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Knitting is a process of fabric manufacturing from a strand of yarn. In this process two types of
machines are used circular knitting machine & flat bed knitting machine. A knitting machine is
thus an apparatus for applying mechanical movement, either hand or power derived, to primary
knitting elements, in order to convert yarn into knitted loop structures. First hand operated
Circular knitting machine was produced in 1860. In the year 1870 first mechanical circular
knitting machine was produced. Machines may range from high-production, limited-capability
models to versatile, multi-purpose models having extensive patterning capabilities. The more
complex the structure being knitted, the lower the knitting speed and efficiency. The simplest of
the knitting machines would be hand-powered and manipulated whereas power driven machines
may be fully automatically-programmed and controlled from a computer system. Electronic
jacquard circular knitting machine is one of the powers driven fully automatic computerized
machines. This invention has opened up a vast area for knitting. Proper use of this invention may
lead to a knitted fabric of better physical properties & serviceability. This proposed thesis will
give a better idea to minimize the cost a knit fabric while increasing the properties,
serviceability, appearance etc. Also attempts to maximize the profit range with minimum
investment.
Introduction
During the 20s of the 20th century knitted upper garments for the first time entered the fashion.
Whenever knitwear entered the fashion, fashion was through its demand encouraged further
development of some kind of knitting machines. Consequently, the circular knitting machines
with latch needles developed the increasing possibilities of patterning. In Chemnitz, in 1921,
jacquard circular machine was constructed, which allows creation of different patterns in color,
and in 1927 steel tape for patterning was introduced [1]. Knitting technology continues to expand
the capabilities for conversion of fiber and yarns into knitted products. Obviously, there are
developments that have improved capabilities such as production speed and production
efficiency, patterning limitations etc. The present thesis relates to a jacquard circular knitting
machine, more especially to a jacquard circular knitting machine provided with a needle cylinder
driving mechanism capable of optionally and readily changing the rotary motion of the needle
cylinder of the circular knitting machine according to the pattern to be produced on the fabric
[5].
A jacquard circular knitting machine includes a cylindrical needle cylinder provided with a
plurality of knitting needles, a patterning mechanism for controlling the vertical sliding motion
of the knitting needles on the knitting cylinder to knit a jacquard knitted fabric, and a driving
mechanism for driving the needle cylinder. Usually, the patterning mechanism employs a pin
drum or pin drums for controlling the knitting needles [2].
In recent years, however, computers have been employed in the patterning mechanism. A
patterning mechanism employing a computer, namely, a computerized patterning mechanism,
has an infinite patterning capacity [3]. That is, by controlling all the individual knitting needles,
the computerized patterning mechanism is capable of changing stitches along the wale direction
and is capable of producing diversified patterns in the course direction, as compared with the pin
drum type patterning mechanism. Furthermore, the computerized patterning mechanism has the
advantage that it enables quick and very easy pattern changes without requiring a skilled worker
[2].
Mechanical & electronic circular jacquard machines are very much useful & versatile in nature
but to do maximum use of these machines it is important to have proper knowledge about their
driving & patterning mechanism. The changed property of the fabrics produced from circular
jacquard knitting machines from conventional circular knitting machines is also a purpose of the
study. To change the demand of the world knit industry the versatile use of this jacquard knit
machines are very important. In Bangladesh the use of these latest machines are not quite up to
the mark just because of lack of knowledge about these machines. The main purpose of the study
is to make the circular knit jacquard machines mechanism more familiar with knit industries &
find out its versatility.
Objective
In this study the main objective is to understand the mechanism of the circular jacquard machine.
Patterning system to produce a design knit fabrics.
Also try to find out the difference in mechanism between mechanical jacquard & electrical
jacquard machines.
Another object is to find out the difference in properties among the fabrics produced by
conventional knitting machine & jacquard knitting machine with different type of yarn used.
Methodology
1. At first types of jacquard circular knitting machines were determined.
2. Detailed information about different parts of the machines one by one from the machine
with their mechanism of work.
3. Then comparative study about patterning various designs was done.
4. Different patterned fabrics were tested to compare with knit fabrics produced from
circular knitting machines.
1. Mechanical jacquard.
2. Electrical jacquard.
Mechanical jacquard:
Generally the Jacquard machines were mechanically processed. The patterns which required are
mechanically introduced in the machine [6].
Circular mechanical jacquard machine knitting elements:
Peg Box
Peg
Selector
Cam Box
Jack
Needle
Pin
Sinker
Circular Mechanical Jacquard Selection System [9]:
In the past, a variety of mechanical Jacquard selection systems were available on the market, but
today manufacturers privilege only two types of mechanical Jacquard systems, equipped
respectively with
- Needle sliders or
- Pattern wheels
The slider selection system is the most commonly used system. Under each needle there is a slider
with 3 butts: a lower butt for needle raising, an upper butt for loop knocking-over and an
intermediate selection butt that can be positioned at different levels. A selection lever acts on
the intermediate selection butt. When the lever is idle (i.e. in external position) the slider
maintains a vertical position and is pushed upward by the raising cams so that the corresponding
needle can assume a working position. When the selection lever is active (i.e. in internal position)
the slider is pushed into the guide groove and the corresponding needle assumes a non-knitting
position. The selection lever is controlled externally and each manufacturer has developed its own
solution to control the selection lever (e.g. fixed turrets with plug-in cartridges for pattern
selection, punched cards system, reeds etc.)
The most recent models of circular knitting machines incorporate 37 selection levels (mini-jack
machines). On double-bed machines, the selection levels are limited to the cylinder. In addition
to the pattern selection levels, these machines also feature two extra levels to facilitate the
selection change-over procedures
The selection butts of sliders are usually arranged as follows:
- Diagonally
- Symmetrically
With the slider butts arranged diagonally, the pattern design includes in its width a number of
wales equal to the number of selectors. In symmetrical arrangement, the width of the pattern
design is twice the number of selection levels. The sliders arrangement can remain unchanged
for each machine revolution (fixed arrangement), and in this case the height of the design pattern is
given by the number of feed systems of the machine divided by the number of pattern colors. If
the operator wishes to modify the height of the pattern, the arrangement of the sliders must be
changed after every machine revolution. This operation can be carried out by applying different
methods, i.e.:
- Using small cylinders provided with as many holes as the number of selectors; each hole can
have a peg to exclude the corresponding selector. These small cylinders can be rotated after each
machine revolution to modify the slider selection on a specific feed system.
- Using selection turrets that can be reset and provided with a new selection scheme for each
machine revolution.
1. There are 39 pegs in a peg box. Top 3 are fixed or common butts. Rest 36 for design
(means in a repeat of a course there may be 36 Wales maximum).
Peg box: inside view outside view
5. If left (peg) is pressed, it press selector and disconnect corresponding needle and forms
miss loop.
6. If only right (peg) is pressed, it press selector and disconnect corresponding needle after
forming a half loop and it forms tuck loop.
Electrical jacquard:
A jacquard circular knitting machine is disclosed provided with a needle cylinder driving
mechanism capable of optionally and readily controlling the rotary motion of the needle cylinder
according to the pattern to be knitted [7]. A motor interlocked through gears or the like with the
needle cylinder rotates according to a needle cylinder rotating procedure stored previously in a
magnetic memory medium [3]. Needle actuators operate according to a pattern forming
procedure stored in another magnetic memory medium as a signal is provided by a sensor for
sensor for detecting the rotary motion of the needle cylinder [8]. Thus a jacquard circular-knitted
fabric having predetermined patterns can be knitted efficiently.
Spring Jack.
Needle
Sinker
Special cam box for electrical circular jacquard.
Electromagnetic needle selector
Spring Jack
Needle
Sinker
If the selection is carried out with a single magnet, when the magnet is excited, the striker
assumes a vertical position thanks to the action of a control spring then reaches the rising cam and
forces the needle in the working position. When the magnet is not excited, the spring withdraws
the striker into the groove in the non-knitting position together with the corresponding needle.
Two or more colored yarns may be used during knitting for value addition i.e., aesthetic value in
one hand and better marketability on the other. Addition of more than one colors results
horizontal stripe, vertical stripe, check or some special effect depending upon the combination of
colored yarns and the order of selection of needles making the loops using different colors.
Production of stripe in width direction (course wise) is very simple. It does not require any
specific order of needle selection but arrangement of colored yarns in regular order (interval)
during feeding will produce the desired effect. However to produce special effect or motif,
selection of needle is essential along with feeding two or more colored yarns. Generally two or
more colors are used in the same course (resultant) to produce the desired effect and accordingly
two or more neighboring feeders make one complete course with proper needle selection. A few
multi-colored weft knitted structures are shown here.
However, in order to make black and white representation of the colored effect the presence of
different colors on the surface of the knitted structures have been shown by the characters R, G,
B etc. where R, G, B etc. stands for different colors.
Two more simple motifs produced on two colors – black and white – are shown. The first one (a)
repeats on 24 × 24 courses and wales whereas the second one (b) repeats on 20 × 28 courses and
wales.
Materials:
Yarn selection: As the experiment has done only for identifying the changes
between the fabrics of circular knitting machine & circular jacquard knitting machine
so all the yarns used were same for both the machines. Only change was in their
design.
Knitting machine: Knitting Machines (Mayer & Cie, Germany) with same
diameter of cylinder but difference was one was single jersey circular knitting
machine & another was single jersey circular electric jacquard machine.
Methods:
Dyeing: All the yarns were dyed with same average color in a same machine at the
same time. Dyeing process was carried out at 60°C on PH 9-1.2 with M: L Ratio 1:10
for 60 minutes.
Relaxation: Knitted fabrics are very much prone to extend and shrink. So proper
relaxation before any kind of test is very much essential, especially for dimensional
properties. The fabrics had been kept at standard atmosphere of 27°C and 65%
Relative Humidity for 24 hours at Physical Lab.
Effect on fabric weight (GSM): From the following figure, it is seen that the
greater the compactness of the fabric, the greater the GSM of the fabric is found. As
in the higher compactness of the fabric of jacquard knitting machine due to
patterning, is greater so the GSM rises from circular knitting machine to circular
jacquard knitting machine according to compactness.
Fabric GSM
250
200
150
GSM
100 Series 1
50
0
Plain Knit Fabric jacquard knit (design) jacquard knit (Compact)
Fabric Type
Effect on fabric shrinkage: From the experiment it is seen that the shrinkage of
fabrics made from jacquard knit machine is variable according the design. Whereas
there is no such differences in the fabrics of circular knit machine.
Fabric Shrinkage
9
8
7
Shrinkage % 6
5
4 Length wise
3 Width wise
2
1
0
Plain Knit Jacquard Knit Jacquard Knit
(Design) (Compact)
Fabric Type
Effect on fabric bursting strength: From the experiment it is seen that the
normal knit fabric show comparatively low bursting strength than jacquard knit
fabric. The reason behind that is jacquard fabric has more floated yarn in a square
meter than a normal knit fabric.
Bursting Strength
350
300
250
200
KPa
Spirality
2.5
2
Percentage (%)
1.5
1 Spirality
0.5
0
Plain Knit Jacquard Knit Jacquard Knit
(Design) (Compact)
Fabric Type
2. Repeat of design: In jacquard circular knitting machine each and every needles can be
controlled using peg or jack. It is very easy to produce a design of very long repeat [8].
Whereas auto stripping machine has only 100 course for repeat & normal knit machines
has its limitations according to the number of feeder. Some examples of circular jacquard
knitted fabric with long repeat are given below:
4. Multiple yarns in one repeat: Any number of yarns of different colors or different
count or different specifications can be used for one repeat which gives the fabric
versatile design.
5. Design like woven fabric: Some stripes or designs which were only possible in
woven fabric can now very easily developed in knit fabric using electrical jacquard
circular knitting machine.
Fig: Knit Fabric of woven design
6. Fabric with picture pattern: Introduction of CAD system in jacquard machine [8]
allows vast space for design single jersey knit fabric. Picture of any people or any
scenario or any logo can be developed in the fabric without any problem.