The circular knitting machine is a marvel of engineering, producing thousands of meters of high-quality knitted fabric every day. However, the power and precision of this machine lie not just in its motor or control system, but in the harmonious operation of its small, critical details: Circular Knitting Machine Accessories.
A clear understanding of what Circular Knitting Machine Accessories are, the function of each type, and how they interact will help technicians optimize performance, minimize weaving errors, and extend equipment lifespan. This article by VieTextile will deeply analyze 8 core components of the circular knitting machine, from the knitting needles to the yarn feeding parts, helping you master specialized knowledge.
1. Overview of the Circular Knitting Machine and the Role of Accessories
A Circular Knitting Machine is industrial equipment that uses knitting needles arranged in a circular shape (cylinder) to create continuous tubular fabric rolls. Its flexibility and high speed require the components to have absolute precision.
Circular Knitting Machine Accessories are the components subjected to the most friction and wear, thus their quality directly affects the weaving results.
1.1. Basic Structure of the Circular Knitting Machine
The main structure of a circular knitting machine includes:
- Cylinder: Contains grooves to house the knitting needles.
- Dial: Located horizontally, containing grooves for horizontal knitting needles (in double jersey machines).
- Feeder: Supplies yarn to the knitting area.
- Knitting Elements: These are the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories such as needles, sinkers, and cams.
The synchronization between these parts is key. Even a small mistake in one of the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories can lead to machine stoppage or mass defects.
1.2. Accessories as the Heart of the Weaving Process
The four basic steps of loop creation (running, catching, releasing, and looping) are performed entirely by the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories. The higher the weaving speed (which can reach tens of revolutions per minute), the stricter the requirements are for the durability, hardness, and precision of the accessories. Supplying high-quality Circular Knitting Machine Accessories is mandatory to maintain machine performance and longevity.
2. 8 Core Components in the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories System
Circular Knitting Machine Accessories are diverse, but the following 8 components play a decisive role in creating the yarn loop and controlling fabric quality.
A clear understanding of each part’s function helps technicians easily diagnose and fix errors when the machine encounters problems.
2.1. Needles: The Loop-Forming Force
Needles are the most important components among the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories. They execute the entire yarn loop formation process. Needles are typically made from high-grade carbon steel, possessing extremely high elasticity and hardness.
- Function: Creates new yarn loops, holds old loops, and releases previously knitted loops.
- Quality Impact: Worn, bent, or broken needles cause uneven loops, leading to Barring faults (horizontal stripes), Holes defects, and yarn breaks.
2.2. Sinkers: Tightness Control Component
Sinkers are among the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories that work synchronously with the needles, located in the cylinder grooves.
- Function: Performs Loop Holding and pushes the new loop down (Knock-over) to control the density of the fabric.
- Quality Impact: Worn sinkers reduce the ability to hold the yarn, leading to loose or structurally distorted fabric, especially when knitting highly elastic fabrics.
2.3. Cams: Motion Control Component
Knitting cams are specially shaped metal blocks fixed on the machine frame. They control the up-and-down movement of the needles and sinkers as the cylinder rotates.
- Function: Converts the rotary motion of the cylinder into controlled linear motion of the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories (needles and sinkers).
- Quality Impact: Worn or misaligned cams cause the needles to operate outside their correct cycle, leading to severe weaving faults that affect the fabric’s uniformity.
2.4. Thread Guides: Ensuring Yarn Path
Thread guides are small parts made of porcelain or metal with a very smooth surface, installed in the yarn feeding area.
- Function: Guides the yarn from the cone into the correct knitting position at the needle area, controlling the yarn’s entry angle.
- Quality Impact: Cracked or rough thread guides increase friction, causing yarn fraying, yarn breaks, and even damaging the yarn surface, affecting the fabric’s aesthetics.
2.5. Tensioners: Force Control
Tensioners are essential Circular Knitting Machine Accessories that maintain stable tension for the yarn before it enters the knitting area.
- Function: Adjusts the pulling force and tension of the yarn, ensuring the yarn is neither too tight (causing breaks) nor too loose (causing loop slippage).
- Quality Impact: Unstable tension is the primary cause of horizontal stripe faults or poor elasticity in the fabric. This Circular Knitting Machine Accessories component requires regular inspection.
2.6. Stop Motions: Safety Component
The stop motion is a complex sensor system. Although it does not directly participate in the weaving process, it is a Circular Knitting Machine Accessories component that protects machinery and fabric quality.
- Function: Automatically stops the machine immediately upon detecting a yarn break, broken needle, or fabric roll error, preventing mass damage.
- Quality Impact: A faulty sensor system will fail to stop the machine in time, leading to continued knitting of defective fabric, causing significant waste.
2.7. Fabric Take-Down Devices
This component is responsible for pulling the knitted fabric away from the needle zone and winding it up.
- Function: Maintains a stable and uniform pulling force on the greige fabric, helping to fix the loop size.
- Quality Impact: Uneven pulling force can deform the yarn loops, affecting the natural shrinkage and drape of the finished fabric.
2.8. Lubrication System Components
This includes oil nozzles, filters, and piping. These are indirect but extremely important Circular Knitting Machine Accessories.
- Function: Supplies clean and sufficient lubricating oil to the needles, sinkers, and cams, reducing friction and temperature.
- Quality Impact: Dirty or insufficient oil causes the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories to wear out quickly and leads to oil stains on the fabric.
3. Specific Impact of Circular Knitting Machine Accessories on Fabric Features
The quality of Circular Knitting Machine Accessories determines the critical physical properties of the knitted fabric.
Investing in high-quality accessories is an investment in the quality, durability, and elasticity of the final product.
3.1. Accessories and Fabric Elasticity
The elasticity of knitted fabric (its ability to stretch and recover) directly depends on the size and shape of the yarn loop.
- Accurate Sinkers: High-quality sinkers help maintain stable loops during knitting, ensuring uniform loop size and maximizing the fabric’s stretch capability.
- Stable Yarn Tension: Tensioners, part of the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories set, maintain ideal yarn tension, preventing the yarn from being overstretched or knitted too loosely, thereby preserving natural elasticity.
3.2. Control of Fabric Weight (GSM – Grams per Square Meter)
GSM is a vital indicator, reflecting the fabric’s thickness and weight.
- Cams and Loop Size: Knitting Cams allow the adjustment of the needle stroke, thereby changing the loop size. This Circular Knitting Machine Accessories component must operate precisely to ensure that the fabric weight is not inconsistent between different rolls.
- Take-Down Devices: The pulling force of the take-down mechanism must be set accurately. If the pull is too strong, the fabric will be stretched thinner, reducing the GSM.
3.3. Impact on Tensile Strength and Abrasion Resistance
Directly contacting Circular Knitting Machine Accessories affect the yarn’s durability.
- Smooth Surface of Needles and Guides: The surfaces of the needles and thread guides must be extremely smooth to minimize friction. High friction generates heat, weakening the fiber structure, leading to reduced tensile strength and making the fabric prone to pilling.
- Dimensional Accuracy: Quality needles and sinkers help distribute the knitting force evenly across the entire yarn length, avoiding the creation of localized weak points, thereby increasing the overall fabric durability.
4. In-Depth Analysis of Needles – The Most Important Component
The needle is the Circular Knitting Machine Accessories component that operates at the highest frequency. Needle quality is the most crucial factor determining weaving performance and fabric quality.
Selecting and maintaining knitting needles requires deep professional knowledge and meticulous care.
4.1. Structure and Common Circular Needle Types
Circular knitting needles are usually Latch Needles and consist of main parts:
- Hook: Used to catch the yarn. The hook must be sharp but not rough.
- Latch: Opens/closes to hold and release the yarn loop. The precision of the latch is extremely important.
- Butt: The part that contacts the Cams to receive motion commands.
Different types of needles are used for various machines and fabrics. Using the wrong needle type can damage the Cams and related Circular Knitting Machine Accessories.
4.2. Impact of Needle Bend on Weaving Defects
Knitting needles must be absolutely straight. Even a slight bend causes major consequences:
- Barring Faults: A bent needle changes its stroke, leading to differently sized loops being created, causing noticeable horizontal stripes on the fabric.
- Mass Needle Breakage: A bent needle will not move smoothly in the groove, causing collisions with neighboring needles or the Cams, leading to mass needle breakage and machine stoppage.
- Cylinder Groove Wear: A bent needle will rub against the cylinder groove wall, wearing down the cylinder—one of the most expensive Circular Knitting Machine Accessories.
5. Strategy for Maintenance and Replacement of Circular Knitting Machine Accessories
To maximize the lifespan of Circular Knitting Machine Accessories and ensure stable fabric quality, a comprehensive maintenance strategy must be implemented.
Maintenance is not just about repair but prevention, minimizing machine downtime.
5.1. Group Replacement Rule
For Circular Knitting Machine Accessories like needles and sinkers, simply replacing broken ones is often ineffective.
- Reason: Accessories that have worked together will have similar levels of wear. Replacing a new needle amidst a group of old needles creates non-uniformity in size and smoothness, leading to barring faults.
- Solution: Needles should be replaced in batches or by Feeder (yarn feeding unit) after a certain number of operating hours, or when the defect rate begins to rise.
5.2. Importance of Cleaning with Specialized Chemicals
Fiber dust and old lubricating oil combine to form buildup, increasing friction and causing corrosion to Circular Knitting Machine Accessories.
- Periodic Cleaning: The cylinder, needles, sinkers, and Cams must be disassembled and cleaned with specialized, non-corrosive cleaning solutions.
- Oil Filter Check: Ensure the oil filter is always clean to prevent dirty oil from recirculating in the system, contaminating Circular Knitting Machine Accessories and the fabric.
5.3. Adjusting Yarn Tension to GSM Standards
After replacing Circular Knitting Machine Accessories related to yarn feeding (like Tensioners and Thread Guides), yarn tension must be recalibrated.
- Use Measurement Tools: Always use a Tension Meter to set and control the yarn tension. Tension must be adjusted based on the fiber type and the target fabric weight (GSM).
- Preventing Fabric Defects: Accurate yarn tension prevents barring faults and ensures the elasticity of the knitted fabric.
6. VieTextile – A Reliable Supplier of Circular Knitting Machine Accessories
VieTextile is a trusted partner, specializing in providing comprehensive solutions and high-quality Circular Knitting Machine Accessories for the textile industry. We understand that the quality of accessories is the key factor that creates the difference in your products.
We commit to supplying genuine Circular Knitting Machine Accessories, rigorously tested, ensuring superior durability and technical precision.
- Product Diversity: VieTextile offers a full range of Circular Knitting Machine Accessories from knitting needles (including latch, butt, and non-butt needles), sinkers, Cams, Tensioners, to lubrication system parts, compatible with most popular machine brands like Mayer & Cie, Terrot, Fukuhara, Pai Lung.
- International Quality Standards: Circular Knitting Machine Accessories supplied by VieTextile are made from high-grade materials (special alloy steel, technical ceramics) with anti-wear surface coatings, helping extend lifespan and minimize thermal friction.
- In-Depth Technical Support: Our team of experienced engineers is ready to provide technical consultation, helping customers diagnose weaving faults, select the most suitable type of Circular Knitting Machine Accessories, and optimize machine technical parameters.
- Competitive & Stable Pricing: VieTextile is committed to providing Circular Knitting Machine Accessories at the best market prices, accompanied by thoughtful warranty and after-sales policies, helping customers optimize production costs.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Circular Knitting Machine Accessories
Q1: Do knitting needles and sinkers need to be replaced at the same time? A1: Not necessarily, but they should be replaced synchronously in batches (by Feeder) to ensure uniformity in wear and size, avoiding striping faults on the knitted fabric.
Q2: How can genuine Circular Knitting Machine Accessories be distinguished from fakes? A2: Genuine accessories usually have higher surface finishing quality, clear logos/codes, and come with quality certificates from the supplier. Fakes often have inconsistent hardness and wear out or break quickly.
Q3: Which Circular Knitting Machine Accessories most significantly affect fabric hole defects? A3: Needles (especially a damaged latch) and Sinkers are the two main Circular Knitting Machine Accessories. A latch that fails to open/close correctly or a sinker that fails to hold the loop can cause loop slippage, leading to hole defects.
Q4: Which types of machines does VieTextile supply Circular Knitting Machine Accessories for? A4: We supply Circular Knitting Machine Accessories for both Single Jersey and Double Jersey (Rib) circular knitting machines, including jacquard and high-end elastane knitting machines.
Q5: How does insufficient lubrication affect the Cams? A5: Insufficient lubrication increases friction between the Needle Butt and the Cam, causing localized heating and rapid Cam wear. Worn Cams cause other Circular Knitting Machine Accessories to operate incorrectly.
Q6: What should be noted when installing new knitting needles into a circular knitting machine? A6: Ensure the needle is installed in the correct groove, correct direction, and is the correct type (correct Butt). After installation, a visual check and low-speed test run must be performed to ensure no collision occurs.
Q7: Which Circular Knitting Machine Accessories have the shortest lifespan? A7: Needles and Sinkers have the shortest lifespan among Circular Knitting Machine Accessories due to continuous friction and pressure. They need to be checked and replaced more frequently than other fixed components.
To ensure your circular knitting machine always operates stably, achieves high productivity, and produces quality fabric, selecting quality Circular Knitting Machine Accessories is essential. Contact VieTextile today to receive professional consultation and a reliable source of accessories.
Contact Information:
- Hotline: 0901 809 309
- Email: info@vietextile.com
- Website: https://vietextile.com
