Device for handling knitted products manufactured on circular stocking knitting machines

A device for picking up and for transferring a stocking with an open toe from a circular stocking knitting machine is manufacturing the stocking, to a sewing machine for closing of the toe of the stocking, the stocking being manufactured with needles of a cylinder and of a small plate of the circular knitting machine by starting from a cuff and ending in the open toe and being released from manufacture in a pneumatic pulling system, the device comprising:

• conveying unit means for taking hold of the stocking in at least two opposite zones of its knitted fabric at a level of the open toe before the stocking is unloaded from the needles of the knitting machine;
• means for the movement of the conveying units between a position (A) for picking up the stocking in the circular machine and a position (B) outside the circular knitting machine;
• and
• holding means for taking hold of the stocking from the conveying unit means when the conveying unit means is adjacent to the position (B) outside the circular machine, for bringing edges of the open toe of the stocking together, for maintaining the edges together and for positioning the stocking with respect to the sewing machine for the closing of the toe.

A process for transferring a stocking from a stocking knitting machine to a sewing machine, the process comprising the steps of:

• providing a stocking on a knitting machine with an open toe portion engaged by needles of the knitting machine;
• mechanically grasping two diametrically opposite parts the open toe portion of the stocking while the open toe portion is engaged by the needles;
• removing said two diametrically opposite parts of the open toe portion from the needles of the knitting machine in a manner to remove all of the toe portion from the needles;
• moving the entire stocking out of, and away from, the knitting machine and toward a sewing machine;
• supporting the entire stocking by said two diametrically opposite parts of the toe portion during said moving;
• moving said diametrically opposite parts of said toe portion in directions away from each other to close the open toe portion into a shape where the closed toe portion can be sewn closed by the sewing machine.