Circular knitting machine with mounting arrangement for sinker cams
AssigneeMonarch Knitting Machinery Corporation
InventorBruce Pernick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Sinker cam segments in a circular knitting machine are located with respect to the generally radial direction by a generally radially inwardly facing location surface disposed radially outward of the segments. Each segment's radially outer end defines a contact region that abuts the locating surface. The contact region can be complementary surface contour to that of the locating surface, or a pair of discrete, spaced contact points protruding out from the radially outer end of the segment. The contact region is a reference for positioning the sinker cam segment with respect to the generally radial direction.
Claims19
A circular knitting machine, comprising:
- a cylinder;
- needle cams disposed about the cylinder and defining a cam track having cam surfaces;
- knitting needles having needle butts engaged in the cam track such that relative rotation between the cylinder and needle cams causes the needles to be raised and lowered by engagement between the cam surfaces and needle butts;
- sinkers disposed about the cylinder, each of the sinkers having a sinker butt, the sinkers being arranged for inward and outward movement along a generally radial direction;
- a sinker cam ring disposed about the cylinder and comprising a plurality of sinker cam segments arranged edge-to-edge to form the sinker cam ring, the sinker cam segments being mounted, by a fastening arrangement including fasteners, to a stationary sinker cap assembly of the machine;
- each sinker cam segment defining a segment of a sinker cam track for the sinkers, each sinker cam segment having a contact region located at a generally radially outermost edge of the sinker cam segment, there being a predetermined positional relationship, with respect to the generally radial direction of movement of the sinkers, between the segment of the sinker cam track and the contact region, whereby the contact region forms a reference surface for positioning of the sinker cam segment with respect to the generally radial direction;
- the sinker cap assembly defining a locating surface facing inwardly in the generally radial direction and opposing the contact region of each sinker cam segment;
- wherein each sinker cam segment is structured and arranged to allow a defined amount of generally radially inward and outward adjustment relative to the sinker cap assembly such that the contact region of each sinker cam segment is urged toward the locating surface of the sinker cap assembly and is then fixed in place by the fastening arrangement, thereby determining a positioning of the sinker cam segment in the generally radial direction.
A sinker cam ring for a circular knitting machine having sinkers, comprising:
- a plurality of sinker cam segments arranged edge-to-edge to form the sinker cam ring, the sinker cam segments being mountable, by a fastening arrangement including fasteners, to a stationary sinker cap assembly of the machine;
- each sinker cam segment defining a segment of a sinker cam track for the sinkers, each sinker cam segment having a contact region located at a generally radially outermost edge of the sinker cam segment, there being a predetermined positional relationship, with respect to a generally radial direction of movement of the sinkers, between the segment of the sinker cam track and the contact region, whereby the contact region forms a reference surface for positioning of the sinker cam segment with respect to the generally radial direction.
A sinker cam segment defining a segment of a sinker cam track for sinkers in a circular knitting machine, the sinker cam segment having a contact region located at a generally radially outermost edge of the sinker cam segment, there being a predetermined positional relationship, with respect to a generally radial direction of movement of the sinkers, between the segment of the sinker cam track and the contact region, whereby the contact region forms a reference surface for positioning of the sinker cam segment with respect to the generally radial direction;
- and
- wherein the sinker cam segment is structured and arranged to allow a defined amount of generally radially inward and outward adjustment relative to the machine such that the contact region of the sinker cam segment is urged toward a locating surface of the machine and is then fixed in place by a fastening arrangement, thereby determining a positioning of the sinker cam segment in the generally radial direction.
A method of knitting fabric on a circular knitting machine, the method comprising:
- providing a knitting machine comprising:
- a cylinder;
- needle cams disposed about the cylinder and defining a cam track having cam surfaces, knitting needles having needle butts engaged in the cam track;
- sinkers disposed about the cylinder, each of the sinkers having a sinker butt, the sinkers being arranged for inward and outward movement along a generally radial direction;
- and
- a sinker cam ring disposed about the cylinder and comprising a plurality of sinker cam segments arranged edge-to-edge to form the sinker cam ring, the sinker cam segments being mounted, by a fastening arrangement including fasteners, to a stationary sinker cap assembly of the machine,
- wherein each sinker cam segment defines a segment of a sinker cam track for the sinkers, each sinker cam segment having a contact region located at a generally radially outermost edge of the sinker cam segment, there being a predetermined positional relationship, with respect to the generally radial direction of movement of the sinkers, between the segment of the sinker cam track and the contact region, whereby the contact region forms a reference surface for positioning of the sinker cam segment with respect to the generally radial direction,
- wherein the sinker cap assembly defines a locating surface facing inwardly in the generally radial direction and opposing the contact region of each sinker cam segment, and
- wherein each sinker cam segment is structured and arranged to allow a defined amount of generally radially inward and outward adjustment relative to the sinker cap assembly such that the contact region of each sinker cam segment is urged toward the locating surface of the sinker cap assembly and is then fixed in place by the fastening arrangement, thereby determining a positioning of the sinker cam segment in the generally radial direction;
- causing relative rotation between the cylinder and the needle cams so as to cause the needles to be raised and lowered by engagement between the cam surfaces and needle butts and to cause the sinkers to be advanced generally radially inwardly and retracted radially outwardly by engagement between the sinker butts and the sinker cam track;
- and
- feeding yarn to at least one knitting point such that the needles and sinkers knit a circularly knit fabric.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.