NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY

MECHATRONICS – ASSIGNMENT 1
COMPUTERIZED JACQUARD KNITTING MACHINE

SUBMITTED BY –

KASHISH S.

1|MECHATRONICS
INTRODUCTION

Jacquard is generally used for producing elaborative designs and motifs.

According to the principle of needle selection jacquards may of either
mechanical or electrical (electronic) type.

As a circular knitting machine is generally equipped with multiple feeders, the

number of jacquard units should also be more than one. The repeat size of a
jacquard design is expressed by the number of wales and courses involved in
the production of the repeating unit of the design. The number of wales is
decided by the capacity of the jacquard. The number of courses required to
produce a repeat of the design can be varied according to requirement but it
mainly depends upon the number feeders in the machine.

The design effect can be enhanced by using more colours in the pattern in
addition to the capacity of the jacquard. The machines working with jacquard
are generally coarser in gauge and slower in speed. The pattern preparation is
also tedious and time consuming.

FEATURES OF COMPUTERIZED JACQUARD

 Designs can be drawn on the computer using free hand techniques,

symbol manipulation and a host of other advance features, which enable
evolution of computer designs within very short time period.

 Database can be built on all designs/ manufacturing parameters,

including the design element (jacquard) capacity, yarn specifications,
colour palette, knitted structures, etc., and thus data is available at hand
for simulating the fabric and generating manufacturing documents.

 Using this data and the design, the total fabric is simulated and the full
visual impact of the design is available on the monitor. Changes as
desired in any of the specifications including colour can be effected and
the simulated version can be immediately evaluated.

 The computer can also be directly interfaced with an electronic jacquard

thus enabling direct transfer of the design concept to manufacturing
without error.

2|MECHATRONICS
MECHANISM OF COMPUTERIZED JACQUARD

Electro-magnetic needle selection has now been introduced in some of the

jacquards. An electronic impulse is used to energize an electro-magnet which
ultimately selects and determines the position of the needle during loop
formation. The minute selection movement generated by the electro-magnet
is magnified by mechanical movements of other elements. The input to the
Electro-magnets may be supplied in various forms including latest CD drive.

For the new generation electronic jacquards, the design to be produced on the
fabric is first prepared on the computer using suitable CAD software. The
ultimate fabric can also be viewed on the monitor. The software then converts
the design into the fabric manufacturing details which are either directly sent
to the electronic jacquard or copied and stored on Pen drive/CD or as EPROM
for using the same as input to the electronic jacquard as and when needed.

Below the needles in the tricks there

are jacks or sliders. These jacks
actually perform the function of
clearing cam which is not included in
the needle cam track. The jacks are
provided with butts. The butt of any
jack may be either under the control
or beyond the control of the jack cam
track decided by its position in the
trick. These two positions of the jack
are controlled by the combined action
of two flat springs. One flat spring
(may be called retaining spring) is
positioned at the back of the jack
which always pushes the jack outward
to bring the butt of the jack under the
control of the jack cam track. To
accommodate the retaining spring, this portion of the trick is comparatively
deeper. Another flat spring, called control spring, is positioned in front of the
jack. The control spring when not attracted by the electro-magnet (control
pole) or solenoid, can push the jack inside the trick against the retaining spring.
When the same is attracted by the electro-magnet, the jack is pushed forward
by the retaining spring. Whatever may the type of input (photo-film, magnetic
film, floppy, CD or EPROM), the design information is scanned/read course
wise by appropriate device and the corresponding signal is sent to the electro-
3|MECHATRONICS
magnet. The electro-magnet may be energized or not according to the nature
of signal. In case, an electro-magnet is energized it will attract the
corresponding control spring to bring the jack under its jurisdiction to the
control of the jack cam track. Subsequently the jack moves up by the jack cam
track and causes the needle above it to move up to the clearing height for
resulting normal loop formation. But if the electro-magnet is not energized by
the input signal, the control spring pushes the jack inside the trick and jack is
not lifted up by the jack cam track. As a result, the needle above it is also not
moved up but allowed to remain in lower position for resulting float or miss
formation by the same. Nowadays piezo elements are being used more and
more in number for smoother selection of the needles and operation of the
electronic jacquard.

ADVANTAGES

 Creation of new designs on the computer permits trial of number of

variations. Small design modules (motifs) which have been earlier found
effective can be positioned and posted on new designs to create new
patterns.

 Additionally, if a sample fabric or the design on paper is to be copied

with some modifications, the same can be readily done using colour
scanning facility.

 It is possible to play around with colour shades, motifs and other design
variations and immediately assess the total effect.

 Computerization can display on screen and reproduce on paper, the

total simulated fabric and thus makes it possible to understand the
fabric right at design stage.

 With CAD installation, the long time of manual designing is shortened

and the design process itself becomes skill independent.

4|MECHATRONICS
DEVELOPMENTS

 Computerized data acquisition system for production monitoring [E3

(Easy + Efficient + Economic) Knit Networking system developed by M/s.
Terrot]

 Design facilities (tucking, floating, plating and loop transferring)

 Multiple cam track arrangement
 CAD and CAM

5|MECHATRONICS