Abstract: A manufacturing method for medical equipment involves electron beam irradiating a titanium or titanium alloy substrate surface that has at least been machined, whereby platelet adhesion of the surface to be contacted by blood is reduced. The manufacturing method for medical equipment can also use a specific pre-processing method and an electron beam irradiation method to reduce the platelet adhesion of the surface which is to be contacted with blood, to suppress the formation of minute depressions (craters) in the surface, which can occur due to the irradiation by an electron beam.

Abstract: A process for producing a medical instrument, such as a stent and a guide wire, which has an excellent fatigue life; and a medical instrument, such as a stent and a guide wire, which has an excellent fatigue life. The process for producing a medical instrument includes: a preparation step of preparing a medical instrument including a NiTi-based alloy as a base material; and an ion irradiation step of irradiating the medical instrument prepared in the preparation step with Xe ions. The medical instrument is produced by irradiating a medical instrument including a NiTi-based alloy as a base material with Xe ions.

Abstract: Method for surface treating a die made of metal in which a low energy, pulsed electron beam, which does not scatter, performs a treatment over a wide area due to presence of anode plasma in a chamber in which the electron beam is formed to smooth and gloss a surface of the die and increase a surface hardness and corrosion resistance of the die. The irradiation may be performed with an energy density not less than 1 J/cm2 per pulse, at least 5 pulse irradiations and a pulse duration of at least 1 ?s. A die subjected to the surface treatment method exhibits improved surface smoothness and glossiness, as well as high corrosion resistance.

Abstract: A combined centrifugal force (X+Y) is produced in a container (8) when the container on a distal end of an arm (3) circles around a main rotary shaft (2) of the arm and simultaneously rotates on its own rotary shaft (6) in harmony with the circling motion thereof. The starting ingredients for a food/beverage product are received in the container and subjected to the combined centrifugal force, so that the ingredients are processed into the food/beverage product. Various types of elements such as a sieve-like capsule member (10) detachably mounted in the container (8), a small concave-convex portion provided in an appropriate inner surface of the container (8), and/or a raised floor member (15) provided with a pair of a radial blade (12) and its corresponding radial slot (14) detachably mounted in the container are used to enhance the processing operation.

Abstract: Method for surface treating a die made of metal in which a low energy, pulsed electron beam, which does not scatter, performs a treatment over a wide area due to presence of anode plasma in a chamber in which the electron beam is formed to smooth and gloss a surface of the die and increase a surface hardness and corrosion resistance of the die. The irradiation may be performed with an energy density not less than 1 J/cm2 per pulse, at least 5 pulse irradiations and a pulse duration of at least 1 &mgr;s. A die subjected to the surface treatment method exhibits improved surface smoothness and glossiness, as well as high corrosion resistance.

Abstract: A pile patterning mechanism for a circular knitting machine comprises: a sinker bed provided with a plurality of radial, horizontal grooves and disposed on the outer circumference of an upper end of a needle cylinder; a plurality of pile sinkers fitted in the radial, horizontal grooves of the sinker bed so as to be slidable and tiltable. A plurality of horizontal pile jacks each having a plurality of butts are fitted in the radial, horizontal grooves of the sinker bed on the radially outer side of the pile sinkers so as to be slidable and tiltable; and a control unit is provided for controlling the pile sinkers and the pile jacks to slide and tilt the pile jacks and the pile sinkers. The control unit includes a plurality of sinker cams, a jack selecting device provided with a plurality of actuators, and jack cams. The horizontal arrangement of the pile jacks ebables the pile jacks to exert a reliable action on the pile sinker.

Abstract: A picker device having an up-picker mechanism (A) and a down-picker mechanism (B) for increasing and decreasing stitches in knitting a heel portion and a toe portion of hosiery. When the knitting of the heel portion or the toe portion is started, a short butt (2a) of a knitting needle in a knitting level comes in contact with a front end portion (17a or 18a) of an up-picker (17 or 18) as a knitting cylinder alternately rotates forward and backward. The up-picker (17 or 18) is thereby rotated horizontally and a rear end portion (17b or 18b) of the up-picker (17 or 18) is guided by an inclined guide slot (20a or 20b), so that the rear end portion (17b or 18b) is lowered and thus thus the front end portion (17a or 18a) of the up-picker (17 or 18) is raised. The knitting needle (2) is thereby raised from above a stitch cam (9a or 9b) to a position above a center cam (8), whereby the knitting needle (2) is moved to a non-knitting level and thus one stitch is decreased.

Abstract: In a stitch density adjusting device of a circular knitting machine for knitting stockings, panty hose, tights and so on, a needle cylinder is moved up and down for adjusting the density of the stitches being formed. In order to move the needle cylinder up and down, a knitting control unit having a knitting program set therein supplies a control signal to a reversible pulse motor which causes the needle cylinder to move through a movement transmission mechanism. The temperature rise in the knitting head due to friction is detected by sensor in the head and compared with a set value in a comparator which delivers a temperature difference signal to the knitting control unit. The control unit operates to compensate for the temperature rise by controlling the pulse motor.

Abstract: In order to enable knitting continuously an elastic waist part or a locally bulging breast part (C) of a knit apparel such as a body suit, brassiere, petticoat, or panties over the entire structure thereof, the stitching cams (36) and cushion cams (37) of each stitch density adjustment device (35) of a circular knitting machine are caused by signals from a stitch density adjustment control device (E) to undergo up-and-down movement relative to a second guard cam (30) independently in each knitting section (I, II, III, . . .) or simultaneously altogether with respect to all knitting sections by way of an operating ring (38). Also, for knitting various patterns, the stitching cams (36) together with other cams are caused to advance and retract in the radial direction of the knitting cylinder (2).

Abstract: An apparatus for winding into a roll a knitted fabric produced in a circular knitting machine and for conveying the roll to the outside of the knitting machine. A knitted fabric hangs below the knitting machine and is wound around a pair of horizontally aligned takeup shafts that are shiftable away from each other and toward each other until they are thrust against each other. At the start of the winding operation, the takeup shafts are shifted toward each other, and when the shafts approach positions to leave a gap between inner gripping ends of these shafts, a knitted fabric insertion link mechanism provided alongside the takeup shafts is extended toward the gap, and a fabric thrust arm on a distal end of the link mechanism pushes and insert a portion of the lower starting end of the hanging fabric into the gap. Thereafter the gap is closed so that the lower starting end of the fabric is firmly gripped between the gripping ends to enable start of the winding operation.

Abstract: In an elastic yarn feeding device of a multi-yarn feeding circular knitting machine, a rotary drive shaft (18) is horizontally arranged above a circular horizontally rotary plate (6), and the drive shaft (18) is provided with a drive roller (17) to be slidable in a longitudinal direction of the drive shaft. The drive roller (17) is urged against the upper surface of the rotary plate (6). When the rotary plate (6) is driven to rotate, the drive roller (17) is also rotated together with the rotary plate. Both the drive roller (17) and the drive shaft (18) are varied in rotational speed by moving the drive roller in the radial direction of the rotary plate (6). The drive shaft (18) has a plurality of feed rollers (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) secured to it, and pinch rollers (26a, 26b, 26c, 26d) are elastically pressed against these feed rollers, respectively. Elastic yarn (Y) is fed through between each pair of the feed roller and the pinch roller.

Abstract: An upstanding knitting cylinder carries a multiplicity of needle jacks on its circumference. In order to selectively more the needle jacks up and down on the knitting cylinder during the rotation thereof, a vertical flow of selector fingers capable of engagement with butts on the needle jacks are rigidly mounted to respective sleeves which in turn are rotatably mounted on fixed horizontal shafts disposed in parallel spaced relation to one another in a vertical plane. Disposed opposite the respective sleeves on the fixed shafts are several pairs of electromagnet assemblies which are arranged in two diagonal rows in order to reduce the vertical dimension of the needle selector. An armature secured to each sleeve is held opposite each pair of electromagnet assemblies so as to be alternately attracted thereby, with the consequent bidirectional rotation of the sleeves and, therefore, the pivotal motion of the selector fingers to engage and disengage the needle jack butts.

Abstract: A piezoelectric needle selector utilizes an upstanding knitting cylinder having a multiplicity of needle jacks mounted thereto for independent movement in a direction parallel to the axis of the knitting cylinder. A plurality of piezoelectric actuators, each having a stack of planar piezoelectric elements coupled at one end to a plunger, are mounted via respective holders to a fixed support frame disposed adjacent the knitting cylinder. The selective application of voltage pulses to the piezoelectric actuators results in the linear travel of the associated plungers toward and away from the knitting cylinder. The linear travel of the selected plungers is translated into the movement of the desired needle jacks up and down on the knitting cylinder, as by several needle select levers pivoted by the plungers and acting on the usual butts on the needle jacks.

Abstract: An upstanding knitting cylinder carries a multiplicity of needle jacks on its circumference. In order to selectively move the needle jacks up and down on the knitting cylinder during the rotation thereof, a vertical row of selector fingers capable of engagement with butts on the needle jacks are rigidly mounted to respective sleeves which in turn are rotatably mounted on fixed horizontal shafts disposed in parallel spaced relation to one another in a vertical plane. Disposed opposite the respective sleeves on the fixed shafts are several pairs of electromagnet assemblies which are arranged in two diagonal rows in order to reduce the vertical dimension of the needle selector. An armature secured to each sleeve is held opposite each pair of electromagnet assemblies so as to be alternately attracted thereby, with the consequent bidirectional rotation of the sleeves and, therefore, the pivotal motion of the selector fingers to engage and disengage the needle jack butts.

Abstract: A knitwork tensioning device has a fabric locking mechanism normally disposed in the lower needle cylinder of a double cylinder circular knitting machine. The fabric locking mechanism has a set of locking fingers capable of fluid pressure actuation for locking the fabric being knitted against the bottom end of an inner movable tube within the upper needle cylinder. The fabric locking mechanism is itself capable of fluid pressure actuation for movement into the upper needle cylinder. Locked against the inner movable tube by the locking fingers, the fabric is stretched as the fabric locking mechanism travels with the inner movable tube up into the upper needle cylinder under fluid pressure. The upper needle cylinder has also mounted therein an outer movable tube slidably fitted over the inner movable tube.

Abstract: A device for selectively lifting a multiplicity of needles which are mounted to an upstanding, rotatable cylinder for up and down sliding motion. Each needle has a shank with two butts formed in vertically spaced positions thereon, so that there are formed tow rows of such butts extending circumferentially of the cylinder. The upper one, for example, of the two rows of butts includes a group of butts that are longer than the other butts of the same row. Slidably supported adjacent the cylinder are a pair of cams which are independently moved, as by solenoids, toward and away from the cylinder and which have sloping cam surfaces for relatively sliding engagement with the respective rows of butts when the cams are thrusted toward the cylinder in rotation.