Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for separating hosiery produced on a circular knitting machine. The hosiery is knitted as a continuous tubular fabric with a weakened portion being formed between articles to be separated. The separating apparatus includes a frame mounted below the knitting machine, a gripping and separating arm pivotally mounted on the frame, and a fixed clamping arm mounted on the frame below the gripping and separating arm. The gripping arm and the clamping arm each include a pair of jaws which are intermittently actuated to engage the tubular fabric adjacent the weakened portion of the articles. The gripping arm is pivoted to exert an arcuate pulling force upwardly away from the clamping arm to cause the articles to be separated along their weakened portions. The separation action is arranged so as to prevent stretching of the fabric coming from the knitting machine. A fabric guide and a pneumatic transport for the separator are also disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided for turning, separating, stacking and counting hosiery directly on a knitting machine. A hosiery positioning tube is suspended below the knitting cylinder of the machine with the hosiery string being knitted around the tube. The tube is suspended on a hanger extending through a hollow star rod of the machine. Intermittently driven feed rollers are positioned on opposite sides of the tube to step feed the hose string down the tube. Gripping fingers mounted on a swinging arm just below the bottom of the tube separate each hose in turn. An air orifice on the inner finger positioned in the mouth of tube intermittently blows the final hose on the string up into the tube to provide an everting operation.