BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY

SEMINAR -2 ON CAD/CAM IN KNITTING

Prepared by; Luwam Bahta
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Table of Contents

Introduction
CAD/CAM Discipline
CAD/CAM Design Features
Circular Knitting Machine Control
Modern V-bed Knitting Machine Control
Advantages of CAD/CAM in Knitting

Introduction
The CAD/CAM process is a geometric model
of a product under design in which the CAD
process is a subset of the design process and
the CAM process is subset of the
manufacturing process.
Application of computer graphics in knitting
industry CAD/CAM systems has two aspects:
1. Knitting structures design and
2. Design of knitting pattern shapes.
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Cont.
Electronic machine eliminates all punch cards,
chains, rack wheel, peg drum which are
expensive and bulky.
Interactive computer graphics enables designer
draw pictures and display on the screen. Color
can be added or changed immediately. Pattern
can be rotated, stretched, mirror and scale.

CAD/CAM Discipline

CAD design feature for knitting

Cont.

Auto, bias and mirror

pattern from CAD design

Color Change and Pattern Composition by

CAD System

CAM feature on color

selection

Pattern assemble

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Pattern Developing by CAD system

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Electronic Circular Knitting Machine

Control
CAD/CAM are mainly used for jacquard single or
double jersey knitting on large diameter circular
knitting machines. The content of CAM in piece goods
are:
The memory of the controller
The very large memory of the machine built in computer
can hold up a few different patterns, which can be called
up at any time, or mixing of patterns during knitting. The
preparation of jacquard patterns are normally done on
CAD units and the final patterns are stored in the data
carriers for the knitting machine to read.
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Cont.
Shifting of colors on jacquard fabric.
Before knitting, color yarns are placed on the machine in
specified order like
feeder no
1 2 3456 7 8
yam color
ABCDABCD
If the same pattern has to be knitted with different
combination of color such as;
feeder no
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 and
yarn color
B C DJ A B C D or
feeder no
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 and
yam color
C D A B C D A B or
feeder no
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 and
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yam color
DABCDABC

Principle
Computer
The flexibility of making decision, process data (yes or
no) make it ideas for counted loop sequence, branching
or jumping operation.
ie. Electronically controlled knitting pattern preparation
and needle selection
Main Sections of Computer
CPU, Memory, Peripheral Interface
Input & output device
Input: sensors on knitting machine; keyboards, lightpen; tapes and discs.
Output : actuators on knitting machine, light; digital and
graphic display; tapes and printer.
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Cont.
Memory: ROM and RAM
Read only memory (ROM), non-volatile, cannot be
erased.
Hold important program and is programmed in
manufacturing.
Read and Write Memory (RAM)
Is volatile and data can be erased.
Use to store data and programme during processing.
Designer can freely explore his/her ideas using the
computer tools
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Electronic Circular Knitting Machine

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Modern V-bed Knitting Machine Control

The modern V-bed machines abandoned the pasteboard
card control because:
The electronic parts are cheaper to produce than the
mechanical parts;
Numerical is more accurate and very fast in response;
Programs are easy to file or store;
Easy to duplicate the programs

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Numerical and computer control

Numerical Control
They are simple control for non-jacquard knitting. It
contains a control panel with function keys and control
knobs for data input. The major advantages is that no
pasteboard card and hole punching is needed.
Computer Control
The numerical control is only good for simple knit
collars, rib straps and body panels without pattern.
Once individual needle selection is involved, computer
control must be used.
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Cont.
Modern electronic V-bed m/c has :
Central Processing Unit: The brain of m/c control
with data like pattern, machine control, economizer,
pattern development.
Keyboard : This is used for giving command or make
modification.
Tape/Floppy reader : The pattern and data input
device
Visual Display Unit : A monitor to display all
information of the knitting machine.
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Shima Seika Control System

1. Control tape
Similar to punch card in mechanical machine, it is a one inch paper
tape with 8 row holes. The tape is divided into block, one block is
the same as one punch tape.
2.Pattern tape
This sector contains all the pattern details. The design is normally
created in a CAD system and is now transferred as a series of holes
in the punch tape. The length of tape will depend on the pattern size,
the longer the design, the longer will be the tape.
3.Pattern development tape
This is to control the location of the pattern onto the fabric. It can be
mirror the design or repeat the design horizontal/vertically
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Cont.
4.Stitch tape
This is used to control the stitch length (loop length) of the fabric.
Modern V-bed m/c could have over 30 different setting in the memory
for different material and structure design.
5.Economizer tape
The economizer on the mechanical V-bed is to use the minimum
number of pasteboard cards for sweater panel. For the electronic
machine with computer control, the system can memorize all the
repeat structure and sort out the necessary cards or blocks in the
design automatically.
6.Yarn Carrier tape
In cut and sewn panel, the yarn carriers are set at fixed places about 2
to 4 cm away from fabric selvedge. For fully fashioning panel (or
intarsia), the knitting width is changing all the time, the yarn carriers
must stop in varies position.
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Modern V-bed Knitting Machine

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Advantages of CAD/CAM in Knitting

The CAD/CAM system enables the machine to
knit the parts (cuts) of products or the whole
products in which;
It allows to avoid cutting the materials
Reduces the number of operations
It leads to reduce the waste products to a
minimum.

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THANK-YOU!!!!!!!
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