Abstract: A process and an apparatus for reducing the length of the lead-in thread in double-cylinder circular hosiery-making or knitting machines in which the thread, fed by a corresponding thread guide, is clamped at its end, before knitting begins, by a thread cutting and clamping device which laterally faces the needle cylinders of the machine downstream of the position of the thread guide, relative to the direction in which the needle cylinders rotate about their own axis, with respect to the thread guide and to the cutting and clamping device. The process consists in keeping the thread clamped by the cutting and clamping device even after the thread has been taken up by the needles at the beginning of the knitting process, and in cutting the portion of thread which, at the beginning of the knitting process, lies between the first needle that took up the thread and the point where the thread is clamped in the cutting and clamping device.

Abstract: A device for feeding an elastically extendable yarn to hosiery knitting machines, which includes a positive yarn feeder composed of two mutually opposite contrarotating rollers which have parallel axes and between which the yarn to be fed passes. Elements are provided for rotationally actuating at least one of the rollers about its own axis with a rotation rate which can vary on command. Downstream of the positive feeder along the yarn feed direction, there are arranged elements for detecting the tension of the yarn and a programmable control and monitoring unit which is operatively connected to the detector elements. The control and monitoring unit compares the yarn tension detected by the detector elements with a yarn tension which is preset in the control and monitoring unit.

Abstract: A yarn feeder, particularly for elastic yarns having a high elongation coefficient, in circular knitting machines. The feeder comprises a series of passages and/or contact regions forming a path for the yarn that unwinds from the spool or reel up to the needle work area of the machine. The feeder comprises, along the path, an element which can engage the yarn and can move on command in order to lengthen the yarn path so as to produce an excess length of yarn unwound from the spool with respect to the length of yarn required by the machine and so as to supply at least part of the excess yarn directly before yarn cutting, which is performed proximate to the needle work area of the machine.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing knitted items, particularly for manufacturing items of underwear, with a passage for the insertion of support wires or other insertion elements, in circular knitting machines, and an item obtained with the method. The method consists in forming the passage for the insertion of the wire or other insertion element in an intermediate production step during the knitting of the item, by knitting additional row portions with a preset number of needles alternated with needles excluded from knitting during the formation of the additional rows. In this manner, on one side of the item, a tunnel is obtained which is part of the item and inside which it is possible to insert a support wire or other insertion elements.

Abstract: A circular machine for knitting or hosiery with a device for tensioning the knitted fabric, the tensioning device comprising at least two tensioning rollers which are arranged below the needle work area and are arranged substantially horizontally. The tensioning rollers face each other and actuation elements are provided which act on at least one of the tensioning rollers to turn it about the corresponding axis in order to tension the knitted fabric which is formed by the needles and passes between the tensioning rollers. The tensioning device comprises first detection elements for detecting the degree of tension of the fabric in a region of the portion of fabric that lies between the needle work area and the tensioning rollers. The first detection device is operatively connected to the first actuation element in order to vary or maintain the rotation rate of the tensioning rollers as a function of the detected tension degree tension and of a preset tension degree.

Abstract: A needle selection device in a circular knitting machine, including: needles which are slidingly accommodated in grooves formed in a needle holder and which have pivoting levers provided with heels; needle actuation cams facing the needle holder and forming a path which can be engaged by the heels of the needle levers as the needle holder moves with respect to the needle actuation cams in order to make the levers follow the path for actuation of the corresponding needle along the corresponding groove of the needle holder parallel to the longitudinal extension of the needle, and for each needle the lever oscillates about its pivoting axis, from an active position, in which its heel protrudes from the corresponding groove of the needle holder so as to engage the path formed by the needle actuation cams, to an inactive position, in which its heel is inserted in the corresponding groove of the needle holder in order to avoid engaging the path formed by the needle actuation cams; a reset element acting on the leve

Abstract: A method for ladderproofing the last row of a knitted item consisting in that, upon execution of the last row of the item, the interstitch portions, i.e., the portions of the thread or threads that join two contiguous loops of knitting, are produced with an increased length, forming additional loops which are alternated with the loops of the last row of knitting. Preferably, each one of the loops of the last row is knit in with a contiguous additional loop, further reinforcing the ladderproofing of the last row of the item.

Abstract: A single-cylinder circular machine for knitting, hosiery or the like, with a device for actuating the cutter mounted on the dial comprises: a needle cylinder, which can be rotationally actuated about its own axis; a dial, which is arranged above the needle cylinder and is supported so that it can rotate about its own axis; and a cutter for cutting the yarns, which is mounted coaxially on the dial and is provided with cutting teeth arranged around its own axis. The machine has a device which comprises an actuation for the cutter with a rotary motion about its own axis with a rotation rate which can be diversified from the rotation rate of the needle cylinder, in order to vary the length of the trailing portion of yarn that lies between the last needle of the machine taking up the yarn and the blade cooperating with the cutter in cutting the yarn.

Abstract: A set of cams for actuating the lowering sinkers in circular knitting machines, for producing standard-terry knitting and sandwich-terry knitting. The cam set comprises cams and countercams which form a path for the heels of the lowering sinkers which have two lowering planes arranged at mutually different elevations for at least two yarns which are dispensed at a feed of the machine to form loops of terry knitting. The cam set also comprises, in the region of the path that corresponds to the descent of the needles of the needle cylinder to form loops of knitting with the two yarns dispensed at a feed of the machine, a cam which can move on command into two operating positions in order to produce at least one variation of the path formed by the cams and countercams.

Abstract: Method for manufacturing a tubular hosiery item with a closed end, with a single-cylinder circular knitting machine having a pivoting semicircular plate having radially sliding hooks, including alternately rotating the needle cylinder for moving the needles of a first half of the needle cylinder and the hooks of the overlying semicircular plate to pass in front of a feed of the machine; the extracted hooks forming a support for a thread dispensed at the feed, actuated needles being actuated so as to take up the thread and be alternated with inactive needles, subsequently swapping the actuated needles with the inactive needle when the motion of the needle cylinder is reversed; a first needle of the needles of a second half of the needle cylinder is also made to pass in front of the feed to take up the thread, in order to allow both end hooks of the hooks of the semicircular plate to engage the thread; retracting the hooks of the semicircular plate so as to retain the engaged thread; forming heel knitting with

Abstract: A hook for single-cylinder circular knitting or stocking machines with cylinder and circular or semicircular plate. The hook comprises an elongated and flat hook body which has a claw-shaped longitudinal tip. The hook also comprises an elastic-lamina element which is associated with a lateral face of the hook body and has a claw-shaped tip which faces the claw-shaped tip of the hook body. A passage is formed between the lamina element and the hook body and is suitable to be crossed by a needle of the knitting or stocking machine; the claw-shaped tip of the lamina element can flex elastically towards and away from the hook body, respectively to close the claw-shaped tip of the hook body and to allow the extraction of the needle inserted in the passage towards the claw-shaped tip of the hook body.

Abstract: A method for producing tubular components, particularly for manufacturing hosiery or other items of clothing with a shaping effect by using circular knitting or hosiery-making machines, and a tubular component obtained with the method. The method consists in forming, during the production of the tubular component, certain portions of rows of knitting, for some rows, with a greater loop length than the preceding rows, the subsequent rows, and the remaining portions of the rows themselves, in order to form at least one lateral pouch along the extension of the tubular component.

Abstract: A single-cylinder circular hosiery-making or knitting machine particularly for manufacturing tubular items closed at one of their axial ends, having a needle cylinder and a circular plate which coaxially faces the needle cylinder in an upward region. The circular plate is composed of two halves, a first half of which is pivoted to a first supporting structure about a diametrical axis which is substantially parallel to the diametrical connecting plane of the two halves of the circular plate. The first half of the circular plate is also provided with radial grooves which accommodate pairs of hooks which can be actuated along the corresponding groove so as to engage or release loops or portions of loops of knitting formed by the needles of the needle cylinder.

Abstract: The main object of the invention is to obtain knitwork the density of which is not influenced by the tension of the previously formed loops (15). In the particular case of terry cloth the terries are hence particularly uniform and stable.This is achieved by operationally interposing the terry sinker (2) between two stitch sinkers (3, 21).The method for producing terry knitwork is as follows:the first yarn (12) passes under the stitch hooks (7) while resting on the knocking-over surfaces (8) of the stitch sinkers (3, 21), and then over the terry hook (4) while resting on the terry surface (5) of the terry sinker (2);the second yarn (13) follows the first yarn (12), but instead of passing over the terry hook (4) passes along the working surface (6) of the terry sinker (2).The method for producing wide-mesh knitwork comprises for both yarns (12, 13) a path identical to that of the first yarn (12) of the terry knitwork production method.

Abstract: A single-cylinder circular knitting machine, including a needle cylinder and a circular plate that is arranged above the needle cylinder and coaxially thereto. The circular plate is constituted by two portions, one of which can rotate with respect to the other about a diametrical axis of the circular plate. An actuation device is also provided which acts on command on the portion of the circular plate that can rotate with respect to the other one, in order to move it from a first position, in which it is co-planar with respect to the other portion, to a second position, in which it is arranged so as to face the other portion from below, or vice versa.

Abstract: In a first step of the method for manufacturing socks with a single-cylinder circular knitting machine a needle cylinder is oscillated about its own axis with an oscillation angle of about 180.degree. to move half of the needle cylinder that faces a half-platen such that it passes in front of a feed of the machine. During these oscillations, engagement elements are extracted radially from the half-platen towards the needles of the machine, at least one thread dispensed at the feed, and lifting to the knitting position, at each oscillation, 1/n uniformly spaced needles of the mentioned half of the needle cylinder, varying the needles that are moved into the knitting position in the subsequent oscillation or oscillations, and lowering the needles after engaging the thread or threads, which rests on the engagement elements. A second step is then performed, during which the engagement elements are retracted towards the half-platen, retaining the thread or threads that rest thereon.

Abstract: Double-cylinder circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like. The machine comprises a lower needle cylinder having a substantially vertical axis and an upper needle cylinder that is arranged above and coaxially with respect to the lower needle cylinder. A plurality of axial grooves is formed in the skirt of the needle cylinders and each groove accommodates a double-beak needle that can move axially along the corresponding groove. In each one of the grooves there is a lower pusher, which is arranged below the needle and faces the lower head of the needle with its upper end, and an upper pusher, which is arranged above the needle and faces the upper head of the needle with its lower end.

Abstract: The machine is provided with casting-off sinkers having two casting-off surfaces which are mutually spaced in a direction which is parallel to the axis of the needle cylinder to form toweling stitches. The machine has auxiliary jacks which are accommodated in axial grooves of a needle cylinder and can move, when actuated, along these grooves parallel to the axis of the needle cylinder so as to act, with their upper end, on the casting-off sinkers to move them in a direction which is radial to the needle cylinder from a rearward position, in which they receive two threads engaged by the contiguous needles on a same one of the two casting-off surfaces, forming two loops of knitting of equal length, to an advanced position in the direction of the axis of the needle cylinder, in which they receive the two threads engaged by the contiguous needles respectively on one of the casting-off surfaces and on the other casting-off surface so as to form two loops having mutually different lengths, i.e. toweling stitches.

Abstract: The single-cylinder circular knitting machine has a vertically arranged needle cylinder with a skirt defining a plurality of axial grooves. Each groove slidingly accommodates a needle. A platen is arranged coaxially above the needle cylinder, and a plurality of radial grooves is defined therein. Each one of the radial grooves accommodates a hook which is movable by the action of actuation cams which can be engaged, during rotation of the platen about its axis, with a heel of the hooks, from a position in which the hooks are retracted in the platen to an extraction position, and vice versa. The machine is provided with a hook locking device which is arranged proximate to the platen and is controllably engageable with the hooks to keep them in the retracted position in the platen.

Abstract: A single-cylinder circular knitting machine with anti-twist device includes a needle cylinder in which there is a cavity which is open upward and can be connected, through a perforated region which extends around the needle cylinder axis, to a suction device so as to retain the product during its forming against the walls of the cavity. An inner tubular body is arranged inside the cavity and can be connected to a suction device for drawing the finished product through the inner tubular body. The inner tubular body is controllably movable along an axial direction from a first position, in which its upper end is proximate to the upper end of the needle cylinder, to a second position, in which its upper end is proximate to the bottom of the cavity.