Interlock Knitting Machine
Fig: Interlock structure.
MACHINE DESCRIPTION
Interlock is produced mainly on special cylinder and dial circular machines and on some
double system V-bed flat machines. An interlock machine must have thes following:
1. Interlock gaiting, the needles in two beds being exactly opposite to each other so that
only one of the two can knit at any feeder.
2. Two separate cam systems in each bed, each controlling half the needles in an
alternate sequence, one cam system controlling knitting at one feeder, and the other at
the next feeder.
3. Needle set out alternately, one controlled from one cam system, the next from the
other; diagonal and not opposite needles in each bed knit together.
Originally, the interlock machine had needles of two different lengths, long needles knitting
in one cam-track and short needles knitting in a track nearer to the needle heads. Long needle
cams were arranged for knitting at the first feeder and short needle cams at the second feeder.
The needles were set out alternately in each bed, with long needles opposite to short needles.
At the first feeder, long needles in cylinder and dial knit, and at the second feeder short
needles knit together; needles not knitting at a feeder follow a run-through track. On modern
machines the needles are of the same length.
DRIVING MECHANISM
The machine is operated by a main control unit. In control unit, there is a small monitor
where all running action can be seen on this monitor. After inserting all yarn in the required
feeder, the machine is run in inching motion to find out any fault. After resolving the fault,
the machine may run in full speed. There is lot of switch having different function.
INTERLOCK GAITING (head to head)
In Figure the grooves 1-6 of the dial Y are aligned directly opposite to the grooves 1-6 of the
cylinder Z. as such, the cylinder and dial needles are also directly one opposite to the other.
Front View Top View
Fig: Interlock gaiting for cylinder and dial on a rib circular knitting machine.
Therefore, at any given working point (feeder), cylinder and dial needles opposite to one
another can never work at the same time, because they would collide while being cleared.
Related to a working point (feeder), it is thus normal usage in interlock setting to work with
- Dial needles in grooves 1, 3, 5….
- Cylinder needles in grooves 2, 4, 6….
- Dial needles in grooves 2, 4, 6….
- Cylinder needles in grooves 1, 3, 5….
- Dial needles only
- Cylinder needles only
Working with an interlock setting therefore requires two sorts of needles in the cylinder and
in the dial, and these have to be controlled and clear independently. One sort of needle is
normally present in the grooves 1, 3, 5 … and the other needle sort in grooves 2, 4, 6 ….
However, other needle combinations are also possible.
INTERLOCK CAM SYSTEM
Figure shows the cylinder and dial needle camming to produce one course of ordinary
interlock fabric, which is actually the work of two knitting feeders. In this example, the dial
has a swing tuck cam that will produce tucking if swing out of the cam-track and knitting if
in action.
THE DIAL CAM SYSTEM
1 - Raising cam to tuck position only.
2, 3 - Dial knock-over cams (adjustable).
4 - Guard cam to complete the track.
5 - Auxiliary knock-over cam to prevent the dial needle re-entering the old loop.
6, 7 - Guide cams that provide the track for the idling needles.
8 - Swing type clearing cam, which may occupy the knitting position as
Shown at feeder 1 or the tuck position as shown at feeder 2.
THE CYLINDER CAM SYSTEM
A - Clearing cam which lifts the needle to clear the old loop.
B, C - Stitch and guard cams respectively, both vertically adjustable for varying stitch
length.
D - Up throw cam, to raise the cylinder needle whilst dial needle knocks-over.
E, F - Guard cams, to complete the track.
G, H - Guide cams that provide the track for the idling needles.
Interlock thus requires eight cam systems or locks in order to produce one complete course,
two cam systems for each feeder in each needle bed. Basic cylinder and dial machines and
flat-machines having this arrangement are often referred to as eight lock machines.
The knitting action or Stitch formation or loop formation of Circular Interlock
Machine:
The cylinder and dial have different cam tracks for short butt needles and long butt needles.
So, in each of these cam box, at certain moments short butt needles is active. So, in that
particular cam box, it will be catching that particular feeder. But in other cam box, when long
butt needle is active, then it will be catching different feeder.
In figure, there are 4 cams which is actually making long butt needles in active positions.
They are catching the feeders only in these 4 positions. When a long butt needles is active
here, it is inactive in at green cam box.
So, at this feeder, the long butt needle is not catching the yarn. It is actually catching the yarn
in alternative feeder positions.
This is how things are done. So, you can see the blue one which is representing the short butt
needles, they are catching feeders alternatively. So, it first catches here. After 90 degree turn,
it is catching the feeder here. Again, after 90 degree turn, it is catching. So, it is leaving the
feeder alternatively. Odd feeders: all long butt needles of both beds are selected. So, here,
only the long bed needles are selecting the odd number of feeders. And even feeders are
selected by short butt needles. So, this is how the feeding is done to both the needles of a
single bed. This is applicable to dial bed as well as cylinder bed.
Important
✔ To drive short and long needles, two cam tracks are necessary on both the cylinder and
the dial.
✔ In the same course two types of feeding has been taking place simultaneously that’s why
two ribs are getting intermeshed with each other in Interlock fabric. Each of the two
feeds is a separate yarn from separate feeder.
✔ On one feed system, the short needles of a needle-bed and the long needles of the
opposite one operate alternately and form a half-course of rib stitches; in the next feed
system, the needles operate inversely and form a second half-course of rib stitches
interknitted with the previous one. In interlock fabrics, a knit stitch course is therefore
made up by two interknitted half-courses of rib stitches.
✔ Interlock is a special arrangement of needles knitting back-to-back in an alternate
sequence of two sets, so that the two courses of loops show wales of face loops on each
side of the fabric exactly in line with each other, thus hiding the appearance of the reverse
loops. Interlock has the technical face of plain fabric on both sides, but its smooth surface
cannot be stretched out to reveal the reverse meshed loop wales because the wales on
each side are exactly opposite to each other and are locked together.
