofthenotionalpathoftheyarnasitisfedtothe needles.Theyarnisshowntravellingaroundtheneedles,whicharerepresentedbydotsona pointpaper'.Thepointpaperhasapatternofequidistantdotsarrangedinhorizontalrows. Eachrowofdotsrepresentstheneedlesinaneedlebedoraneedlebarandthusnormally representsonecourseinthefabricoronetraverseofasinglecamsystem. 4/TYPESOFPOINTPAPER

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Types_of_po int_paper.htm 5/YARNPATHNOTATIONSFORCOMMONSTRUCTURES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_wef t/Yarn_path_notations_for_common_structures_1_of_2.htm

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_wef t/Yarn_path_notations_for_common_structures_2_of_2.htm

6/YARNPATHNOTATIONSFORRIBDERIVATIVES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Yarn _path_notations_for_rib_derivatives_1_of_2.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Yarn _path_notations_for_rib_derivatives_2_of_2.htm

7/TECHNICALPATTERNREPRESENTATIONS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Technical_p attern_representation.htm 8/PLAINKNIT http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Plain_knit_.h tm 9/PURLKNIT http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Purl_knit_.ht m 10/RIBKNIT http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Rib_knit_.ht m

11/INTERLOCK http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Interlock.ht m 12/HALFANDFULLCARDIGAN http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Half_and_ful l_cardigan.htm 13/JACQUARDKNITTING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/Graphical_weft/Jacquard_kn itting.htm

L/QUALITYCONTROLINCERCULARKNITTING
1/IntroductionThismoduleaddressestheissuesthatmustbeconsideredwhen implementingqualitycontrolsystemsforcircularknitting,includingyarnqualityand lubrication,stitchcamsettings,yarnfeeding,positiveandassistedfeedsystemsandlint control.Inadditionthecausesofdroppedstitches,holesandpressoffsandneedlelines,as wellasfabricbarre,isdiscussed.

2/QUALITYThequalityofaknittedproductisacomplexconcept.Atonelevelit meansaholisticassessmentofarangeofvisibleandinvisiblefactorssuchasthe'cut'ofthe garment,thelustreandsoftnessoftheyarn,the'handle'ofthefabric,thefinenessoftheknit structure,theexcellenceofthemakeupandthequalityofthedesign. Atanotherlevelitisassessedintermsofstrictlymeasurableparameterssuchascourse andwaledensity,fabricweightpersquaremetre,thepercentageofaddonssuchaslubricants andfinishes,faultspermetre(suchascutsandholesorknots)anddirtmarkspermetreetc.

Thismodulewillnotaddressthemoresubjectivemeasuresbutwillconcentrateonthe measurableandthuscontrollablevariablesthatprovidethekeytoproducingconsistently reproduciblegoodqualityknittedfabric. 3/YARNQUALITYIngeneraltermstheresponsibilityforyarnqualitycontrollieswith theyarnsupplier;howeveranumberofaspectsneedtobeunderstoodbytheknitterand regularyarntestingmaybenecessarytoensuretheyarnsareconsistentandfitforpurpose. Thistestingmayinclude:

Tensilestrengthandextensibility Yarncountcheck Filamentcounting Twisttesting Yarnbulktesting(falsetwistyarns) Solventextractiontoassesslubricant/finishlevels Blackboardtestingtoassessslubsandotheryarnirregularity/faults

4/YARNCOUNT(TEX)ANDTWIST(TURNS/CM) Theresponsibilityfortheaccuracyoftheyarncountandthetolerancelevelsfor variationinyarncountandtwist(turns/cm),aswellasthetypeandleveloflubricant/finish,lie withthespinnerandarenormallydeclaredinthetermsandconditionsofsale.Forhighly criticalendusessuchasmilitaryitemsandtechnicaltextiles,specialyarnqualityspecifications andvariabilitylimitswillberequiredandmustbenegotiatedwiththespinner. 5/YARNLUBRICATIONS Thetypeandlevelofyarnlubricationdeterminethecoefficientoffrictionoftheyarn. Inweftknittinginparticular,thecoefficientoffrictionisakeyfactorindeterminingthequality oftheknittedproductasithasadirectinfluenceonthepeakyarntensionintheknittingzone andthusonthenumberofyarnbreakages,aswellastheextenttowhichdroppedstitcheswill ladder. Objectivesofyarnlubrication Themainaimofyarnlubricationistoreduceyarnfriction.Addedadvantagesinclude:

Reducedabrasioneffectsonguidesurfacesandneedlesthisisimportantwithhard synthetics(PA,PE) Dissipationofstaticchargesthisisimportantwith100%syntheticyarns

Bettercohesionofthefilaments Improvedyarnpliability.Duetolubrication,yarnbecomessofterandmorepliable offeringlessresistancetotheloopformation 6/LUBRICATIONOFSPUNANDFILAMENTYARNS

Lubricationoffilamentyarn Generallyfluidssuchasmineraloilsandwaxemulsionsareusedaslubricants.Theseare appliedinwindingvialickrollersystems. Theseincludesubstancestoreducefrictionandantistaticandanticorrosivesubstances.Itis importanttoapplyabout0.5to2.0%oflubricantforgoodqualitylubricationandtocontrolthe viscosityverycarefully. Lubricationofspunyarns Generallywaxesorwaxemulsionsareusedinthelubricationofspunyarns.Thewaxemulsions areappliedinwindingvialickrollerswhilstthewaxesareappliedbyrunningtheyarnoverthe surfaceofarotatingwaxcylinder.Waxlevelsof1to2%aretypical. 7/OTHERQUALITYCHECKSINWINDINGWinding,whichisthetransferoftheyarn fromtheprimaryor'spinners'packagetoasecondaryconicalpackage(cone)moresuitablefor weftknitting,providesanopportunitytomonitortheyarnelectronicallyforanumberoffaults, including:

Knots Thinplaces Slubsorthickplaces Weakplaces

Thetensionemployedinwindingcausesweakplacestobreakandresultsinknots.Slubs andthinplacesarecutoutbytheelectronicclearerandalsoreplacedbyknots. Allknots,includingthosegeneratedbytheclearingprocess,areplacedonthenoseof theconewheretheymaybecountedpriortopacking.Anagreedmaximumlimitofknotsper conewillbesetandanyconethatexceedsthislimitwillberejected.

8/QUALITYCONTROLINKNITTINGTheinitialmachinesettingsareimportant especiallyifanumberofsimilarmachinesintheplantaretoproducethesamefabricquality andforconsistencywhenrepeatordersarelikely.Anagreedsettingprotocolmustbe establishedincludingthemachinebedtemperature(eitherambientorrunningtemperature) andthespecificsettingstobemeasuredandset. Forsinglejerseysinkermachinesthesinkertimingandthesinkerpenetrationmustbe thesameatallfeedersonallmachinesproducingthesamefabricqualityandthefabrictake downsystemsmustbesettoproducethesametakedowntraction.Aknockovergaugeshould alsobeusedtocheckthecalibrationofthestitchcamgaugesonallthefeeders(onmodern machineswithvernierstitchcamsettingsthiswillnotbenecessary).Thesettingofthepositive feedsystemswillbedealtwithinthesectiononstitch/looplength. Forcylinderanddialmachinemachinesthedialheightmustbesetaswellastheneedle timingandknockovergaugesshouldbeusedtocheckthecalibrationofallthecylinderand dialstitchcams(note:onmodernmachineswithvernierstitchcamsettingsthiswillnotbe necessary).Similarlythetakedownsystemsshouldbesettoproducethesametakedown traction. OnmodernmachineswithDCmotortakedownsystems,thisissimplyamatterof settingthecontrolcurrentforthemotortoaspecifiedlevel.Foroldermechanicaltakedown systemsitwillbenecessarytouseatakedowntensiongaugeoncethepositivefeedsystems andstitchcamshavebeensetandfabricwiththecorrectlooplengthhasbeenknitteddown throughthetakedownrollers(see'positivefeed'). 9/LOOPLENGTHCONTROLThecomplexityoftheinteractionofthefactorsthat controllooplengthhasbeendiscussedindepthinthemodule'Yarntension,camforcesand robbingback'.Fromthisdiscussionitisapparentthatitisnecessarytocontrolthefollowing variablesinordertobecertainofcontrollinglooplength:

Knockoverdepth Camangle Gauge Sinkertimingandpenetrationonasinglejerseymachine Needletiming(delay)onacylinderanddialmachine Yarninputtension Fabrictakedowntension Coefficientofyarnonmetalfriction

Atfirstsight,thislistofvariablesseemstooextensivetodealwith.Howeveriftheinitial machinesettingprotocoldescribedabovehasbeenfollowed,andthemachinesareofthe

sametypeandgauge,thenthefollowingvariableswilleitherbethesameonallthemachines orwillhavebeencontrolled:

Knockoverdepth Camangle Gauge Sinkertimingandpenetrationonasinglejerseymachine Needletiming(delay)onacylinderanddialmachine Fabrictakedowntension

Convenientlythisleavestwovariablestodealwith:

Yarninputtension Coefficientofyarnonmetalfriction

Thecoefficientofyarnonmetalfrictionisdeterminedbytheyarnstructureandfibre type,aswellasthelevelandtypeoflubricant.Efficientyarnqualitycontrolmeasuresshouldbe sufficienttoensureconsistency. Inaddition,theyarnrubsagainsttheinsideofthecreeltransfertubesaswellasseveral ceramicyarnguidesasittravelstotheneedles.Thisprocesscausesatransferoflubricantonto thetubeorceramicwhentherearehighlevelsoflubricantontheyarnandareversetransferof lubricantfromthetubeorguidetotheyarnwhentheyarnlubricantlevelsarelow.Thistends toaverageorevenoutanyvariationsthatmaybepresent. 10/YARNINPUTTENDIONTheproblemthatremainsishowtocontroltheinput tensionatthefeedpointforallthefeeders(typically7696)foramultifeedermachine.Ifthe needlesarelefttopulltheyarndirectlyfromthesupplypackageanumberoffactorsintervene tocausetheinputtensiontovary. Perhapsthemostimportantfactorrelatestothediameterofthecone.Onamachine wheretheyarnspeedisconstant(plainfabric),asthediameteroftheconesteadilyreduces duringunwinding,therotationalvelocityoftheballoonincreasesininverseproportionandasa result,theairresistanceandthecoriolisforcessteadilyincrease,causingtherunningyarn tensiontoincrease. Assumingthecreelisfilledwithfullconesatthestartofknittingthentheyarntension onallfeederswillsteadilyincreaseastheconeswinddown.Ifalltheothercontrolvariables remainconstantthenanincreaseininputtensionwillshiftthetensionbalanceintheknitting zonetowardstheinputsidesothatthenumberofneedlesinvolvedinrobbingbackincreases, withtheresultthatthelooplengthdecreases.

Converselywhenanemptyconeischangedforafullconethereducedballoontension willresultinareductionininputtensionwithacorrespondingincreaseinlooplength.Ifthis processisallowedtocontinuewithoutcheckthenthequalityofthefabricwillbecontinuously alteringand,ifhightensionfeedersaresituatedadjacenttolowtensionfeeders,thenthe differenceinlooplengthmaywellproducehorizontalbarsinthefabric(barr). 11/POSITIVEFEED http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/QualControl/Positive_feed.h tm 12/LOOPLENGTHCONTROLONJACQUARDMACHINES http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/QualControl/Loop_length_co ntrol_on_jacquard_machines.htm 13/DROPPEDNEEDLEANDHOLES Modernmachinesmaybefittedwithfabricscannersthatdetectdroppedstitches,holes andpressoffsandstopthemachine. Droppedstitchesareusuallycausedbytheyarnmissingthehookoftheneedledueto vibrationsintheyarnpath,orduetoadisplacedfeeder.Positivefeedgreatlyreducesyarnpath vibrationsandadisplacedfeederwillgenerateasequenceofdroppedstitchesinaspiraldown thefabricthatcanbetracedback. Holesandminorpressoffsareusuallycausedbytheyarnbreakingintheknittingzone duetoexcessinputtensionorduetoinadequateyarnlubrication.Afeedertensioncheckwill revealtheformercause;thesecondismoredifficulttotrackdownbutwillusuallybecausedby faultyconesonspecificfeedsandwillresultinaspiralsequenceoffaultsthatcanbetraced back. 14/NEEDLELINESNeedlelinesoccurwhenaneedlelatchorneedlehookisdamaged. Inthemostseverecases,theneedlehookisbrokenoffandthisresultsinaverticalwaleof droppedstitchessimilartoamissingneedle.Thisisusuallyeasilyseenduringafabric

inspection(evenwhentheneedleissituatedinthedial)andiscorrectedbyreplacingthe needle.Afabricscannerwillalsodetectit. Thesecondtypeofneedlelineoccursiftheneedlehookisbentbackwards(swanneck) orthelatchistrappedwithinthehook.Whenthishappenstheneedlewilleithertuckinan intermittentfashionorwilltuckcontinuouslycausingaseriesofburststitches.Thisfaultis usuallysufficientlyseveretobevisibleduringaroutinefabricinspectionandmaybedetected byafabricscanner.Thesolutionistoreplacetheneedle. Perhapsthemostdifficultneedlelinetodealwithiscausedbyaprotrudinglatchrivet, oracutorabrasiontotheneedlehookorshank.Thiskindofneedledamageabradestheyarn causingafuzzyorhairy'needlelinethatwillnotbedetectedbyafabricscannerandis frequentlymissedinaroutinefabricinspection. Theproblemisparticularlydifficulttodetectiftheneedleisinthedialandtheneedle lineliesinsidethetube.Itispossibleforthistypeoffaulttocontinuethroughmanyhundreds ofmetresoffabricanditisvitalthereforetoinspecttheinsideandoutsideofeachfabricroll whenitisseparatedfromthemachine. 15/FABRICBARREThereareamultitudeofdifferentcausesoffabricbarr.The followinglistindicatesjustafewofthemanypossiblecauses.

Mixedyarncount(tex) Mixedyarntwist Mixedyarncolour Mixedyarnpolymer Mixednumberoffilaments Afilamentyarnmixedwithspunyarnorviceversa Adeepdyeyarnmixedwithstandardyarn Ahighbulkyarnmixedwithlowbulkyarn Anelastomerstretchyarnmixedwithstandardyarn Afaultystitchcamsetting Ayarndroppedoutofthepositivefeed

Manyofthesefaultsareduetopoorhousekeepingandwillbedetectedbycareful fabricinspectionontheknittingmachineoraftercutdown.Themostserious,however,are faultslikeadeepdyeyarnmixedwithstandardyarn.Thisfaultwillremainhiddenuntilthe fabricisdyedandwillusuallyspoilmanyrollsoffabric.Whenevertheriskofsuchmixesarises, arigorouscolourcodingoftheyarnconesisessentialtopreventthepossibilityofserious financialloss.

16/LINTCONTROLWhenspunyarnisbeingknittedinjerseyplants,aconsiderable amountofflyisgeneratedandthisflysettlesonallstationarymachineparts.Providedall machinesareknittingwhitecottonthentheflycanbecontrolledbyflyblowersonthemachine andsystematicvacuumingoftheplantandfittings.Thisisessentialtopreventafirerisk developingandpreventingflybuildupfromdroppingontothemachineandgettingknitted intothefabric. However,ifcolouredspunyarnsarebeingknittedthencontaminationbecomesa seriouscauseoffabricfaultsandmustbeprevented.Thebestsolutionistoinstalltotally enclosed'flycontrol'creelswithflyextractorfans.This,togetherwithplasticsheetseparators betweenadjacentmachinesandregularsystematicvacuumcleaning,willkeeptheproblem undercontrol.

M/POSITIVEFEEDINGONVBEDMACHINES
1/INTRODUCTIONModernvbedmachinesarethemostversatileflexibleknitting systemseverdeveloped:theyarecapableofmanufacturingextremelycomplexproductssuch asintegrallymanufacturedgarments,whicharealmostcompletelyconstructedbytheknitting process. Whengarmentpanelsareshapedonthemachine,orgarmentsareintegrally manufacturedonthemachinewithoutmakeup,theissueofsizecontrolbecomesaserious concern.Incontrasttocutandsewmanufacture,wheresomeallowancecanbemadefor changesinfabricquality(looplength)atthecuttingstage,integralgarmentmanufactureand fullyfashionedgarmentmanufactureleavenosuchflexibilityandanydifferencesinlooplength willtranslateintovariationsingarmentsize.Forthisreason,thedevelopmentofpositivefeed systemsforvbedmachineshasbeenagoaloftheknittingindustryforthelast20years. Duringthistimeframe,severaldifferentfeedingdeviceshavebeendevelopedand commercialised,someofwhichfacilitatetheknittingprocessandreducefaultrates.However untilthedevelopmentoftheTruePositiveFeedsystematUMISTin2002,noneofthemcould beconsideredpositivefeedsystems.Thismodulewilldiscussthedifficultiesinherentin developingpositivefeedsystemsforvbedmachinesandexplainthemainfeaturesand advantagesoftheTPFsystem.

2/YARNSUPPLYONVBEDMACHINES

http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/PosFeedVBed/Yarn_supply_ on_v_bed_machines.htm 3/ASSISTEDFEEDSYSTEMS Theassistedfeedsystemusuallytakestheformofasmoothpolishedmetalrolleror pulleythatisdrivenatasurfacespeedhigherthanthemaximumyarnspeedachievedduring knitting.Theyarnformsacompletelooparoundthisdrivenrollerinsuchawaythatwhenthe carriagestartstomoveandtheneedlesdrawyarnfromthepackage,thetensionthatdevelops intheyarnpath(duetocontactwiththevariousyarnguides)causesthelooptotightenaround thedrivensurface.Thiscausestheyarntogripthepolishedsurfaceoftherolleranditisdriven forwardtowardstheyarnfeeder.Assoonastheyarnspeedexceedstheyarndemandedbythe needles,theyarntensionfallsbacktowardszero,thegripofthelooponthedrivensurface relaxesandtheyarnspeeddrops. Naturallythisrepetitiveengaginganddisengagingcausesshorttermfluctuationsinyarn tension:thesearemoderatedbyspringloadedtensioncompensatorsthattakeupslackwhen theyarntensionislowandreleaseyarnwhenthetensionishigher. Whiletheseassistedfeedsystemscertainlyreducetheaverageyarntensionatthe needlesandthusreducecutsandholes,theymaywellcauseshorttermfluctuationsinloop lengthduetochangesinrobbingback(seethemoduleKnittingtension,camforcesand robbingback);howeverwhatiscertainisthattheydonotcontrollooplengthoractaspositive feedsystems. 4/STORAGEFEEDER Asalreadydescribedinthemodule,Thetheoryandpracticeofweftknitquality control,storagefeedersnormallyuseindividualsynchronousmotorstodrawyarnfromthe coneandwinditintoanidealhelixonapolishedconicalcapstan.Theyarnisthendrawnatlow tensionfromthehelixtotheknittingyarnfeeder. Thestoragefeederhasmadeaconsiderablecontributiontowardsimprovingknitted fabricqualityonthevbedmachineasithelpstoreducethequalityvariationscausedby differencesinconehardnessandyarnlubrication,aswellascutsandholesduetoexcessyarn tension.Howeveritisnotapositivefeedsystemanditdoesnotcontrollooplength.

5/YARNDEMANDONVBEDMACHINESWewillstarttoanalysethenatureof theproblemofdesigningapositivefeedsystemforvbedmachinesbyconsideringthe causesofthevariationinyarndemandwithtime. Thecamsystemsonavbedmachinereciprocatebackandforwardsacrosstheneedle bed.Thediagramshowsthecamsystemattheextremelefthandsideandrighthandsideof theneedlebed.Asthecarriagemovesfromthemiddleofthebedtowardstheextremeleft handsideitslowsfromitsmaximumtraversespeed,dropstheyarncarrierafterthelastactive needleandthenstopsbeforereversingdirection,pickinguptheyarncarrierandaccelerating towardstherightandagainreachingitsmaximumtraversespeed. Ifweassumethattheyarnisfedfromtherighthandsideofthemachineinasimilar waytotheschematicdiagramthenasthecarriageandyarncarrieracceleratetowardsthe right,theyarndemandatanymomentintimeisequaltotheneedleconsumption(theamount ofyarnknittedintothefabric)minusthevelocityofthecarriage.Whenthecarriageslowsand stopsattheextremerighthandsideofthemachine,theyarndemandfallstozero.Thecarriage andyarncarrierthenreversedirectionandacceleratetowardstheleftofthemachineaway fromtheyarnsource.Theyarndemandisthenequaltotheneedleconsumptionplusthe carriagevelocity.Thus,eveniftheneedleconsumptionacrossthemachineweretobe constant,i.e.themachinewasknittingthesamestructureacrossthemachineonallneedles, theyarndemandwouldvarywithtimeinapredictablemannerduetothereciprocationand changingvelocityofthecarriageandthepickupanddropoffoftheyarncarrier. Inreality,themachinewillbeknittingshapedpanelsand/orjacquardstructures,oran integralgarmentwheretheyarndemandisdeterminedbytheneedleselection.Thus,the needleconsumptionwillalsovarycontinuouslywithtimeinapredictablemannerthatis determinedbytheneedleselectionprogramandthepositionofthedigitallycontrolledstitch cams.Therefore,inordertoprovidepositivefeedonsuchamachine,theyarnfeedermustbe suppliedwithyarnataratethatisthevectorsumofthevelocitiesduetocarriagedirection, carriagevelocityandneedleconsumption. OnamachinesuchastheStollCMSseries,themachinedatanecessarytocalculatethe carriagevelocityanddeterminecarriagedirectionisallavailablewithinthemachinecontrol systeminrealtimebutitisnecessarytohaveconsiderableelectronicexpertisetoaccessit. Furthermore,thecalculationoftheyarnconsumptionrequirestheneedleselectiondata,again availablewithinthecontrolcomputer,togetherwithfabricgeometrydatatodefinethesizeof thedifferenttypesofloopsbeingknitted. Itisforthisreasonthatthevbedfeedersdevelopedinthe20yearspriortotheUMIST TPFsystem(andthatsitonthemachineandfunctionindependentlyofthemachinecontrol system)areallsophisticatedtypesoftensioncompensationdeviceorstoragefeeddevice.They cannotactaspositivefeedsystemsastheydonothavetheinformationnecessarytodetermine therequiredfeedrateanddonothavetheaccelerationcharacteristicsnecessarytomatchthe changesinyarnconsumption.

 6/THEDEVELOPMENTOFTRUEPOSITIVEFEEDWehaveseenintheprecedingsection thatinordertoprovidepositivefeedonavbedmachinewemustfirstlycalculateinrealtime theinstantaneouscarriagevelocity.Wemustaddthistotheinstantaneousyarnconsumption calculatedfromtheneedleselectiondatatogetherwiththeloopsizedata(fabricgeometry data). Wemustthenadjustthedeliveryvelocityofapositivefeeddevicetothecalculated deliveryvelocity.Furthermoreatpointsintheknittingcyclewhentheyarnfeederhasbeen droppedbythecarriageandthevectorsumofthesevelocitiesiszeroornegative,wemustbe abletoreversethefeedertopreventtheyarnfromgoingslack.Inaddition,onamachineusing multipleyarnfeederswithmultiplepositivefeeddevices,wemustaccessthefeederselection datatoknowwhichfeederisknittingandwhichsystemtodrive. 7/THECAPSTANFEEDThefirstquestiontoberesolvedwaswhetheritwaspossible withareasonablycompactandeconomicmotortodriveacommercialcapstanfeederwheelat thenecessaryaccelerationsanddecelerationsforamodernvbedtofunctionatareasonable knittingspeedofbetween0.51.0metre/sec. Inordertodothis,an18gaugeStollCMSwasusedtoknitanumberofstandardfabrics containingthemostfrequentlyencounteredinterlacings(knit,missorfloatandtuck)at commercialqualitiesandtheloopsizeswereaccuratelymeasured.Fromthisdata,theneedle consumptionratescouldbecalculatedandtheratesofchangeofyarnconsumptionthat occurredwithshaping,structurechanges,carriagereversal,etc.wereanalysedtodetermine themagnitudesofthemaximumaccelerations. Withknowledgeofthemassandinertiaofthewheel,itwasthenpossibletodetermine thetorquenecessarytoaccelerate/deceleratethecapstandriveatthedesiredrate.The requiredmaximumtorquewasfoundtoliewithintherangedeliveredbythelatestcompact brushlesspermanentmagnetDCservomotors.Thispreliminaryworkdemonstratedthatthe positivefeedingconceptwasviable,providedthenecessarydatacouldbecapturedfromthe knittingmachine. 8/KNITTINGDATACAPTUREInordertocalculatetherequiredyarnfeedrateatany momentoftime,thefollowinginformationisrequired:

Thedirectionofthecarriage Theexactpositionoftheyarncarrierasittraversestheneedlebed Theexactclocktimeofthecarrierpickupanddropoff

Theexactvelocityofthecarriage Theneedleselectiondata Thestitchcampositiondata Thestitchtypeandsizedata

Furthermore,thisdatamustbeavailablesufficientlyinadvanceoftheclocktimeforthe necessarycalculationstobemade,thedatatobetransferredtothemotorcontrollerandthe motortoreacttothecontrolpulses. OntheStollCMSmachinechosenforthisdevelopment,thefirstsixsetsofdataare transferredtotheknittingcontrolsystemsfromthemachinemicrocontrollerpriortoeach knittingcourse.Infacttheneedleselectioninstructionsfortheentireneedlearrayarepre selectedpriortoeachknittingcourse.Toaccessthisdata,itisnecessarytomonitorthemain controlbusanddecodethecontrolpulses.Thestitchsizedatamustbedeterminedfromlook uptablesheldwithinthePCusedtomanagetheTruePositiveFeedsystem. FromthisshortdescriptionofthewayinwhichtheTPFsystemneedstofunction,itis possibletoappreciateitscomplexityandtheneedforhighlevelsofelectronic,mechanical,IT andknittingengineeringskillstobringthedevelopmenttoasuccessfulconclusion. 9/TESTINGTHETRUEPOSITIVEFEEDThefirstprototypewascompletedin2000and theprocessofelectrical,mechanicalandknittestingcommenced.Progresswasrapidandby theendoftheyear,thesystemwasbeingusedonthe18gaugeStollCMSatmoderateknitting speeds. Extensivequalitytestingshowedthesystemtobeextremelyaccurate,controlling normalknittingyarnstowithin+/0.2%ofthedesiredcourselength.Thesystemalsoproved capableofhandlingelastomericyarnsandforthefirsttimeitwaspossibletoincorporate elastomericsintotheknittedstructurebyconvertingthemintoknittedloopsofaspecifiedsize, ratherthansimplybyusinginlaytechniques. 10/THETRUEPOSITIVEFEEDANDSCAN2KNITThefirstprototypewascompleted in2000andtheprocessofelectrical,mechanicalandknittestingcommenced.Progresswas rapidandbytheendoftheyear,thesystemwasbeingusedonthe18gaugeStollCMSat moderateknittingspeeds. Extensivequalitytestingshowedthesystemtobeextremelyaccurate,controlling normalknittingyarnstowithin+/0.2%ofthedesiredcourselength.Thesystemalsoproved capableofhandlingelastomericyarnsandforthefirsttimeitwaspossibletoincorporate

elastomericsintotheknittedstructurebyconvertingthemintoknittedloopsofaspecifiedsize, ratherthansimplybyusinginlaytechniques. 11/THETRUEPOSITIVEFEED http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/PosFeedVBed/The_True_Pos itive_Feed.htm

N/WEFTKNITTINGQUALITYCONTROL
1/INTRODUCTIONThismodulewilltaketheformofawiderangingdiscussionofthe issuesofqualitycontrolinweftknitting. Itwillincludeasummaryofthepublishedacademicandindustrybasedresearch,anda discussionofthepracticalproblemsandsolutionsrelevanttomodernindustrialscale manufacturing. 2/QUALITYThequalityofaknittedproductisacomplexconcept.Atonelevel,it meansaholisticassessmentofarangeofvisibleandinvisiblefactorssuchasthecut'ofthe garment,thelustreandsoftnessoftheyarn,thehandle'ofthefabric,thefinenessoftheknit structure,theexcellenceofthemakeup,thequalityofthedesignandtheextenttowhichthe fabricshrinksorpills. Atanotherlevel,itisassessedintermsofstrictlymeasurableparameterssuchascourse andwaledensity,looplengthorstitchlength,fabricweightpersquaremetre,thepercentage ofaddons(suchaslubricantsandfinishes),faultspermetre(suchascutsandholesorknots anddirtmarks),anddimensionalstabilitymeasurementsetc. Thismodulewillnotaddressthemoresubjectivemeasuresbutwillconcentrateonthe measurableandthuscontrollablevariablesthatprovidethekeytoproducingconsistently reproduciblegoodqualityknittedfabricandtheresearchbasedtheoriesthatdefinethe relationshipsbetweenthem.

 3/QUALITYCONTROLHISTORY

Thequalityofaknittedproductisacomplexconcept.Atonelevel,itmeansaholistic assessmentofarangeofvisibleandinvisiblefactorssuchasthecut'ofthegarment,thelustre andsoftnessoftheyarn,thehandle'ofthefabric,thefinenessoftheknitstructure,the excellenceofthemakeup,thequalityofthedesignandtheextenttowhichthefabricshrinks orpills. Atanotherlevel,itisassessedintermsofstrictlymeasurableparameterssuchascourse andwaledensity,looplengthorstitchlength,fabricweightpersquaremetre,thepercentage ofaddons(suchaslubricantsandfinishes),faultspermetre(suchascutsandholesorknots anddirtmarks),anddimensionalstabilitymeasurementsetc. Thismodulewillnotaddressthemoresubjectivemeasuresbutwillconcentrateonthe measurableandthuscontrollablevariablesthatprovidethekeytoproducingconsistently reproduciblegoodqualityknittedfabricandtheresearchbasedtheoriesthatdefinethe relationshipsbetweenthem. Discussionswithknittingtechniciansinstigatedinthe1950sbyresearchersfromHATRA (HosieryandAlliedTradesResearchAssociation)aboutthecausesofvariabilityproducedalist ofmanyparametersthatwereconsideredtoberesponsibleforchangesinquality.Thislist included:

Airtemperatureintheplant Temperatureofthemachinebed Airhumidityintheplant Moisturecontentintheyarn Waxcontentoftheyarn Colouroftheyarn Coneangle Diameterofthecone Stitchcamposition Dialheight Needletiming Sinkerpenetration Sinkertiming Machinespeed Takedowntension Stretcherboardwidth

Theextentanddiversityoftheparametersinthislistconvincedtheresearchersat HATRAthatasystematicempiricalstudywasneededtonarrowdownthemostimportant variables. Theresultsofthisresearch,publishedbyDoylein1953intheJournaloftheTextile Institute(JTI),suggestedthatthestitchdensityofawiderangeofplainknittedwoollenfabrics wasinverselyproportionaltothesquareofthelooplength.Thisrelationshipofferedthe prospectofdevelopingsimplesystemstocontrolfabricquality.Encouragedbytheseresults, Mundencontinuedwiththeworkandin1959,published(JTI)awiderangingempiricaland theoreticalanalysisofthefactorscontrollingthecoursedensity,thewaledensity,thestitch densityandthethicknessofplainknitand1x1ribwoollenfabrics. Thisgroundbreakingresearchledtoanoutpouringofresearchintothegeometryand propertiesofweftknittedfabricsbyresearcherssuchasKnapton,LeafandPostlemuchofit carriedoutatLeedsUniversityunderthesupervision,orwiththecollaborationof,Munden. Theoutcomeofallthisworkwasaconviction,bothintheacademicworldandinindustry,that thekeytocontrollingfabricqualitywasthecontroloflooplengthandthisconvictionled directlytothedevelopmentofpositivefeedsystems. 4/EARLYYARNFEEDINGDEVICEPriorto1939,thehosieryindustryhaddeveloped feedingdevicestoreducethetensionoftheyarnasitwasfedintotheneedles.Thesedevices tooktheformofcapstanwheels,orlooselymeshinggearwheels,drivenbygearingfromthe maindriveshaft. Inatypicalexample,theyarnwaspassedthroughthenipofataperedwheelanda conicalwheelthatactedasavariablespeeddrivesystem.Thepositionoftheyarnalongthe axisofthetaperedwheelwasdeterminedbythetensionintherunningyarn.Iftheyarn tensionincreased,theyarnwasmovedtowardsthehigherdiameterendofthetaperedwheel thuscausingittobefedatahigherrateandviceversa. Thesetensioncompensatingdrivesreducedthenumberofholesandpressoffsinthe hosebyreducingthevariationsinfeedertensionand,inthatsense,theyimprovedthefabric quality.Theydidnot,however,controllooplength.Infacttheydidtheopposite:byvaryingthe feedratetheyincreasedthevariationinlooplength.Unfortunatelytheyalsoledtothebeliefin theindustrythatthekeytocontrollingqualitywasthecontrolofyarntensionatthefeedpoint, anideathathassinceprovedextremelydifficulttoeradicate. 5/THEHATRACOURSELENGTHTESTERAspartofitsfocusonknittedfabricquality HATRAmanufacturedandsoldtheHATRAcourselengthtester.Thisdevice(essentiallyaseries ofmetrescalesmountedonabackboardwithguidepulleystoenabletheyarntobeguidedup

anddownthesidesofthescales)enabledasinglecourseofyarntobeclamped,loadedand measuredtoanaccuracyofwithinplusorminus23mm. Thecourselengthtesterbecamethestandardqualityinstrumentfortheknitting industry,asitwasapplicabletoanyandeveryknittedproduct.Inordertotestthecourse length,asinglecoursewasunravelledfromthefabricorgarmentandmountedandmeasured onthecourselengthtester.Thedivisionofthislengthbythenumberofneedlesknittinginthe courseprovidedthelooplength.Thecourselengthtesterprovidedamethodofquality measurementthatwassimpletouse,accurate(providedcarewastakeninthethreadingto removeallthecrimp)andlowcost.ItwaswidelyusedintheUKknittingindustryanditsuse eventuallyextendedintoEurope. Itsdisadvantageswerethetimetakentocarryoutthecheck,particularlyformultifeed circularmachines,whereeachcoursehadtobeunravelledandtestedseparately,andthefact thatitwasqualitymeasurementaftertheevent:inotherwordstheproducthadalreadybeen produced.Thislatterproblemwasespeciallyseriousinthecaseofdoublejerseyfactories wheresettingamachineusingthismethodwasarealchoreanditsuseinroutinequality controloftenresultedinseveralrollsoffabricbeingknittedbeforeafaultwasdetected. Despitetheseproblems,thecourselengthtesterwaswidelyusedandasimilar approachusingtheHATRAcrimptestertomeasurethelengthofasetnumberofloops,for example,100inafinegaugesinglejerseyisstillusedinlaboratoriestoanalysefaultstoday. 6/THEHATRAYARNSPEDTESTER

Inordertofacilitatethemorerapidsettingupofrotatingcylindermachines,for example,hosemachinesormultifeedjerseymachines,HATRAdevelopedtheyarnspeed meter. Thisdevice,whichcausedthetravellingyarntodriveacorklinedpulleythatrotateda simpledynamo,allowedtheyarnspeedtobereadoffonanammeterbuiltintothebodyofthe tester.AlthoughtheinstrumentwasrelativelyfragileandneededtobereturnedtoHATRAfor regularcalibration,itrevolutionizedthesettingupofmultifeedmachines. Tobeeffective,theyarnspeedmeterneededtobeusedinconjunctionwitharunning yarntensionmetersuchastheZivitensionmeter.Thiswasnecessarybecausesimply measuringandcontrollingtheyarnspeedisnotthesameasmeasuringandcontrollingtheyarn length.Thecomplicatingfactoristhefactthatyarnsstretchundertensionandespeciallyinthe caseoffalsetwisttexturedyarns,smallchangesintensioncausesignificantchangesinthe degreeofstretch.

7/IROTAPEDRIVENPOSITIVEFEED

FollowingthepublicationofDoyle'sandMunden'sresearch,anumberoforganizations startedworkonpositivefeedsystemsandthefirsttoachieveawidecommercialexposurewas developedbyRoseninSweden,manufacturedbyIROandknownastheIROtapefeed. Thissystemwasdesignedformultifeedcircularjerseymachines,initially12,24and36 feedmachines.Thesystemusedfreelyrotatingcapstanwheelsateachfeedpositionrotatedby arubberizedtapedrivewhichwasdrivenbyavariablediameterpulleyfromthemaincylinder drivesystem.Inthisway,allthecapstanwheelsdrivenbyaspecificbeltrotatedatexactthe samespeed. Normallyontheearlysystems,twotapeswereusedtoprovidethedifferentrunins' (thelengthofyarndeliveredtoeachfeederpermachinerevolution)necessaryforthemajority ofmoresimplejerseystructures.Inordertopreventyarnslippage,theyarnwasfedbetween thetapeandthecapstantoensurepositivefeeding.TheIROfeedworkedextremelywelland achievedrapidcommercialacceptance.Itenabledmultifeedmachinestobesettoquality relativelyrapidlywithoutthenecessitytocalibrateallthestitchcamsbecauseoncethetape drivewassettothecorrectrunin(usingruninmetersthatwererestedonthetape)theneach yarninturncouldbeintroducedintothenipofthecapstanwiththemachineoncreepspeed andthestitchcamadjusted,untiltheyarnwasfullyadsorbedandtherunningfeedertension wascloseto1.0gm. Fromthenon,onceallthefeedersweresetinthesamewayandthetensionsre adjusted,routinelooplengthcontrolinvolvedsimplymeasuringthefeedertensionateachfeed positiontypicallyonceeveryshift. Generallythetapefeedersofferedareliablesolutiontotheproblemofpositivefeedingon multifeedmachines.Howevertheydidhaveseveraldrawbacks:

Asthetapesbecamewornandimpregnatedwithyarnlubricanttheybecamesmooth andslipperyandthiscouldleadtoyarnslipandlossofpositivefeed Thetapescoulddeveloproughedgesorsnagsduetocontactwiththepulleysand guidesanditwaspossiblefortheyarntosticktothetapeandbecarriedoutofthe feederaroundthemachine,thuscausingapressoff Thetapefeeddidnotfacilitateadequatecontrolforelastomericyarns

BecauseoftheseissuesIROandothermanufacturers,includingMemmingerandnowIRO Memminger,developedbeltdrivencapstanfeedersthateliminateallthreeoftheabove problems.

8/FABRICRELAXATION http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/theory_weft/Fabric_r elaxation_1_of_3.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/theory_weft/Fabric_r elaxation_2_of_3.htm http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/theory_weft/Fabric_r elaxation_3_of_3.htm

9/QUALITYCONTROLFORCOTTONANDWOOLFABRIC Althoughcottonandwoolfabricscannotbeheatset,themajorityofthesingleand doublejerseyfabricswereinitiallyusedinunderwearwherefabricrelaxationpresentslessofa problemoncethegarmenthasbeenmanufactured.Howeverforthegarmentmaker,theissues ofwidthandweightpersquaremetrecontrolhavepresentedanongoingproblemovermany years.Inparticular,thefabricbeingpresentedtothecuttingtablecouldroutinelyvaryinwidth byasmuchas+/5cmfromonerolltothenextandoccasionallybymuchmore.Suchlevelsof variationcompromisedtheefficiencyofthelaymaker'scuttingplanbyincreasingtheedge wastetounacceptablelevels. TheproblemoffabricrelaxationbecameanissueforretailerssuchasMarksand Spencerwhencottonandwoolfabricsstartedtobeusedinouterwearandthisproblemlimited theiracceptability. 10/STARFISHANDCOTTONJERSEY Inordertoaddressthisissueandfostertheincreaseduptakeofcottonjerseythe InternationalInstituteforCotton,Didsbury,Manchesterinstitutedaprogrammeofresearch anddevelopmentthatwascalledStarfish.LedbyAlanHeapandJillStevens,theresearchteam setouttoestablishthefabricgeometryconstants(seeMundenforanexplanationoffabric geometryconstants)forawiderangeofcottonjerseyfabricfinishedthroughanumberof differentcommercialfinishingroutes. Theaimwastousearangeofdifferentcottonyarns(singlesringspun,doublesringspun, singlesopenspun,etc.)toknitcommercialstructuresonarangeofgaugesandmachine diameterstoarangeofcoverfactors(seeKnaptonforanexplanationofcoverfactor)that encompassedtherangeoffabricqualitiesnormallysold. Atleast100metresofeachfabricqualitywereknittedandfinishedthrougheachoffourorfive differentcommercialfinishingroutes.Thefinishedfabricswerethensubjecttointensivetesting

forquality(looplength,courseandwaledensity,thicknessandweightpersquaremetre) followingarangeofdifferentrelaxationtreatments.Theresultswereenteredintoatable databaseandalsocorrelatedwithlooplengthviaarangeofdifferentpolynomialequationsto determinethebestfitequation.Thisrelationshipwasthenusedinconjunctionwiththe databasetoenabletheinterpolationofvaluesthatlieinbetweentheobserveddatapointsor outsidetheexperimentalrange. Thisextensiveprogrammeofresearchwassuccessfulinthatitenabledknittersto predictthequalityofaparticularstructureprocessedviaarangeoffinishingroutesandthen selectwhichcombinationoffabricstructure,fabricqualityandfinishingbestsuitedthe customer'srequirement. Oneofthegreatestadvantagesofthemodelliesinthefactthatitcouldpreventsales staffacceptingordersforfabricspecificationsthatsimplycouldnotbedeliveredinastable condition:inotherwords,fabricsatawidthorweightpersquaremetrethatcouldonlybe achievedbystretchingorcompressingintoaconditionthatwouldyieldexcesslevelsof relaxation.Thedrawbackofthemodellayinthefactthatitcouldonlymakeaccurate predictionsforyarnandstructuresthathadbeenresearchedandeachtimeanewvariantof yarnorstructureorfinishingroutewasadoptedthennewresearchwasnecessarytoextend thedatabase. 11/WOLLENFABRICANDFELTINGSHRINKAGE http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/theory_weft/Woollen _fabrics_and_felting_shrinkage.htm 12/CAPSTANYARNFEEDS http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/theory_weft/Capstan_yarn_f eeds.htm 13/DIGITALDRIVEPOSITIVEFEED http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/theory_weft/Digital_drive_p ositive_feed.htm

14/STORAGEFEEDERSANDJACQUARDKNITTING http://www.knitepedia.co.uk/browse/knit_tech/knit_tech/theory_weft/Storage_feeder s_and_jacquard_knitting.htm 15/COMBINTIONSTORAGEANDPOSITIVEFEED Inordertosatisfytherequirementsofjerseymachinesthatarecapableofknittingplain andjacquardfabrics,Memmingerhavebroughtoutatapedrivencombinationfeedthatcanact aseitherapositivefeedcapstanorasastoragecapstan.Thefigurebelowshowstheimageof suchafeed. 16/LOOPLENGTHCONTROLONVBEDMACHINES Similarlytotheproblemofyarnfeedinginjacquardknitting,theyarnfeedrateonav bedmachineisconstantlychanging,evenwhenthemachineisknittingplainfabric.Thisisdue tothereciprocationofthecamsystemsinthecarriageandthefactthatthecarriage acceleratesanddeceleratesatthebeginningandendofeachstrokerespectively. Superimposedonthevariationduetothereciprocationisasecondvariationduetotheneedle selection,whichmaycausechangesinthefabricstructureorpattern,orcausethewidthofthe fabrictochangeaswell. Untilveryrecentlythiscontinualvariationinyarndemandhasmadepositivefeeding impossible(untiltheintroductionoftheTruePositiveFeeddevelopedbyDrDiasetal,thatwill bethesubjectofaseparatemodule)withtheresultthatmachinebuildersandfeeder manufacturershavedevelopedvariousformsofassistedfeedsystemthathelptheyarnonits waytotheneedlesinanattempttolimitfluctuationsinyarntensionatthefeeder. TheIROstoragefeederhasbeensuccessfullyusedforthispurposeandmoremodern versionsspecificallydesignedforthevbedhavebeendevelopedbyIROMemminger.The diagrambelowshowssuchafeeder. Alternativelymanymachinebuildersequiptheirmachineswithassistedfeeddevices thatconsistofdrivenrollerswithtensioncompensatorsthathelptheyarnonitswaytothe feeder.Noneofthesedevicescontrolthelooplengthoreliminatethechangesinqualitythat mayoccurduetochangesinyarnpropertiessuchaslubrication,colour,twist,extensibility,etc. ThemachinebuilderShimaSeikiadoptedadifferentstrategywiththeintroductionof theDigitalStitchControlSystemknownastheDSCSsystem.Thisdeviceplacesalightweight

yarnlengthmeasuringwheelintheyarnpathandcomparestheactualyarnconsumptionwith thetheoreticalyarnconsumptionderivedfromtheCAD/CAMpatterndataforthegarment. Thesystemthenusesthedigitallypositionedstitchcamtodisplacethestitchcamin ordertomodifythelooplengthandthuscompensateforthedifferencebetweentheactual andthetheoreticalconsumptions.Again,thisdevicedoesnotpositivelyfeedtheyarnandit cannotbeconsideredapositivefeedsystem,althoughitdoesseemtoreducevariationsin garmentdimensions.

17/REFERENCES
Doyle,P.J.,FundamentalAspectsoftheDesignofKnittedFabrics,J.TextileInst.44(8),561 578(1953). Munden,D.L.,TheGeometryandDimensionalPropertiesofPlainKnitFabric,J.TextileInst. 50,T448471(1959). Knapton,.J.J.F.and.Munden,.D.L.,.TextileRes.J.36,.10811091.(1966) Dias,T.,TheDigitalPositiveDrive,Mechatronic2000,September2000).