Weft knitting principle

Types of weft knitting m/c:

A. According to the end product, the weft knitting m/c may be broadly classified as either:
I) Fabric m/cs
II) Garment length m/cs
B. According to their frame design and needle bed arrangement, the weft knitting m/c
may be broadly classified as either:
I) Straight bar frame m/cs
II) Flat knitting m/cs
III) Circular knitting m/cs
A. (I) Fabric m/cs:
Large diameter, circular, latch needle m/cs, knit fabric, at high speed, that is manually cut
away from the m/c after a conventional length has been knitted. Most fabric is knitted on
circular m/cs either single cylinder or cylinder and dial.
Features of fabric m/cs:
 Large diameter, circular, latch needle m/cs (also known as yarn goods or piece goods)
knit fabric, at high speed.
 The fabric is manually cut away from the m/c usually in roll form after a convenient
length has been knitted.
 Most fabric is knitted on circular m/cs either single-cylinder (single jersey) or cylinder
and dial (double jersey) of the revolving needle cylinder type, because of their high
speed and productive efficiency
 Sinker wheel and loop wheel frames could knit high quality specialty fabrics with
bearded needles although circular m/cs employing bearded needles are now absolute,
the production rates of these m/cs were uncompetitive
 Unless used in tubular body-width, the fabric tube requires splitting into open-width
 The fabric is finished on continuous finishing equipment and is cut-and-sewn into
garments or it is used for household and technical fabrics
 The productivity and patterning facilities of fabric m/cs vary considerably.
 Generally; cam settings and needle set-outs are not altered during the knitting of the
fabric

A. (II) Garment length m/cs:

Flat and circular m/cs, knitting garment length sequences which have a timing or counting
device to initiate an additional garment length programming (m/c control) mechanism. This
coordinates the knitting action to produce garment structural repeat sequence in a wale wise
direction. The garment width may or may not vary within the garment length.
B. (I) Straight bar frame m/cs:
Special type of m/cs having a vertical bar of bearded needles whose movement is controlled
by circular engineering cams attached to a revolving cam-shaft in the base of the m/c. the
length of the m/c is divided into a number of knitting heads.
B. (II) Flat m/cs:
The typical flat m/c has two stationary beds arranged in an inverted V formation. The m/cs
range from hand-propelled and manipulated models to automated, electrically-controlled,
power-driven m/cs.
Flat knitting m/c: Feature:
 2 stationary needle bed in flat knitting m/c arranged in an inverted V formation
 Latch needle is used
 Angular cam of a bi-directional cam system used
 There is a separate cam system for each needle bed
 The two cam systems linked together by a bridge, which passes across from one needle
bed to the other
 Carriage with determined yarn carrier issued
 Cam system is attached to bottom side of carriage
 The flat m/c is the most versatile of the weft knitting m/c
 Fabric produce with finer to coarser yarn
 The operation and supervision of the m/c is simple
 The stitch length range is wide and possibly of changing the m/c gauge
 Trimmings, edging, collars, to shaped panels and integrally knitted complex garments
and other articles

B. (III) Circular m/cs:

Circular m/cs whose needle beds are arranged in circular cylinders and/or dials including
latch, bearded or compound needle machinery.

Circular knitting machines:

Classification of circular knitting m/c:
1. Circular bearded needle single-jersey fabric machine
2. Revolving cylinder latch needle machine
3. Circular garment length machine

1. Circular bearded needle single jersey fabric machine:

Types of machines are divided into two types:-
i. Sinker wheel machine or French/Terrot type m/c
ii. Loop wheel frame or English type m/c
Both of them have the following common features:-
i. Needles are fixed in a recolcing circle on needle bed
ii. Knitting action is entirely achieved by ancillary elements moving yarn and loops along
the needle stem
iii. Here tubular fabric is knitted with its technical back facing outward
iv. Low productivity but has an ability to produce unusual and super-quality knitted
structures

2. Revolving cylinder latch needle machine:

There ate two main types of revolving cylinder latch needle machine, namely-
i. Open top or sinker top or single jersey m/c
ii. Cylinder & dial m/c or double-jersey mc/
These machines produce most weft knitted fabrics. The open-top or single-jersey machines have
one set of needles arranged in a cylinder. This one set of needle is controlled by one one set of
cam. They produce plain fabric.
On the other hand the cylinder and dial m/c or double jersey machines have two sets of
needles. One set on cylinder and thee other set on dial. Dial and cylinder needles stay
perpendicular to one another. They one controlled by two separate set of cams, namely cylinder
cams and dial cams. They are either rib or interlock type fabric producing m/c
Machines of both types may or may not have patterning capabilities

3. Circular garment length machine:

Circular garment length machines ate generally of body width size or larger. They have a
cylinder and dial arrangement or double cylinder. They also may be of small diameter
hosiery type. This hosiery type small diameter machines may have a single cylinder or a
cylinder and a dial or double cylinders.

Classification of Wear:
I) Underwear:
It may be knitted either in garment-length or fabric form.

II) Knitwear:
Knitwear is normally in garment-length form which is a generic term applied to most weft
knitted outer wear garments such as pull overs, jumpers, cardigans and sweaters usually
knitted in m/c gauge coarser than E14. [E = English gauge; 1″, 14 needles]

III) Jersey wear:

It is generic name applied to weft knitted fabric (single jersey, double jersey). It is cut and
made up from fabric usually knitted in large circular m/cs (26″ or 30″ dia) although there
are larger and smaller diameter m/cs used. Generally gauges are finer than E14
Mainly two types of knit wear:
a. Fully fashion wear (Garments length m/c)
b. Cut and sewn knit wear (Fabric m/cs)

Stitches produced by varying the sequence of the needle loop intermeshing:

1. Held loop/Stitch
2. Tuck stitch
3. Float/Miss stitch
4. Drop/Press-off stitch
1. Held loop:
A held loop is an old loop that the needle has retained. And not released
and knocked-over until the next yarn feed. A held can only be retained by a needle
for a limited number of knitting cycles before it is cast-off. A new loop is then drawn through it.
Otherwise the tension on the yarn in the held loop becomes excessive.

Held stitches are formed by a held loop and one or more tuck loops, and
one or more miss loop and more knit loops.
Held stitches are used for producing three-dimensional shaping such as
heel and toe pouches for foot wear.
2. Tuck stitch:
A tuck stitch is composed of a held loop, one or more tuck loops and
knitted loops. It knitted loops.
It is produced when a needle holding its loop also receives the new loop
which becomes a tuck loop, because it is not intermeshed through the old
loop.
3. Miss/Float stitch:
A float stitch is compressed of a held loop, one or more float loops and
knitted loops. It is produced when a needle holding its old loop fails to
receive the new yarn that passes , as a float loop, to the back of the needle and to the
reveres side of the resultant stitch.
The miss stitch can occur accidentally as a fault due to incorrectly set yarn feeders.
4. Drop/Press-off stitch:
A drop stitch fault will result if a needle releases its old loop without
receiving a new one. This technique is used to achieve a press-off on all
needles at the end of a garment-length sequence. A drop stitch is used very
occasionally in flat knitting to cause certain loops in plain structure to be
much larger than the next
It causes due to:-
 Not properly/correctly placement of yarn feeder
 Not properly threaded in yarn feeder
 Due not proper tension on warp
  Take up roller bed
 Not correct relationship between dial loop and cylinder loop

Difference between fabric m/c and Garment length m/c:

Fabric m/c Garment m/c
1. Circular, latch needle m/c 1. Flat and circular m/c
2. Fabric have no garment length 2. Which have additional garment
control device length control device
3. Have not timing or counting device 3. Have timing or counting device
4. Finer gauge m/c compare to 4. Coarser gauge m/c
garment length m/c
5. High speed m/c 5. Low speed m/c
6. High production 6. Low production
7. Fabric cut away from the m/c in roll 7. -in tubular(open width) form
form manually
8. Fabric used in household and 8. Unit wear, underwear
technical fabrics

Difference between weaving & knitting

Weaving Knitting
1. The process for which fabrics are 1. The process in which fabrics are
produced by interlacing two sets of produced by set of connected loops
threads(warp & weft) according to from a series of yarn in weft or warp
design is called weaving direction is called knitting
2. Two sets of yarn is used 2. One set of yarn is used
3. Sizing required 3. No need of sizing
4. Need of yarn preparation 4. No need of yarn preparation
5. Production capacity is less 5. High production capacity
6. Higher production cost 6. Less production cost
7. About 48% fabric is produces in 7. About 52%
textile sector
8. Fabric has no elastic property 8. Knitted fabrics has elastic property

Difference between Rib & Interlock:

Rib Interlock
1. Rib has vertical cord appearance 1. It has technical face of plain fabric on
both sides
2. Rib gaiting as bellows 2. Interlock gaiting as bellows

3. It is not so thick, heavy or narrow as 3. It is thicker, heavier and narrower

 interlock than rib
4. Relaxation is less 4. Relaxation is more
5. Simple structure 5. Complex structure
6. No need of high quality yarn 6. Need of high quality yarn
7. More production 7. Less production
8. More extensibility 8. Less extensibility

Plain Purl
1. All are face other wise all are back 1. Purl structure have one or more
loops wales which contain both face and
i.e. technical face or technical back back loops
2. Plain is less thicker 2. Very much thicker than plain
3. It’s technical face is smooth and 3. It has similar appearance to pearl
technical back rough droplet
4. Extensibility in to the lengthwise is 4. Moderate in width but very high in
normal but widthwise is high length in length wise
5. Tendency of curling yarn 5. No curling tendency
6. Has laddering problem 6. No laddering problem

Warp knitting Weft knitting

1. The loops are produced to the length 1. The loops are produced to the width
of fabric of the fabric
2. The threads runs in the vertical 2. The threads runs in the horizontal
direction direction
3. Each loop in the horizontal direction 3. A horizontal row of loops can be
is made from a different thread made by using on thread
4. It is elastic to the length 4. It is elastic to the width
5. It’s elasticity is less 5. Higher elasticity
6. Yarns are supplied from beam 6. From cone
7. At least one yarn is needed for each 7. Any number of needle are required
needle for on e yarn
8. Less shrinkage 8. More/Higher shrinkage

Single jersey Double jersey

1. Single jersey is produced by one set 1. Rib is produced by two sets of
of needles needles
2. Face side and back side appearance 2. Face and back side appearance is
is different same
3. Plain fabric has curling tendency 3. No curling tendency

4. Plain fabric is unbalanced 4. Balanced

5. Thickness and weight is half of rib 5. Thickness and weight is twice of
fabric
6. Has laddering problem 6. No laddering problem
7. Less expensive 7. More expensive
 8. All are face otherwise all are back 8. One face and one back
loop

The crochert warp knitting m/c: Features:

I) A single horizontal needle bar whose simple reciprocating action can be used to
operate individually – tricked latch, carbine or embroidery needles. The patent or
carbine bearded needle is used for fine structures and has a side ways crimped beard
placed in a permanently-pressed position. Although warp threads can only be fed into
the beard from the left, the old overlaps are automatically cleared and landed by the
movement of the needle. The needles can be arranged for coarser gauges or for fancy
set-outs, when the floating inlay threads may be cut to produce separated fringed
edgings.
II) No sinkers; instead a fixed hold back bar is fitted in from of the knock over verge to
prevent the fabric moving out with the needles
III) The closed lap pillar stitches and inlay threads controlled and supplied as separate
warp and weft respectively
IV) The weft yarn, often placed above and towards the back of the m/c, supplying the
carrier tubes which are clipped to the spring loaded inlay bars
V) Special arrangements/attachments are available for producing fancy effects such as cut
or uncut fringe edges, pile, braiding and snail shell designs.
VI) Gauge often expressed in needles per centimeter are between 2 and 10 (E5 to E24)
VII) Knitting widths of crochet m/cs may vary between 16 and 122 inches
VIII) M/C runs at speeds between 200 and 350 courses per minute
 IX) Crochet m/cs can process a range of filament yarn from 20dtex to 1000dtex
X) The warp yarn is often placed low at the front of the m/c.

Stitch:
If the present loops is entered into previous formed loops called stitch. i.e. The bond forming
between one or more loops each other called stitch.
i.e. Present loop + Previous loop = Stitch

Problem:
1. A circular knitting m/c has the following specifications-
m/c dia = 18 inch
width of tubular fabric = 19″
m/c gauge = 10
What will be the count of yarn?

Solution:
Here given,
Machine dia, d = 18″ = 457.2 mm
Width of tubular fabric = 19″
Then, total width = (19  2) inch = 38 inch
Machine gauge, G = 10
Yarn count, N = ?

nl
k
We know, width of fabric = W
 Gdl
=
kW
  10  18  L
 2  19 = 4.2
4.2  2 19
 l = 10    18 = 0.282 inch
 Loop length = 0.282 inch = 7.16 mm
tex
lk = 14 , where lk = knit loop/length in mm
Now, we know,
tex
 7.16 = 14  tex = 717.71

2. Find out the production/machine/day of 24hrs in kg at 85% efficiency when machine = 24

gauge 30″ yarn count = 30Ne; RPM = 30; stitch length = 2.60 mm

Solution:
Here data given, Efficiency = 85%
Machine dia = 30″
m/c gauge = 24 needles per inch
yarn count = 30Ne
m/c rpm = 30
stitch length = 2.60 mm
Now, length of yarn used to produce loops in a minute = Stitch length×π×G×d×m/c rpm
= 2.60×π×24×30×30 mm
 Length of yarn used to produce loop per day = 2.60×π×24×30×30×60×24 mm
2.60× ×24×30×30×60×24
 Production/m/c/day at 85% efficiency = (2.54 10)  36  840  30
= 11.025 lbs
 Production/day in kg = 5.01 kg

3. Calculate the production per day in kg of a plain s/j knitted at 30 inch dia, 24 gauge circular
m/c having 96 feeders, and 0.25 cm stitch length produced by 30/1’s. The m/c operates at 25
rpm at 70% efficiency
Solution:
Here data given,
Machine dia = 30″
Machine gauge = 24
No of feeders = 96
Stitch length = 0.25cm
Yarn count = 30/1’s
Machine rpm = 25
Efficiency = 70%
Now length of yarn in a loop = 0.25 cm
 Length of yarn in a full course = 0.25×π×G×d cm
= 0.25×π×24×30 cm
 Length of yarn used in a minute for producing course = 0.25×π×24×30×96×25 cm
0.25× ×24×30×96×25  60  24
 Production per day at 70% efficiency = 2.54  36  840  30 lbs
= 848.12 lbs
 Production in kg = 385.51 kg

4. Calculate the production per shift of 12hrs in kg of a plain s/j fabric at 26″ diameter, 24 gauge
circular knitting m/c, having 84 feeders and 3mm stitch length produced by 32/1’s The m/c
rpm = 30 and efficiency = 80%
Solution:
Here, date given,
m/c gauge = 24
Machine dia = 26″
No. of feeders = 84
Stitch length = 3 mm
Yarn count = 32/1’s
Machine rpm = 30
Efficiency = 85%
Now length of yarn in a loop = 3 mm
Length of yarn in a course = 3×π×24×26 mm
Length of yarn in courses produced in a needle = 3×π×24×26×84×30 mm
3    24  26  84  30  60  12
 Production in kg at 85% efficiency = 10  2.54  36  840  32  2.2
= 197.33 kg

5. A man is trying to produce a fabric with 94 courses/10cm in wet relaxed state. To what loop
length he must knit
Solution:
Here, data given
Course/10cm = 94
94
 Course/cm = 10 = 9.4
We know,
lk = loop(knit loop) length
kc 5.3
And course/cm = l = l
5.3
 9.4 = l
5.3
 l = 9.4 = 0.56 cm
6. It is required to knit a fabric on a 12 gauge 24″ dia m/c so that after full relaxation the fabric
width is 63.5 cm and wt is 18.6 gm/running meter. To what stitch length the fabric should be
knitted and what Tex will be required?
Solution:
Here, g = 12 gauge, d = 24″, w = 63.5 cm = 25″
Wt of running metre = 18.6 gm/running meter
n  l  gd  l
Now, fabric width, w = W =
k kW
w  kW 25  4.2
 l =  gd =   12  24
 l = 0.116″
n  kc  tex
Again wt. of running metre = 1000
1000  wt of n metre
 tex =  gd  k c
1000 18.6
 tex =   12  24  5.5 = 3.73
 tex = 3.73
7. m/c is 26″ diameter E18 single jersey with 1500 needles running at 20 rpm. Calculate the
optimum yarn linear density in tex, optimum yarn input tension on the m/c and the feed in
meter per minute to knit fabric at the best.
Solution:
Here, Data given
d = m/c dia = 26″
n = number of needles = 1500
r = m/c rpm = 20
1650
2
we know, for single jersey m/c, tex = G
where, G = needle/cm
1500 1500
here, G =  d  2.54 =   26  2.54 = 7.22
1650
2
tex = (7.22) = 31.56
Input tension in gm = 0.1×tex
= 0.1×31.56 = 3.156 gm

l  n r
Again we know, feed required = 1000
tex 31.56
Where, l = Knit loop length = 14 = 14 = 0.4014 cm
0.4014 1500  20
 Feed required = 100
= 120.43 metre/min