Circular knitting machine with an offset system for the stitch cam of the needle plate

A circular knitting machine (1) for knitted items, comprising:

• a supporting structure;
• at least one needle-holding cylinder (C) turnably mounted in said supporting structure and selectively turnable around an axis of rotation (X) of the knitting machine;
• a plurality of cylinder needles (N1) supported by said needle-holding cylinder (C) and movable in respective sliding seats (2) of the cylinder (C) so as to produce a knitted fabric of the knitted items;
• a dial assembly (3) arranged above said needle-holding cylinder (C) and comprising:
• a supporting ring (4) integral with said supporting structure and coaxial with said needle-holding cylinder (C);
• a needle-holding plate (P) turnably mounted to said supporting ring (4) so as to be able to turn around a respective axis of rotation corresponding to said axis of rotation (X) of the knitting machine;
• a plurality of plate needles (N2) supported by said needle-holding plate (P) and movable in respective sliding seats (5) of the plate (P) so as to produce the knitted fabric;
• a plurality of cams controlling the plate needles (N2), placed on said supporting ring (4) and configured for interacting with the plate needles (N2) and transmitting to them, during the rotation of the plate (P), a radial movement inside the respective sliding seat (5), approaching or away from the axis of rotation (X), based on a given law of radial movement, wherein said control cams globally form a cam profile (7) developing around the axis of rotation (X), with which the plate needles (N2) interact sequentially, said cam profile (7) defining said given law of radial movement;
• at least one stitch cam (10), separate and distinct from said plurality of cams controlling the plate needles (N2), placed movably on said supporting ring (4) and configured for interacting with the plate needles (N2) in a given angular sector during the rotation of the needle-holding plate (P) around said axis of rotation (X), said at least one stitch cam (10) being configured for transmitting to the plate needles (N2) a return motion, approaching the axis of rotation, in a determined angular position so as to execute stitch formation;
• wherein the at least one stitch cam (10) is independently movable with respect to said cam profile (7), wherein the at least one stitch cam (10) can be moved while said plurality of cams controlling the plate needles (N2) is kept still with respect to the supporting ring.