KNITTING ELEMENTS

CAM AND SINKER

The cam
• Knitting cams are solid steel plates and with
the assembly of different cam plates a track for
a butt can be arranged.
• Each needle movement can be obtained by
means of cams acting on the needle butt.
• All needles have a reciprocating action. Cams
are the devices which convert the rotary
machine drive into a suitable reciprocating
action for the needles and other elements.
The needle cam race consists of
1 Clearing Cam
2 Stitch Cam
3 Up-throw Cam
which are vertically adjustable together for alteration of
stitch length
4 Guard Cam
5 Return Cam
6 Guard Cam
The three sections of the sinker cam race are
7 Race Cam
8 Sinker Withdrawing Cam
9 Sinker-Return Cam, which is adjustable in accordance
with the stitch length
• The raising cam causes the needles to be lifted to
either tuck, clearing, loop transferor needle
transfer height, depending upon machine design.
• The swing cam is fulcrum med so that the butts
will be unaffected when it is out of the track and it
may also be swung into the track to raise the butts.
• The bolt cam can be caused to descend into the
cam track to control the element butts or be
withdrawn out of action so that the butts pass
undisturbed across its face.
• The stitch cam controls the depth to which the
needle descends, thus controlling the amount of
yarn drawn into the needle loop; it also functions
simultaneously as a knock-over cam.
• The upthrow cam takes the needles back to
the rest position and allows the newly-formed
loops to relax.
• The stitch cam is normally adjustable for
different loop lengths and it may be attached to
a slide together with the upthrow cam, so that
the two are adjusted in unison.
• The guard cams are often placed on the
opposite side of the cam-race to limit the
movement of the butts and to prevent needles
from falling out of track.
The sinker
• The sinker is the second primary knitting element.
• It is a thin metal plate with an individual or a
collective action operating approximately at right
angles from the hook side of the needle bed, between
adjacent needles.
Function :
• Loop formation
• Holding-down
• Knocking-over
• (a) Tucking in the hook or rest position. The
sinker is forward, holding down the old loop
whilst the needle rises from the rest position

.
(b) Clearing. The needle has been raised to
its highest position clearing the old Loop
from its latch.
(c) Yarn feeding. The sinker is partially
withdrawn allowing the feeder to present its
yarn to the descending needle hook and also
freeing the old loop so that It can slide up the
needle stem and under the open latch spoon.
• (d) Knock-over. The sinker is fully withdrawn
whilst the needle descends to knock-over its old
loop on the sinker belly.
(e) Holding-down. The sinker moves forward to
hold down the new loop in its throat whilst the
needle rises under the influence of the upthrow
cam to the rest position where the head of the
open hook just protrudes above the sinker belly.