GB2070075A

GB2070075A - Knitting Machine Needle

Info

Publication number: GB2070075A
Application number: GB8036908A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: TECNOLOGIA IND PROYECTOS Y PRO
Current assignee: TECNOLOGIA IND PROYECTOS Y PRO
Priority date: 1980-02-20
Filing date: 1980-11-18
Publication date: 1981-09-03
Also published as: IT1132958B; ES8102221A2; IT8024687A0; AR221542A1; ES489371A0; GB2070075B; JPS56118934A

Abstract

A needle, for use in a flat or circular knitting machine having one or two needle beds, comprises a body portion (1) which is made of a single piece of metal and comprises a rear portion (2) and two side walls (3, 4) defining an internal cavity (5) to receive a slide plate (18). The side walls also provide the frontal closure of the cavity, for example by bending together the free edges (6, 7) of the side walls or by means of a re-entrant deformation which leaves the side walls parallel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in Knitting Machine Needles The present invention relates to a knitting machine needle which may be used, for example, in circular or flat knitting machines having one or two needle beds for producing plain, interlock, 8lock and jacquard knitted fabrics.

In British Patent Specification No. 1,571,017 there is disclosed a knitting machine needle which comprises a body portion including a hook at one end thereof and a shank, the shank being formed with a groove along at least a part of the length thereof; and a shutter element positioned in the groove and slidable relative to the body portion between first and second stops on the body portion so as to open and close the hook, the stops being positioned such that, when the hook is closed, the shutter element and the tip of the hook are spaced from one another.

The shutter element, therefore, serves to leave the hook free for picking up a thread and to close it during the casting-off operation, during which a new loop is formed in the knitted fabric. Because there is no contact between the shutter element and the tip of the hook, the hook is not subjected to impacts or to bending and is, therefore, not broken. The thread may by picked up by the hook using a simple eyelet as a guide.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine needle which is simpler in construction, and thus more economical to manufacture.

According to the present invention there is provided a knitting machine needle comprising: a body portion including a hook at one end thereof and a cavity extending along at least a part of the length of said body portion; and a shutter element positioned in the cavity and slidable relative to the body portion between first and second stops on the body portion so as to open and close the hook, wherein the body portion is made of a single piece of metal and comprises a rear portion and two parallel, substantially flat side portions extending from the rear portion and forming the cavity therebetween, the free edges of the side portions being deformed so as to close the cavity, thereby retaining the shutter element within the said cavity.

Preferably, in the closed position of the hook the tip of the hook and the tip of the shutter element are spaced from one another.

The first and second stops on the body portion may be defined by the ends of a zone in which the 'free edges of the side portions are not deformed thus providing a longitudinal opening to allow the movement of a stub of the shutter element, the stub projecting through the opening.

The single piece of metal may be shaped by means of forming, stamping or machining.

The free edges of the side portions may be defined by bending the edges towards one another. The free edges, at least in the region of the lower stop, may alternatively be formed with ci re-entrant deformation which closes the cavity whilst leaving the side walls parallel along their entire length and leaving the free edges square.

The invention also relates to a flat or circular knitting machine incorporating one or two needle beds in which there are mounted needles as hereinbefore defined.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 show side views of a knitting machine needle according to the present invention with a slider plate in raised and lowered positions, respectively; Figure 3 is a partial side view of the body of a needle showing the zone of movement of the slider plate; and Figures 4 and 5 are cross-sections along the lines IV--IV and V-V respectively in Figure 1.

The needle shown in the drawings is similar to that disciosed in Specification No. 1,571,017, that is, the shutter element in the form of a slide plate 1 8 and the tip of the hook are spaced from one another when the hook is closed. However, in contrast to the prior specification, the body portion 1 of the needle is made of a single component, for example by means of a cold metal working process such as forming, stamping or machining.

The body portion is generally rectangular in cross-section and comprises a relatively thick rear portion 2 and two relatively thin side walls 3, 4 which define between them an internal cavity 5 also of generally rectangular cross-section. The internal cavity 5 is designed to receive the slide plate 1 8. The side walls 3, 4 also provide the frontal closure of the cavity 5 by means of mechanical forming, for example by bending the free edges 6, 7 of the side walls 3, 4, respectively.

In the region of a zone 8 which has to permit movement of a stub 9 of the slide plate 1 8 the front of the cavity is not closed, the opening thus formed being limited by ends of the bent sections of the side walls 3, 4 which form upper and lower stops 10 and 11, respectively.

As can be seen from Figure 5, the lower stop 11, for example, may be provided by a closed zone formed by a frontal deformation 1 3 of the edges of the side walls 3, 4, that is to say without bending the walls to a curve as in Figure 4. With the arrangement shown in Figure 5, the walls 3, 4 remain parallel throughout their length thus leaving square edges in the zone of the frontal closure by means of the re-entrant frontal deformation 13.

The body portion of the needle includes a number of stubs such as 14 and 15 and a number of cut-outs such as 16 and 17. These stubs and cut-outs are provided to co-operate with operating levers of a knitting machine (not shown).

The body portion of the needle may also be formed simply from bent sheet, in which case the rear portion 2 would have a section generally the same as that of the side walls 3, 4.

Claims

1.A A knitting machine needle comprising: a body portion including a hook at one end thereof and a cavity extending along at least a part of the length of said body portion; and a shutter element positioned in the cavity and slidable relative to the body portion between first and second stops on the body portion so as to open and close the hook.

wherein the body portion is made of a single piece of metal and comprises a rear portion and two parallel, substantially flat side portions extending from the rear portion and forming the cavity therebetween, the free edges of the side portions being deformed so as to close the cavity, thereby retaining the shutter element within the said cavity.

2. A needle as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the closed position of the hook the tip of the hook and the tip of the shutter element are spaced from one another.

3. A needle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second stops on the body portion are defined by the ends of a zone in which the free edges of the side portions are not deformed thus providing a longitudinal opening to allow the movement of a stub of the shutter element, the stub projecting through the opening.

4. A needle as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the single piece of metal is shaped by means of forming, stamping or machining.

5. A needle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the free edges of the side portions are deformed by bending the edges towards one another.

6. A needle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the free edges of the side portions are formed with a re-entrant deformation which closes the cavity whilst leaving the side walls parallel along their entire length and leaving the free edges square.

7. A needle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the free edges are formed with the re-entrant deformation only in the region of the lower stop.

8. A knitting machine needle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

9. A flat or circular knitting machine incorporating one or two needle beds in which there are mounted needles as claimed in any preceding claim.