NEEDLE FOR LOOP FORMATION ON A KNITTING OR WARP-KNITTING MACHINE, KNITTING OR WARP-KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SUCH NEEDLES, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A NEEDLE

Abstract

The invention provides a needle for stitch formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine, the needle comprising a main body, a needle hook, and a transfer member or tongue member which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the main body relative to the main body and the needle hook and is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of a relative movement with respect to the main body. The needle further comprises a connecting element which engages around the transfer member or tongue member at least along a part of the length of the transfer member or tongue member, such that the relative movement of the transfer member or tongue member with respect to the main body is guided by the connecting element, wherein the connecting element is connected to an upper portion of the main body. The invention additionally provides a knitting or warp-knitting machine comprising a plurality of such needles, and a method for producing such a needle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a needle for stitch formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine, to a knitting or warp-knitting machine comprising a plurality of such needles, and to a method for producing such a needle.

PRIOR ART

The invention is a further development of German Patent No. 10 2007 039 973 of Aug. 23, 2007, which achieves advantageous control of the opening and closing movement of a longitudinally guided tongue member without the second cam track that is necessary in the case of compound needles. The aim of the patent was to avoid the disadvantages of the latch needle for increasingly small needle pitches, that is to say to demonstrate a needle technology without pivotable latches.

In contrast to the loom method, which was established thousands of years ago and allowed components made of wood, mechanical knit production is based on new materials created in the technical age for precisely controllable knitting elements, on which the last-formed stitches develop. These elements, known as needles, could only be made of metal, so that the development thereof as prior art can be seen in metalworking. Hook needles, also known as bearded needles or warp-knitting needles, appeared for the first time in 1589, followed by the latch needle in 1856 and the compound needle at the beginning of the 20th century.

In particular, it was the latch needle that primarily prevailed for the mass production of knits. The prerequisite for this was hardenable steel, which could only be produced in the required quality from the middle of the 19th century onwards. One advantage with this technology is that the yarn, during stitch formation, inevitably takes on a control function due to the movement of the latch and therefore—patterning effects aside—only one control base has to be provided on the needle. In addition, the pivoting latch needle is designed as a ready-to-install functional unit which can easily be inserted in the machine and replaced by the operator. However, as the speeds of circular knitting machines increase, along with a simultaneous increase in the number of knitting systems, the described advantage proves to be a weak point in terms of production reliability. Therefore, intense consideration has already been given to finding new ways to eliminate mounting-related disadvantages of the pivoting latch. One discovered alternative to latch needle technology is the use of two-part stitch-forming elements in which, by means of the hook part of a knitting or warp-knitting needle, the yarn is in each case moved as a loop through the stitch held at the tip of the complementary element and forms a new stitch, the old stitch being cast off over the head of the needle. Therefore, for special applications, for example in the case of warp-knitting machines with the associated extremely short cycle times, this type of needle could already prevail. The disadvantage of this technology in knitting machines, however, is that, for each element, a separate control cam is necessary for the control base thereof, each of these having to be accommodated in the cam systems. This poses an additional problem for double-faced application with the associated confined cam constructions.

Laid-open specification DE 2241 769A discloses two-part stitch-forming elements which bring about both the phase-wise stopping of the slide by a retaining cam and the stopping by way of a braking effect in the needle channel. To achieve this, however, a considerable length of the slide part is necessary in order to accommodate the stops for the relative movement of the slide with respect to the needle. In addition, the handling in practice for inserting the slide into the machine requires a handleable length of this component. The two-part solution was too complicated for general use and therefore was unable to prevail over the latch needle for a number of decades.

The embodiment described in laid-open specification DE 2245 731A manages without any retaining cam on the slide part, which was already anticipated by the first publication. However, this solution is not suitable for high-performance machines owing to the disadvantages due to the heating caused by the braking effect of the slide.

The common technology of stitch formation by means of latch needles is built on a century-long development time involving many different types of machine. Not as much development time or design effort is available for being able to utilize the advantage of stitch-forming elements without pivoting latches for the varied applications using high-performance machines. This increases the pressure on inventive new developments.

For knitting machines, in order to utilize the advantages of latch needle technology as a functional unit with the advantages of compound needles and at the same time to avoid the disadvantage of having to insert in the machine an additional controlled complementary element of user-friendly size, DE 10 2007 039 973 specifies an oscillating member needle technology, in which the long shank of the slide element is transformed into a mini sinker member that moves back and forth within the needle. Said member on the one hand is moved phase-wise together with the needle and on the other hand is stopped phase-wise in a manner controlled by the machine. From the implementation point of view, longitudinal guidance is always more complicated than a pivot bearing of a component. This would also be the case here with conventional design models: the sinker would have to have a guide projection and be secured laterally by a tongue and groove configuration to prevent it from falling out of the needle shank, which, besides said difficulties in terms of mass production, limits the compactness of the design. The smaller the sinker must be, the more complex the solution compatible with mass production. However, due to the alignment of the movement from the holding state to the movement phase, an approximately massless design of the longitudinal tongue element would be desirable. Given the very small size, the problematic longitudinal mounting is simplified in that a central connecting bracket is provided between the oscillating member and the needle body, which central connecting bracket ensures both the relative movement of the oscillating member with respect to the needle body and also the lateral guidance thereof, as well as that on the sliding surface in the needle. In this way, a mini sinker member that moves back and forth in the needle is achieved in a manner analogous to the latch that pivots up and down, with the important difference of being controlled not by the yarn but rather by the machine.

The central component known from mechanical watchmaking, a mainspring, was the inspiration for a mini connecting bracket between the needle body and the yarn transfer element. This led to unusual types of needles which reduced the longitudinally movable tongue member to a size comparable to the pivoting latch and solved the previous problems of guiding the oscillating member in a straight line. As an important condition for this technology to prevail in practice, this led to functional unit designs that can be produced using less specialized manufacturing methods.

In one type according to the aforementioned patent, the otherwise required high technology is avoided for the guidance of the transfer member, particularly in small configurations. This means as an advantage that the transfer member can easily be mounted with respect to the functional unit, which is also possible using manual procedures without any loss of quality. However, the flat structured transfer member requires lateral shoulders, which in the case of mini components require an additional procedure that is not very simple, and this also applies to the guide depressions on the needle shank. In another type, which is an alternative that is of particular interest for very small needle sizes, the components are somewhat more complicated and the mounting with respect to the functional unit is possible only by hand, which requires skill.

In both types, the phase-wise stopping of the transfer member during stitch formation takes place by means of a retaining balcony, which in the granted patent acts within the needle cam on a stop tooth of the transfer member. However, the use of both types would be possible on a much wider basis if no additional elements were necessary within the cam systems. The machine concepts would then be possible on those of the previous latch needles. This would also enable implementation of the method for double-faced knits. The inwardly tapering knitting systems for the dial exclude further components. In addition, it has proven to be a disadvantage that lint particles can penetrate into the gaps of the components, which lint particles do not remove themselves but rather settle therein and continue to build up. The aforementioned aspects led to the basic concepts on which the present invention is based. They have considerable repercussions on implementation in new machine concepts and have advantages for the production of the knitting elements known as needles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention characterized in claim 1 is to provide a needle for stitch formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine, which needle has a simple, stable and compact structure and can easily be produced. The invention additionally provides a knitting or warp-knitting machine comprising a plurality of such needles, according to claim 11, and a method for producing such a needle, according to claim 17. Preferred embodiments of the invention follow from the dependent claims.

The needle according to the invention for stitch formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine comprises a main body, a needle hook, and a transfer member or tongue member which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the main body relative to the main body and the needle hook and is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of a relative movement with respect to the main body. The needle further comprises a connecting element which engages around the transfer member or tongue member at least along a part of the length of the transfer member or tongue member, such that the relative movement of the transfer member or tongue member with respect to the main body is guided by the connecting element, wherein the connecting element is connected to an upper portion of the main body.

The connecting element may be a U-shaped connecting element. The transfer member or tongue member may be received in the depression of the U-shaped connecting element. In this case, the U-shape of the connecting element engages around the transfer member. In particular, the connecting element may be designed as a U-shaped bracket.

The needle according to the invention makes it possible for the control function for the opening and closing movement of a transfer member to be brought about outside of the needle movement system. Another advantage is that of being able to influence the positioning of a plating yarn in the needle hook. The structure of the functional unit needle with longitudinally guided transfer member is compact, so that no dirt particles can penetrate into the system. Since the connecting element is provided in such a way that it is connected to an upper portion of the main body, the needle can easily be produced. In addition, the needle has a simple and stable structure.

The longitudinal movement of the transfer member or tongue member in the needle can take place during the needle movement by phase-limited stopping at an engagement element, such as for example a notch or bump, of the transfer member or tongue member outside of the knitting systems by means of retaining blades, which for example are arranged one after the other around a needle cylinder.

In some embodiments, the bearing of a transfer finger of the transfer member or tongue member against the needle hook in the forward direction is obtained by means of a notched-in protrusion on its front section. The transfer finger height is advantageously made larger and more stable by way of a shoulder, and the underside of said transfer finger can additionally be formed for the precise positioning of a plating yarn. This is an important advantage of one aspect of the invention because plating forms the basis for a large number of pattern types. In this case, two different yarns must be supplied separately to the needles, and one as a face yarn must cover the base yarn. This requires precise positioning of the yarns in the needle, and the positioning must be maintained during stitch formation. In experimental trials of various users using the known compound needles, it has surprisingly been found that the reliability in this case is lower than in the case of latch needles. As a consequence, this type of needle was unable to prevail in knitting machines. This shows the uncertainties that are to be expected as the yarn runs in, and also shows how unmanageable small differences play a critical role. It can only be presumed that the tongue shank made wider for mounting purposes is an important feature.

The design option of the widened transfer finger makes it easier to satisfy the high requirement placed on uniform positioning of the separately supplied yarns in the needle hooks.

The connection of the connecting element to the upper portion of the main body, according to the invention, enables easily replaceable needle elements, resulting in types of knitting machines which extend the field of application also to circular knitting machines which produce double-faced knits up to flat-bed knitting machines in versions from coarse to fine.

The transfer member or tongue member of the needle becomes the rod-shaped profile with a compact design which, together with the main body or needle body, forms a prismatic body without interruptions or cutouts which completely fills the needle channel and thus prevents the penetration and settling of dirt particles. The stop tooth on the tongue member within the knitting system and the corresponding retaining balconies can be replaced by measures outside of the knitting systems. Instead of the stop tooth, a narrow retaining notch or alternatively a bump may be provided at the top, in particular right at the very top, in a shank of the transfer member or tongue member, in which notch an engagement unit of the knitting or warp-knitting machine, such as for example the protrusion of a blade section outside of the cam, engages during the downward movement of the needle for closing the needle hook. These blade sections can be supplemented on the cam upper side so as to form a ring around the needle cylinder. These are simple sinker parts which are arranged one after the other in a stop depression of the cam upper side and can be fastened there using known technology, including by gluing. For closing the needle hook, use may be made for example of a second section protrusion which stops the transfer finger on the transfer member or tongue member during the downward movement of the needle. The arrangement enables the easiest implementation of the desired relative movement of the transfer member or tongue member with respect to the needle main body without additional control elements. This enables completely new machine concepts. The transfer member or tongue member becomes a component which is easy to produce and which can then be placed over the needle main body either by handling of the device or in an automatable manner, the connecting element, such as for example an in particular U-shaped connecting bracket, can be introduced thereover, in particular vertically, and for example the limb protruding beyond the tongue member bottom can be fastened in fixing depressions on the needle shank. The stitch-forming function in this case corresponds to that in the described starting patent.

Due to the fact that no retaining balconies have to be provided within the cam systems, the transfer member or tongue member technology can be used more widely. The clear control outside of the cam is particularly important in the case of RR machines, where the dial cams taper rearward.

The invention can in principle be used for all machine variants and is particularly advantageous for very small pitches and very low stitch heights with the aim of achieving tight knits.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the main body has the upper portion, which directly adjoins the needle hook in the longitudinal direction of the main body, a middle portion, which directly adjoins the upper portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body, and a needle base, which adjoins the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body. The needle base may directly adjoin the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body.

The upper portion may have a smaller lateral extension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body than the middle portion, such that a step is formed between the upper portion and the middle portion. The connecting element may be arranged entirely above the step in the direction from the needle base towards the needle hook.

The middle portion may have a smaller lateral extension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body than the needle base.

The step may extend perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body.

The relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body may take place entirely above the step, that is to say above the step in the direction from the needle base towards the needle hook.

The needle according to the invention may be configured such that the step forms a stop surface for a lower end face of the transfer member. In this case, the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body in the downward direction, that is to say in the direction of the needle base, is limited by the step.

The connecting element may be connected to the upper portion of the main body by a welded connection, in particular a laser-welded connection. This approach enables a particularly simple structure and particularly easy production of the needle. The laser-welded connection can be made using conventional laser welding technology. Welding, in particular laser welding, clearly leaves behind identifiable traces on the finished needle, which make it possible to distinguish such a needle from needles produced by other methods.

The welded connection, in particular the laser-welded connection, may for example be in the form of a weld seam or a spot weld.

The transfer member may have an engagement element for engaging with an engagement unit of the knitting or warp-knitting machine.

The engagement element may be a cutout or a protrusion, in particular a bump, which extends in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body.

The needle hook may be formed in one piece with the main body. In this case, the main body has the needle hook.

The needle hook may be formed integrally, in particular in one piece, with the connecting element.

The needle hook may have two halves, the two halves being separated from one another at least in some regions by a gap.

The two halves may be completely separated from one another by the gap.

The two halves of the needle hook may be designed such that a needle curvature of each half extends in a plane that is parallel to the plane in which a needle curvature of the needle hook extends.

The gap may lie in a plane or extend in a plane that is parallel to the plane in which the needle curvature of the needle hook extends.

The transfer member may have, at an upper end thereof in the direction from the needle base towards the needle hook, a transfer finger which is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body.

The transfer finger may have an upper portion and a lower portion which directly adjoins the upper portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body.

The upper portion of the transfer finger may have a smaller lateral extension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body than the lower portion of the transfer finger, such that a step is formed between the upper portion and the lower portion.

The needle may be configured such that the step of the transfer finger forms a stop surface for a lower end face of the needle hook, so that the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body in the upward direction, that is to say in the direction of the needle hook, is limited by the step.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a knitting or warp-knitting machine is provided, which comprises a plurality of needles according to the invention.

The knitting or warp-knitting machine according to the invention offers the advantageous effects that have already been discussed above in relation to the needle according to the invention.

The plurality of needles may be arranged one after the other in the knitting or warp-knitting machine. The knitting or warp-knitting machine may comprise exclusively needles according to the invention.

The knitting or warp-knitting machine may further comprise an engagement unit for engaging with engagement elements of the transfer members of the needles.

The engagement unit may have a plurality of protrusions and cutouts which are arranged in an alternating fashion along the direction along which the plurality of needles are arranged one after the other in the knitting or warp-knitting machine.

The protrusions and cutouts may each extend in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the needles and/or substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main bodies of the needles.

The engagement unit may have a retaining rocker. The engagement unit may be a retaining rocker.

The knitting or warp-knitting machine may further comprise a rotatable needle cylinder having a knock-over edge, the plurality of needles being arranged in the needle cylinder.

The knitting or warp-knitting machine may further comprise retaining elements, in particular in the form of a spring ring coil, which engage from behind the needles into needle gaps that exist between the needles, said retaining elements forming with respect to the knock-over edge a gap which allows newly formed stitches to slip through and which, when the needles move further forwards, stops the stitches at the knock-over edge.

The retaining elements, in particular the spring ring coil, may be rotatably mounted such that the retaining elements, in particular the spring ring coil, can be rotated together with the needle cylinder. In particular, the retaining elements, in particular the spring ring coil, may be rotated together with the needle cylinder due to the fact that they engage in the needle gaps.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method for producing the needle according to the invention is provided, which comprises the following steps: providing the main body, the needle hook, the transfer member and the connecting element, and connecting the connecting element to the upper portion of the main body such that the connecting element engages around the transfer member at least along a part of the length of the transfer member. The method according to the invention offers the advantageous effects that have already been discussed above in relation to the needle according to the invention.

The connecting element may be connected to the upper portion of the main body by welding, in particular laser welding.

The connection of the connecting element to the upper portion of the main body may be carried out by conventional laser welding technology.

The welding process, in particular the laser welding process, may be carried out in such a way that the welded connection, in particular the laser-welded connection, is for example in the form of a weld seam or a spot weld.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 50. Unless indicated otherwise, each of said figures is on an enlarged scale of approximately 5:1.

In the figures:

FIGS. 1 to 3 show diagrams of the structure of the compact functional unit knitting machine with longitudinally guided transfer member or tongue member based on a less specialized needle technology and expanded possibilities for the construction of knitting machines with additional fields of application, namely

FIG. 1 shows the side view and plan view of the needle main body (1);

FIG. 2 shows the side view of the transfer member (11);

FIG. 3 shows the side view and plan view, from above, of the connecting element or connecting bracket (8);

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of the assembled functional unit in the closed position of the transfer finger (12) with the needle hook (2);

FIG. 5 shows the 20-fold magnification of the front part of the functional unit longitudinally guided tongue needle with illustrated additional guide runner (L) for the plating yarn;

FIG. 6 shows a diagram in approximately 10-fold magnification of the yarn run-in during different phases of the base yarn and plating yarn in the needle hook (2);

FIG. 7 shows a 3D representation of the detail of a circular knitting machine cylinder (N) with the phases of the functional unit for stitch formation and the arrangement of a steel strip section (17) in front of the recess (16) for the retaining protrusions (18);

FIG. 8 shows the example of a fastening of the steel strip sections (17) in a depression (20) above the cam system with a steel strip cover;

FIGS. 9 to 13 show schematic diagrams of the stitch formation in a cross-section through the needle channel;

FIG. 9 shows the needle in the yarn run-in zone in the knitting system;

FIG. 10 shows the further rotation of the cylinder with the backward movement of the needle (1) to the position in which the needle hook (2) is closed by the transfer finger (12);

FIG. 11 shows a further pull-back of the needle (1) with closed hook (2) into the loop-sinking position;

FIG. 12 shows the forward movement of the needle (1), during which the transfer member (11), when moving forward from FIG. 11, has been stopped at the end face (15) by the protrusion (18) of the steel strip section (17);

FIG. 13 shows the joint forward movement of the needle (1) and of the transfer member (11) in the open position of the needle hook (2) to the starting position, in which no retaining protrusion (18) was present;

FIG. 14 shows on the left the retaining protrusion (18) in engagement in the retaining notch (13) of the transfer member (11) prior to the backward movement of the needle (1), and on the right the bearing of the retaining protrusion (18) against the end face (15) of the transfer member (11) for opening the needle hook (2) during the forward movement of the needle (1);

FIG. 15 shows a detail in side view and the plan view of the needle cylinder detail with the engagement of the retaining protrusions (18) in the recess (16) at the top of the needle cylinder (N);

FIG. 16 shows on the left the bump (14) above the retaining protrusion (18) prior to the backward movement of the needle (1), and on the right the bearing of the retaining protrusion (18) against the end face (15) of the member (11) for opening the needle hook (2) during the forward movement of the needle (1);

FIG. 17 shows a detail in side view and the plan view of the needle cylinder detail with the engagement of the retaining protrusions (18) below and above the bump (14);

FIGS. 18 to 20 show the core diagram of a new development “single circular knitting machine” which has, instead of sinkers controlled individually from outside, a spring ring coil which is arranged above the cylinder and the turns of which somewhat engage from behind the needles into the intermediate spaces between the needles so that, when the needles move forwards, the knitted fabric is held back at the cylinder upper edge;

FIGS. 21 to 25 show schematic diagrams of the customary sinker control in a cross-section through the needle channel and the installed sinker ring;

FIG. 21 shows the position of the sinker with respect to the needle (1) at the start of yarn run-in into the needle hook (2);

FIG. 22 shows the trapped new yarn which is enclosed as the needle (1) moves backwards; in the process, the sinker moves back slightly and the old stitch is located on the transfer finger (12);

FIG. 23 shows the further pull-back of the sinker prior to loop sinking; the old stitch is on the protruding limb of the sinker ready to be cast off;

FIG. 24 shows the needle (1) in the loop-sinking position and the sinker in the rear end position, so that the old stitch is cast off over the head of the needle hook (2) and a new stitch is formed by the loop located in the needle hook (2);

FIG. 25 shows the sinker which has moved to the front end position and in doing so has pushed the old stitch away and enclosed the newly forming stitch in the sinker notch, so that said stitch is held back by the sinker nose as the needle moves forwards;

FIG. 26 shows a schematic diagram of the yarn run-in after the yarn has been fed into the needle hook 2 by a guide nose 29 on the sinker P;

FIG. 27 shows, in a 3D representation, a cross-section through the needle cylinder (N) with the sinker ring placed thereon;

FIG. 28 shows the view of FIG. 27 from the front;

FIG. 29 shows the 3D representation of the sinker control (P) by the control cam (27) above the sinker ring (23);

FIG. 30 shows a schematic 3D representation of the needle cylinder for the dial of an RR circular knitting machine with the arrangement of the steel strip sections (17) on the cam systems;

FIGS. 31 to 33 show the function of the stitch pusher (22) with the forward-pushing and stopping of the stitch loop as the needle moves during stitch formation;

FIGS. 34 to 37 show the control of the stitch pusher (22) by means of the spring steel guide strip (31) mounted in the segment control attachment (29) in the housing (32), which spring steel guide strip engages in a notch (30) at the rear end of the stitch pusher (22) and causes the backward movement thereof, while the forward movement takes place by the action of the sliding disc (33) on the end of the stitch pusher (22);

FIGS. 38 to 43 show a further embodiment of the needle according to the invention;

FIGS. 44 to 47 show the stitch transfer to a needle of another needle bed of a flat-bed knitting machine; and

FIGS. 48 to 50 show the diagram of the stitch-forming centre of the knit production on a warp-knitting machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 17 are diagrams of stitch formation on single circular knitting machines. For suitability in practice, in the case of latch needles, sinkers (not shown) are provided between the needles in a sinker ring around the needle cylinder, said sinkers holding back the last stitch hanging in the hook at the knock-over edge as the needle moves forwards and guiding the newly forming stitch over the hook. In this embodiment, little insight into the stitch formation is possible because in this case everything is built in. In contrast, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 is an open type of single knitting machine without sinkers. Instead of these, the turns of a spring ring coil having a pitch that corresponds to the needle pitch engage from behind the needles into the intermediate spaces between the needles above the knock-over edge of the needle cylinder. Instead of the sinker ring, the simple bearing point (ball bearing) for holding horizontal guide segments is provided on a downwardly extending bearing journal in order to fix the spring ring coil, said coil having such a large external diameter that the turns engage in the intermediate spaces between the needles and thus hold down the stitches during the upward movement of the needles.

FIG. 1 shows in a side view and plan view the needle body or main body 1, which has the needle-specific features needle hook 2, needle breast 3, needle slot 4. Located therebehind is the shoulder 5, which extends as far as the end stop 6 for the transfer member 11 (FIG. 2) in the rear position of the latter. The needle hook 2 contains at the top a groove for receiving the transfer finger 12. Lateral fixing depressions 7 are provided for mounting and fastening a connecting bracket 8 (FIG. 3) with its fastening zone of the open limbs 9.

FIG. 2 is likewise a side view of the transfer member 11, which as a flat component without shoulders apart from the end face 15 forms a prismatic body which, together with the needle body (1) within the needle channel, completely fills said needle channel and merges at the front into the transfer finger 12 with the shoulder 12a. The retaining notch 13 is provided close to the end face 15.

FIG. 3 shows a side view and the top view of the U-shaped connecting bracket 8. The latter has a head 10 and the fastening zone of the open limbs 9. In addition, FIG. 3 schematically shows a spot weld, by which the connecting bracket 8 is connected to the upper portion of the main body or needle body 1.

FIG. 4 shows, in a side view, the fully assembled compact functional unit longitudinal tongue needle. The transfer member 11 is in the forward position in which the needle hook 2 is closed by the transfer finger 12 as a result of the shoulder 12a bearing against the front edge of the needle hook 2. In this position, yarn particles penetrating at the rear end of the transfer member 11 are unable to build up. When the needle hook is opened, they are pushed towards the stop 6, where they pass back out of the needle channel due to the beveling of the stop.

FIG. 5 shows the front part of FIG. 4 in 20-fold magnification. Here, the transfer finger 12 widened by the shoulder 12a aids on its underside the separate positioning of the plating yarn from the base yarn for the knitting process known as plating. To this end, the underside may have a guide runner L which guides the plating yarn to the lower side in the hook 2 and guides the transfer finger 12 exactly to the middle of the hook.

FIG. 6 is the schematic diagram of the yarn run-in during the plating process in 4 phases. Plating or facing forms the basis for a large number of pattern types. For this, the two different yarns must be separately supplied to the needles in a precise fashion by two yarn guides. The face yarn D is supplied at a more acute angle than the base yarn G and, during the relative movement of the needle hook 2 with respect to the transfer finger 12, passes along the lower side of said hook, that is to say closer to the needle shank and to the knock-over edge than the base yarn G introduced into the needle hook 2.

FIG. 7 is a visually enlarged schematic 3D representation showing the arrangement of the functional parts for the opening and closing movement of the transfer finger 12 with respect to the needle hook 2. The needle cylinder N contains the recess 16 at the top in the channel side walls, in front of which recess the steel strip section 17 is arranged and also the protrusions 18 which are operatively connected at times in the retaining notch 13 and other times on the end face 15 of the transfer member 11, in cycle with the needle positions. The channel side walls are not shown for the sake of better comprehension. The direction of rotation of the cylinder is in the clockwise direction. The steel strip section 17 is an example of an engagement unit of the knitting or warp-knitting machine.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a steel strip section 17 at the top on the cam system in a stop depression 20. A steel strip cover 25 may also be fastened thereover in an unusually glued manner, thereby creating a gap in which the steel strip section 17 is kept under tension.

FIGS. 9 to 13 show schematic diagrams of the stitch formation in a cross-section through the needle channel under the effect of the steel strip section 17 fastened to the cam upper side with the retaining protrusions 18 during the forward and backward movement of the functional unit longitudinal tongue member needle on the relative movement of the transfer member 11 with respect to the needle 1. Z denotes the cross-section through the needle channel with the longitudinal tongue member needle 1 located therein, and S denotes the cross-section in the upper region of a knitting system arranged in succession on the cylinder jacket surface.

The following functions are obtained as a needle passes through the knitting system:

In FIG. 9, the needle 1 is in the run-in zone of the knitting system. The last stitch is held in the driving-out position over the needle breast 3 with the transfer finger 12 located therein (FIG. 10), that is to say the transfer member 11 is in the rear position against the stop 6 of the needle 1 and a new yarn is being introduced into the needle hook 2. The first retaining protrusion 18 of the steel strip section 17 is located in the retaining notch 13 of the transfer member 11.

During the further rotation of the cylinder towards FIG. 10, the needle 1 has been pulled back. As it slides along, the transfer member 11 has been stopped by its retaining notch 13 at the retaining protrusion 18, so that in this phase of the downward movement the last stitch passes onto the transfer finger 12 and the new yarn is thereby enclosed. The retaining notch 13 is now at the start of the first gap on the steel strip section 17.

FIG. 11 shows the state in which, by a further backward movement of the needle 1 from FIG. 10 to FIG. 11, the retaining notch 13 is located above the first gap of the steel strip section 17, so that the needle 1 together with the transfer member 11 in the forwardmost position moves to the loop-sinking position. During this process, the old stitch is cast off from the transfer finger 12, so that now a new stitch hangs in the needle hook 2. Before the movement of the needle 1 is reversed to the forward direction, the second retaining protrusion 18 of the steel strip section 17 is already above the end face 15 on the transfer member 11.

FIG. 12 shows the state in which, by the forward movement of the needle 1 from FIG. 11 to FIG. 12, the transfer member 11 with its end face 15 has been stopped by the second retaining protrusion 18 and the transfer finger 12 has opened the needle hook 2, that is to say it moves back into the needle breast 3. The end face 15 is already at the start of the second gap of the steel strip section 17. The new stitch passes from the needle hook 2 to the upward slope of the breast 3. The recess 16 in the channel side wall of the needle cylinder is visible.

FIG. 13 shows the closing phase, that is to say the state from FIG. 12 to FIG. 13, in which no retaining protrusion 18 of the steel strip section 17 is present, that is to say the needle 1 and the transfer member 11 together move into the driving-out position. The retaining notch 13 runs back into the retaining protrusion 18 of the steel strip section 17 in the next knitting system.

Between the diagrams shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, there is also the possibility of forming tuck stitches using the same selection technique as in the case of latch needles. To this end, a particular needle 1 is likewise driven out, not fully as shown in FIG. 9 but rather only far enough that the end face 15 is located below the steel strip section 17. During the subsequent backward movement of the needle 1 together with the transfer member 11, the transfer finger 12 remains in the needle breast 3, so that the stitch located there passes back into the needle hook 2, in which a new yarn has already been trapped.

FIGS. 14 to 17 illustrate the two different arrangements of the steel strip sections 17 on the cam system, the retaining protrusions 18 thereof protruding from the inner surface in one instance and being flush therewith in the other instance. This also gives rise to differences at the front of the transfer member 11 and on the needle cylinder N.

On the left-hand side in FIG. 14, the retaining protrusion 18 of the steel strip section 17 is in engagement with the retaining notch 13 on the transfer member 11 in order to stop the latter during the backward movement of the needle 1, while on the right-hand side in FIG. 14 the second retaining protrusion 18 above the end face 15 stops the transfer member 11 during the forward movement of the needle 1.

FIG. 15 shows at the top, in a detail view of the cylinder and of the upper cam region, the engagement of the retaining protrusions 18 protruding from the cam inner surface in the recess 16 of the channel webs of the needle cylinder N. The diagram at the bottom is the plan view of the detail, showing the needle channels and identifying the retaining protrusions 18 which protrude into the recess 16 (not visible) of the side walls.

In FIG. 16, the transfer member 11 has, instead of the retaining notch 13, a bump 14 which in the left-hand figure below and in the right-hand figure above enters into operative connection with the retaining protrusions 18 on the steel strip section 17. The retaining protrusions 18 do not protrude beyond the inner surface of the needle cam. To accommodate the bump 14 when the needle 1 moves backwards, a cutout 19 is provided below the retaining protrusions 18 in the needle cam.

FIG. 17 shows at the top, in a detail view of the cylinder and of the upper cam region, the retaining protrusions 18 corresponding to the needle cylinder external diameter above the cutout 19 on the needle cam for the forward and backward movement of the bump 14 on the transfer member 11, and at the bottom in the plan view the visible retaining protrusions 18 of the steel strip section 17.

In FIG. 18, it can be seen how the spring ring coil 55 is guided in the guide segments 56, which at the other side are accommodated in a retaining ring 54 for easy mounting 52 on the bearing journal 53. Therefore, due to the engagement of the spring ring coil 55 in the needle gaps, the retaining ring 54 rotates synchronously with the needle cylinder.

FIG. 19 is the plan view of FIG. 18 in a guide segment 56 for the spring ring coil 55, showing the engagement of some turns of the spring ring coil 55 in the needle gaps.

FIG. 20 is a cross-section through the needle cylinder N after the needle 1 has been pulled back, in which the bump 14, by bearing against the retaining protrusion 18 of the steel strip section 17, closes the needle hook, as can be seen in FIG. 18.

FIGS. 21 to 26 are schematic diagrams of stitch formation in a single circular knitting machine using conventional sinkers and based on the new machine concept shown in FIG. 20, in a cross-section through the needle channel and the sinker ring placed thereon.

FIG. 21 shows the position of the sinker P with respect to the needle 1 as the yarn starts to run in. The last stitch is located in the throat of the sinker P. Above this, the sinker P has a guide nose 29 for the yarn running into the needle hook 2.

In FIG. 22, during the backward movement of the needle 1, the sinker P has moved back so far that the guide nose 29 thereof for the yarn is located behind the needle hook 2 and the yarn sliding past at an angle enters the needle hook 2 so that it has been reliably introduced the latter before the needle hook 2 is closed by the transfer finger 12.

By pulling the needle 1 further back as shown in FIG. 23, the old stitch has been moved from the bottom of the throat to just before the knock-over position, and the new yarn has been shaped into a loop. The sinker P has been moved back slightly.

FIG. 24 shows the loop-sinking position of the needle 1, while at the same time the old stitch is cast off from the needle hook 2. During this, the sinker P moves back fully, so as not to hinder the formation of the new stitch in the needle hook 2.

In FIG. 25, the needle 1 has already moved forwards somewhat and the sinker P has assumed its forward position so that, after a further forward movement of the needle 1 towards FIG. 21, the new stitch located in the needle hook 2 is held back by the guide nose 29 of the sinker P and passes onto the needle breast 3.

FIG. 26 shows on the left-hand side the front view of the yarn guide, illustrating how the yarn subsequently forms an angle as a result of the yarn running in during loop sinking, and shows on the right-hand side a side view of the needle hook 2, illustrating how the yarn is introduced into the needle hook 2 by the guide nose 29 on the sinker P.

FIG. 27 is, in cross-section, the 3D representation of the needle cylinder N with the pressed-on sinker ring 22 as an assembly unit which enables a new machine concept. The recess 16 in the side walls of the needle channels is located below the sinker ring 23.

FIG. 28 is the front view of FIG. 27 in a 3D representation. It can be seen therein how the sinker slots are arranged between the needle channels. It may be advantageous to form the sinker ring 22 using carbon fibre material.

FIG. 29 is the 3D representation of an advantageous single circular knitting machine with individually controlled sinkers P by way of the control cam 27 arranged above the sinker ring 23, which can be radially adjusted by means of a control screw 25.

FIG. 30 is the schematic 3D representation of an RR circular knitting machine with needle technology according to the invention. Instead of the sinker ring, a dial R is provided here, in which so-called dial needles are provided in gaps between the cylinder needles. In this way, double-faced knits can be produced. Here, the transfer member 11 is configured with bumps 14, as shown in FIG. 16.

FIGS. 31 to 37 show, for the sake of completeness, the use of features of the invention also for latch needles. Here, the larger needle path during stitch formation is clear to see, which has an effect in fewer systems. Instead of the usual sinkers which obscure the view of the stitch formation, here use is made of stitch holders/pushers, which enable an accessible machine concept.

FIG. 31 shows the diagram looking towards the side face of a stitch pusher 22, which is in its forward position due to the forward sliding disc 33 of the previous system. When the needle 1 moves forwards, the retaining nose 24 forms a gap Sp with respect to the cylinder upper edge due to the limited upward entrainment by means of the stitch loop, so that the old stitch can slip through. The forward sliding disc 33 shown is still present from the previous system, that is to say is simply no longer active here, so that, upon further rotation, the spring steel guide strip 31 enters into action in the return cutout 30 until the stitch pushing element 22 reaches its backward end position shown in FIG. 32. At this location, the spring steel guide strip 31 has a bulge 34 on the upper side face, and under the effect of said bulge the retaining nose 24 is pressed against the knock-over edge A by means of the rocking motion of the shank bottom. Thereafter, there is no longer any spring steel strip housing 32 in the segment control attachment 29 from approximately the middle of the system as the cylinder rotates further, and the forward sliding disc 33 now enters into action, as shown in FIG. 33.

FIG. 34 and FIG. 35 are additional explanations of the design shown in FIGS. 31 to 33 for the segment control attachment 29. The latter contains the housing 32 with the spring steel guide strip 31 and the receptacle for the forward sliding disc 33. The housing 32 is shown as a side view in FIG. 34 in the central broken-open section of the control block 29. In addition, a stitch pusher/holder 22 inserted into the slit ring 23 is shown as a side view in FIG. 34 at the rear end in its rear position. Here, when the needle 1 moves forwards, the entrainment of the retaining nose 24 brought about by the yarn loops, limited by the cover rail 35, gives rise to the gap Sp with respect to the knock-over edge A (FIG. 31). The spring steel guide strip 31 is in engagement in the return cutout 30 of the stitch pusher/holder 22, which due to the upward movement of the retaining nose 24 is in the lower tilted position.

FIG. 35 is the plan view of the right-rotating slit ring 23, in which the rear region of a stitch pusher/holder 22 is inserted in the pusher slot 21 in the backward position, and shows the stationary segment control attachment 29 without the cover rail 35, so that in the upper half the housing 32 and in the lower half the forward sliding disc 33 are visibly mounted in the segment control attachment 29. An aperture 36 in the housing 32 creates two side webs, the slots 37 of which, at a distance from the rotation axis, correspond to the return path of the stitch pusher/holder 22. The diagram also shows that the spring steel guide strip 31 protrudes over the housing 32 side webs in the region of the forward sliding disc 33 and at that location the spring steel guide strip 31 has a bulge 34, under the effect of which the stitch pusher/holder 22 pushes with its retaining nose 24 against the knock-over edge A (FIG. 32).

FIG. 36 is the right-hand partial plan view of the side face of the spring steel guide strip 31, in which the bulge 34 on the upper edge can be seen at the right-hand end.

FIG. 37 shows how a spring wire ring 40 is accommodated in a recess of the knock-over edge A, said spring wire ring being introduced into a groove on the end face of the cylinder Z, the secure fixing being ensured by phase-wise contact pressure by the retaining noses 24.

In the face of tough global competition, now only a few needle manufacturers remain that can satisfy the increasing requirements in terms of precision. By constantly evolving and following the impetus of other technologies, a needle concept of exceptional construction has been created, the implementation of which has barely nothing in common with established procedures. The basic concept here is a needle which consists of two functional sections, these being combined by laser technology. This has led to generic needles which in family groups can significantly reduce stock levels. Associated with this are new ways of producing needles, which may even encourage newcomers to investigate these since mastery of the previous production methods is not a prerequisite. Different stitch formation sections can be applied to a needle main body which can be inserted in the machine in the known manner. Over the long time taken to develop various knit applications, various textile machine concepts have been created in which the invention can play a central role.

One embodiment of a needle according to this new technology is shown in FIGS. 38 to 43. FIGS. 44 to 47 and 48 to 50 show two use examples of such new needles.

FIG. 38 is the diagram of this overall concept of a knitting or warp-knitting needle 40 consisting of a needle body 41 and a stitch section 42, in which the transfer tongue 43 is contained in a longitudinally movable manner. The stitch section 42 is one exemplary embodiment of the connecting element according to the present invention. The flat sides of the U-shaped stitch section 42 merge at the front into the split needle breast 3 and the two-part needle hook 2. The needle body 41 may either be shaped on both sides at the front so that the stitch section 42 introduced thereover is flat on the sides, or, as shown, may be placed onto the shank of the needle body 41 that is adapted to the interior of the U-shaped stitch section 42. It is then advantageous to provide a small U-shaped bracket in the region of the base in order to stabilize the weaker shank of the needle body 41 during the movement thereof in the needle channel.

FIG. 39 is the diagram of the needle body 41 and of the small stabilizing U-shaped bracket for the needle base for movement in the needle channel of the textile machine, wherein a cutout for receiving the transfer tongue 43 is provided in the needle body 41.

FIG. 40 is the side view of the U-shaped bracket of the stitch section 42, in which the profile of the flat sides merges on both sides at the front into the breast and hook halves (polished steel surfaces instead of milled surfaces). The lower edges are welded to the lower edge of the needle body 41 by laser technology. In particular, a laser weld seam may be formed here for connection purposes.

FIG. 41 is the side view of the transfer tongue 43, which has the transfer finger 12 and, in the shank visible therebelow, the retaining tooth 45.

FIG. 42 is the view showing the purely planar sinker of the U-shaped bracket of the stitch section 42 in FIG. 40 with a stop aperture 44 for the retaining tooth 45. A narrow zone of the central axis is soft-annealed thereabove and therebelow using laser technology, so that the U-shaped bend to the stitch section 42 can be formed.

The stop aperture 44 may be configured such that it limits the relative movement of the transfer member or transfer tongue 43 with respect to the main body in the upward or forward direction, that is to say in the direction of the needle hook, and/or in the downward or backward direction, that is to say in the direction of the needle base. This limitation takes place by way of an interaction between the stop aperture 44 and the retaining tooth 45.

FIG. 43 shows at the bottom the front view of the split needle head, which has been welded in the base region and has in the region of the transfer finger 12 a curved bed adapted thereto, and FIG. 43 shows at the top the view of the split side faces of the stitch section 42, which are welded together at the bottom front and form (not visible) the receiving bed for the transfer finger 12.

The needle hook therefore has two halves, the two halves being separated from one another by a gap.

Intense consideration of the opportunities and risks of the aforementioned technology based on lateral thinking was the reason for identifying further advantageous applications that should not be swept under the carpet. The following further embodiments are the result of the extension.

In flat-bed knitting machines, the transferring of stitches to other needles is an important possibility for creating varied patterns. To solve this problem, complicated transfer needles were created for the existing technology, in which the acceptor needle is inserted laterally into a widened portion of the stitch on the donor needle and thus stitch transfer takes place when the donor needle is pulled back.

FIGS. 44 to 47 show the transferring of a stitch onto a needle of the other needle bed of a flat-bed knitting machine, without requiring any complexity on the needle. For this procedure, the two needle beds are brought towards one another in an aligned position of the needle channels, and in FIG. 44 the donor needle and the acceptor needle are shown in the starting position, each having a loop in the needle hook.

On the right-hand side in FIG. 45, the donor needle has moved forwards so far that the yarn loop located in the hook slides over the needle breast of the stitch section 42 and thus also over the transfer tongue 43. The flat sides of the stitch section are curved inwards towards the middle on their lower side, so that in FIG. 46 the inner surfaces of the acceptor needle hook halves, by moving forwards over the outer surfaces of the stitch section 42, engage below the loop to be transferred, which is located thereabove, which then pass onto the flat sides of the needle breast of the acceptor needle. As the donor needle moves backwards, the needle hook thereof closes and, as the backward movement continues towards FIG. 47, the stitch to be transferred passes onto the needle breast of the acceptor needle.

FIGS. 48 to 50 show the diagram of the stitch-forming centre of the important knit production on a warp-knitting machine. In this machine concept, the needles are not accommodated in an individually movable manner in needle beds, but rather are fixedly clamped at a particular pitch in so-called needle bars. For stitch formation, all the needles move jointly. Patterns based on the basic functions of knitting, miss-knitting and tuck stitch formation are not possible here. The needle closing elements are provided in a second bar system in the machine, parallel to the needle bar. This requires many functional parts within a very small space. By using the laser-technology-based functional needles with a two-part hook according to FIGS. 38 to 43, the second bar is avoided. Instead of the latter, use is made of a retaining rocker 50 which is provided over the length of the bar and which takes over the role of the retaining protrusion 18 (shown in FIGS. 16 and 17) on the bump 14. Instead of the cutouts in the retaining protrusions 18, the retaining rocker 50 is pivoted outwards.

FIG. 48 shows the needle bar B in the upper position. The retaining rocker 50 accommodated in a bearing rail 51 that is fixedly connected to the machine is pivoted inwards and the retaining protrusion 18 thereof is located below the bump 14 of the transfer tongue 43.

The retaining rocker 50 may be provided continuously over the entire length along which the needles are arranged.

The pivoting movement of the retaining rocker 50 is synchronized with the up-and-down movement of the needles.

In FIG. 49, the needle bar B has been pivoted back and the needle hook has been closed as a result of the bump 14 being stopped against the transfer member 43. Thereafter, the retaining rocker 50 is pivoted outwards so that, during the further downward movement, the bump 14 is moved past the retaining protrusion 18, as shown in FIG. 50 in the lower position of the needle bar.

The controlled inward pivoting of the retaining rocker 50 is an analogous procedure during the upward movement of the needle bar B.

One interesting further development is to configure the retaining rocker in a lamellar fashion so as to influence the stitch formation for desired patterns by means of control magnets on individual needles.

All the needle embodiments described thus far are based on production technology that has been formed and further improved over decades. In the face of tough global competition, only a few needle manufacturers remained that could satisfy the increasing requirements in terms of precision. By constantly evolving and following the impetus of other technologies, a needle concept that is exceptionally easy to produce has been created, which has been shown in FIG. 38 onwards. This leads to new ways of producing needles, which can be used even by newcomers.

Claims

1. A needle for stitch formation on a knitting or warp-knitting machine, the needle comprising:

a main body,

a needle hook,

a transfer member which is movable in a longitudinal direction of the main body relative to the main body and the needle hook and is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of a relative movement with respect to the main body, and

a connecting element which engages around the transfer member at least along a part of a length of the transfer member, such that the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body is guided by the connecting element,

wherein the connecting element is connected to an upper portion of the main body.

2. The needle according to claim 1, wherein:

the main body has the upper portion, which directly adjoins the needle hook in the longitudinal direction of the main body, a middle portion, which directly adjoins the upper portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body, and a needle base, which adjoins the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body,

the upper portion has a smaller lateral extension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body than the middle portion, such that a step is formed between the upper portion and the middle portion, and

the connecting element is arranged entirely above the step in the direction from the needle base towards the needle hook.

3. The needle according to claim 2, wherein the needle is configured such that the step forms a stop surface for a lower end face of the transfer member, so that the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body in the direction of the needle base is limited by the step.

4. The needle according to claim 1, wherein the connecting element is connected to the upper portion of the main body by a welded connection.

5. The needle according to claim 1, wherein the transfer member has an engagement element for engaging with an engagement unit of the knitting or warp-knitting machine.

6. The needle according to claim 5, wherein the engagement element is a cutout or a protrusion which extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body.

7. The needle according to claim 1, wherein the needle hook is formed in one piece with the main body or the needle hook is formed integrally with the connecting element.

8. The needle according to claim 1, wherein the needle hook has two halves, the two halves being separated from one another at least in some regions by a gap.

9. The needle according to claim 1, wherein the transfer member has, at an upper end thereof in the direction from the needle base towards the needle hook, a transfer finger which is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body.

10. The needle according to claim 9, wherein:

the transfer finger has an upper portion and a lower portion which directly adjoins the upper portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body,

the upper portion of the transfer finger has a smaller lateral extension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body than the lower portion of the transfer finger, such that a step is formed between the upper portion and the lower portion, and

the needle is configured such that the step of the transfer finger forms a stop surface for a lower end face of the needle hook, so that the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body in the direction of the needle hook is limited by the step.

11. A knitting or warp-knitting machine comprising a plurality of needles, each of the needles including:

a main body,

a needle hook,

a transfer member which is movable in a longitudinal direction of the main body relative to the main body and the needle hook and is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of a relative movement with respect to the main body, and

a connecting element which engages around the transfer member at least along a part of a length of the transfer member, such that the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body is guided by the connecting element,

wherein the connecting element is connected to an upper portion of the main body.

12. The knitting or warp-knitting machine according to claim 11, further comprising an engagement unit for engaging with engagement elements of the transfer members of the needles.

13. The knitting or warp-knitting machine according to claim 12, wherein the engagement unit has a plurality of protrusions and cutouts which are arranged in an alternating fashion along the direction along which the plurality of needles are arranged one after the other.

14. The knitting or warp-knitting machine according to claim 13, wherein the protrusions and cutouts each extend in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the needles and/or substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main bodies of the needles.

15. The knitting or warp-knitting machine according to claim 12, wherein the engagement unit has a retaining rocker or the engagement unit is a retaining rocker.

16. The knitting or warp-knitting machine according to claim 11, further comprising:

a rotatable needle cylinder having a knock-over edge, the plurality of needles being arranged in the needle cylinder, and

retaining elements which engage from behind the needles into needle gaps that exist between the needles, said retaining elements forming with respect to the knock-over edge a gap which allows newly formed stitches to slip through and which, when the needles move further forwards, stops the stitches at the knock-over edge,

wherein the retaining elements are rotatably mounted such that the retaining elements can be rotated together with the needle cylinder.

17. A method of making a needle including:

a main body,

a needle hook,

a transfer member which is movable in a longitudinal direction of the main body relative to the main body and the needle hook and is configured to open and close the needle hook by way of a relative movement with respect to the main body, and

a connecting element which engages around the transfer member at least along a part of a length of the transfer member, such that the relative movement of the transfer member with respect to the main body is guided by the connecting element,

wherein the connecting element is connected to an upper portion of the main body, the method comprising:

providing the main body, the needle hook, the transfer member and the connecting element, and

connecting the connecting element to the upper portion of the main body such that the connecting element engages around the transfer member at least along a part of the length of the transfer member.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the connecting element is connected to the upper portion of the main body by welding.