Method for the manufacture of patterned pile fabrics and circular knitting machine therefor

US4633683A · kind A · utility

Inventor

• Walter Schmidt

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 8, 1984
• Grant date: Jan 6, 1987
• Expiry date: Feb 8, 2004

Classification

• Technology area (CPC D): Textiles; Paper
• CPC primary: D04B35/04
• WIPO field: Textile and paper machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

Patterned pile (terry or plush) fabrics are made on circular knitting machines with cylinder and sinker ring or latch needles and pile elements (pile sinkers, pile hooks, latch needles). The pile elements are not selected, but perform their pile forming motions every knitting cycle. The latch needles of the cylinder are, however, selected both for knitting desired structures in the ground or base fabric and for forming the pile loops in the desired pile regions. The needles selected to form pile loops engage the pile thread fed at a higher level than the ground thread, which is fed at a level such that it is not affected by the pile elements, e.g. below the webs of pile sinkers. The ground thread is held in non-pile forming needles with their hooks at the level of the pile elements while the pile thread is fed to further extended needles which are then retracted to the same level as the needles holding the ground thread before all the needles are retracted to the knock-over position.