Abstract: A double-cylinder circular knitting machine for hosiery or other knitted articles comprises a lower needle cylinder with a vertical axis and an upper needle cylinder arranged above and coaxially to the lower needle cylinder. Aligned axial slots are formed on the lateral surface of the lower and upper needle cylinders. Each of the axial slots of the lower and upper needle cylinders accommodates an actuation element which can engage a needle to be actuated and is provided with a fixed heel, and with a heel which can be extracted radially on command from the axial slot. The transfer of a needle from one needle cylinder to the other is performed by fixed cams and by a selection device producing transition into the extracted position of the movable heel exclusively of the actuation elements that correspond to the needles to be moved to the lower needle cylinder.

Abstract: A circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like, comprising a needle cylinder with vertical axis and multiple axial surface slots, each of which accommodates a needle and an actuation element for the needle. The actuation element comprises at least one connecting element. The connecting element is provided with a radially extractable movable heel, that engages connecting element actuation cams facing the lateral surface of the needle cylinder. The cams comprise at least one extraction cam or one retraction cam, which has a portion whose profile is inclined with respect to an ideal plane perpendicular to the axis of the needle cylinder. The machine comprises extraction means causing extraction of the movable heel and keeping thereof in extracted position over the entire extension of the portion having an inclined profile of the extraction cam or of the retraction cam.

Abstract: A circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like, which comprises at least one needle cylinder which has a vertical axis and on the lateral surface of which there are axial slots. Each of these axial slots accommodates a needle (106) and an actuation element (110) for the needle (106) which can engage, with one of its ends, the needle (106) arranged in the same axial slot. The needle (106) or the actuation element (110) is provided with a fixed heel (103a), which protrudes radially from the axial slot, and a movable heel (104a) which can be extracted radially on command from the axial slot. Actuation cams are arranged around the needle cylinder and can be engaged by the fixed heels (103a) and by the movable heels (104a) in the extracted position. The machine can perform the usual knitting of known types of machine despite having an actuation cam set which has an extremely small number of actuation cams which can move for activation or deactivation, or none at all.

Abstract: A circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like, comprises at least one needle cylinder with vertical axis and has, on its lateral surface, a plurality of axial slots, each of which accommodates a needle and an element for actuating the needle. The actuation element comprises at least one connecting element and a selector. The connecting element is provided with a radially actuatable movable heel, and the selector protrudes with a portion between the bottom of the axial slot and the connecting element in any operative position of the machine. The selector is oscillatable on a radial plane of the needle cylinder to produce oscillation of the connecting element and extract its movable heel from the axial slot to achieve engagement with connecting element actuation cams facing the lateral surface of the needle cylinder.

Abstract: A circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like, comprising a needle cylinder with vertical axis and multiple axial surface slots, each of which accommodates a needle and an actuation element for the needle. The actuation element comprises at least one connecting element. The connecting element is provided with a radially extractable movable heel, that engages connecting element actuation cams facing the lateral surface of the needle cylinder. The cams comprise at least one extraction cam or one retraction cam, which has a portion whose profile is inclined with respect to an ideal plane perpendicular to the axis of the needle cylinder. The machine comprises extraction means causing extraction of the movable heel and keeping thereof in extracted position over the entire extension of the portion having an inclined profile of the extraction cam or of the retraction cam.

Abstract: A circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like, which comprises at least one needle cylinder which has a vertical axis and on the lateral surface of which there are axial slots. Each of these axial slots accommodates a needle (106) and an actuation element (110) for the needle (106) which can engage, with one of its ends, the needle (106) arranged in the same axial slot. The needle (106) or the actuation element (110) is provided with a fixed heel (103a), which protrudes radially from the axial slot, and a movable heel (104a) which can be extracted radially on command from the axial slot. Actuation cams are arranged around the needle cylinder and can be engaged by the fixed heels (103a) and by the movable heels (104a) in the extracted position. The machine can perform the usual knitting of known types of machine despite having an actuation cam set which has an extremely small number of actuation cams which can move for activation or deactivation, or none at all.

Abstract: A double-cylinder circular knitting machine for hosiery or other knitted articles comprises a lower needle cylinder with a vertical axis and an upper needle cylinder arranged above and coaxially to the lower needle cylinder. Aligned axial slots are formed on the lateral surface of the lower and upper needle cylinders. Each of the axial slots of the lower and upper needle cylinders accommodates an actuation element which can engage a needle to be actuated and is provided with a fixed heel, and with a heel which can be extracted radially on command from the axial slot. The transfer of a needle from one needle cylinder to the other is performed by fixed cams and by a selection device producing transition into the extracted position of the movable heel exclusively of the actuation elements that correspond to the needles to be moved to the lower needle cylinder.

Abstract: A circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like, comprises at least one needle cylinder with vertical axis and has, on its lateral surface, a plurality of axial slots, each of which accommodates a needle and an element for actuating the needle. The actuation element comprises at least one connecting element and a selector. The connecting element is provided with a radially actuatable movable heel, and the selector protrudes with a portion between the bottom of the axial slot and the connecting element in any operative position of the machine. The selector is oscillatable on a radial plane of the needle cylinder to produce oscillation of the connecting element and extract its movable heel from the axial slot to achieve engagement with connecting element actuation cams facing the lateral surface of the needle cylinder.

Abstract: The method comprises using a set of contiguous needles of the needle cylinder; actuating the needle cylinder with an alternating rotary motion about its own axis, through a rotation angle making the knitting needles to pass in front of n feeds or drops of the machine which are used to form the pouch; gradually decreasing the needles made to knit at at least one of the n feeds, excluding every time needles located at the lateral ends of the set in at least one step of the knitting process; and gradually increasing, at the lateral ends of the set, the needles that are made to knit at at least one of the n feeds in at least one other step of the knitting process.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing socks with a circular knitting machine having at least two feeds or drops, consisting in producing the sock starting from its opposite end with respect to the toe. The toe is produced by using at least two feeds simultaneously and by actuating the needle cylinder with an alternating rotary motion so that two sets of needles, arranged on mutually opposite sides, are made to knit respectively at one of the at least two feeds and at the other one of the at least two feeds, forming stitches simultaneously, and gradually decreasing, for a preset number of rows of stitches, the needles of the two sets that are made to knit.

Abstract: In a double-cylinder circular stocking knitting machine, an actuation element, composed of a slider and a sub-slider, is arranged, at least in the lower needle cylinder, below each needle, inside the same axial slot of the curved surface of the lower needle cylinder. The sub-slider has an actuation element provided with two heels which oscillates to assume a first, a second, or a third position, in which the heels assume different positions. A cam box is arranged around the curved surface of the needle cylinders and comprises a plurality of cams, which define paths for actuation of the sub-slider and of the overlying slider.

Abstract: In a double-cylinder circular stocking knitting machine, an actuation element, composed of a slider (5) and a sub-slider (6), is arranged, at least in the lower needle cylinder (1), below each needle (3), inside the same axial slot (2) of the curved surface of the lower needle cylinder (1). The sub-slider (6) has an actuation element (8) provided with two heels (8a, 8b) which oscillates to assume a first, a second, or a third position, in which the heels assume different positions. A cam box (10) is arranged around the curved surface of the needle cylinders (1) and comprises a plurality of cams (11, 22), which define paths (13, 14) for actuation of the sub-slider (6) and of the overlying slider (5).

Abstract: A slider for double-cylinder circular knitting machines which comprises an elongated laminar body which has a first longitudinal side which is meant to be rested on the bottom of an axial slot formed in the curved surface of the lower needle cylinder or in the curved surface of the upper needle cylinder and at least two heels which protrude transversely to the longitudinal extension of the laminar body on the second longitudinal side of the laminar body that lies opposite the first side. The laminar body has, proximate to one of its longitudinal ends, a hook for engagement with a needle. A first one of the two heels is arranged on a portion of the laminar body which can move with respect to the remaining part of the laminar body in a direction which has a component which is transverse with respect to the longitudinal extension of the laminar body for the transfer of the first heel from an inactive position to an active position, or viceversa.

Abstract: The selector has a lower extension for retention by a fixed magnetic selection ring associated with a needle cylinder, and an upper shaped elastic portion for returning the lower portion of the selector towards the outside of a needle cylinder. A flat or inclined profile is defined uppermost on the selector for engagement with a correspondingly flat or inclined base of a sub-needle. A guide portion, having a longitudinal extension lying substantially parallel to the shaped elastic portion, is connected to the shaped elastic portion and is engageable with helical springs used for retaining selectors in needle cylinder grooves. The selector has an upper heel protruding therefrom at an opposite side with respect to said guide portion, and a lower heel extending parallel to the upper heel for engagement with a lifting cam.

Abstract: The thread cutting and aspiration unit has a vertical cutter supporting post which is shifted towards the axis of a toothed thread trimming disk. A cutting blade associated with each cutter is mounted at the end of a lower L-shaped portion of a corresponding supporting post. The L-shaped portion allows thread to pass beyond the cutter and to be cut by a following blade, so that a considerable length of thread can be aspirated by an aspiration port.

Abstract: A circular knitting machine of elastic needle type provided with a cam for flexing all the needles into their trick before they are raised to seize the feed yarn, in which the selection between those needles to be maintained flexed and those needles to be allowed to return to their normal configuration is made by axially slidable sliders positioned below each needle contained in the tricks.