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Hosiery technology
Radko Kovar, Martina Syrovatkova
KTT,
Technical University of Liberec,
Halkova 6, 461 17 Liberec, cz
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Brief content:
1. Principles of hosiery technology
2. Production of stockings and tights (pantyhose)
3. Production of socks and knee socks
4. Single-cylinder machines
5. Double cylinder machines
6. Machines programming
7. Finalization of products
8. Structure and properties of products
9. Supplementary information
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1. Principles of hosiery technology:
Content:
1.1. Classification of hosiery products
1.2. Standardization of hosiery products
1.3. Materials used in hosiery products
1.4. Welts
1.5. Shaping of heels and toes
1.6. Shaping of legs
1.7. Used knitted structures and designs
1.8. Closing of toes
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1.1. Classification of hosiery products
The term Hosiery products is used for clothes,
covering manly lower extremities (legs and foots)
From the point of view of fabric fines there are:
Fine products, usually made of multifilament yarns on
knitting machines with 24 40 needles per 25.4 mm
(fine women stocking and tights)
Course products, usually made of spun yarns onknitting machines with 5 24 needles per 25.4 mm
(socks, knee socks, course pantyhose)
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Machines used:
Majority of hosieryproducts is produced on
small-diameter circular
knitting machines
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Machines used:
Another used technologies are mainlyWarp knitting
Weft knitting on flat machines. Example:
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From the point of
view of product
length there are:Footlets (covers only
toe, foot ant heel)
Socks of different
lengths
Half hoses (reach
under or above the
knee)
Stockings
Tights (usually sewn
from 2 longer
stockings).
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1.2. Standardization of hosiery products
In Czech Republic next standards are relevant:
CSN 804159: Elastic medical tights and compressive products
CSN 805801: Standard stockings, half-hoses, , classification
CSN 805802 EN 13770: Measuring of resistance of hosieryproducts in abrasion
CSN 805810: Fine stockings, half-hoses, socks and footlets
CSN 805841: Course tights, regulation and classification
CSN 800863: Measuring of weight of knitted products
CSN 800864: Measuring of dimensions and appearance of
hosiery products
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1.2. Standardization of hosiery products
Some chosen ISO standards:
ISO 5971:1981 Size designation of clothes pantyhose
ISO 5971 (CSN 805044): Marking of sizes of hosiery
tights
ISO 7070 (CSN 805045): Marking of sizes of hosiery
products
ISO 8117:2003: Textile machinery - Knitting machines- Nominal diameters of circular machines
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1.3. Materials used in hosiery products
All usual textile yarns could be used, producedboth from staple and continuous fibers (spun yarns,
monofilament, multifilament)
Usually fine hosiery products prefers continuousfibers and course products staple spun yarns
Yarn linear density needs to correspond with the
machine gaugeg
, usually defined as number ofknitting needles per 25.4 mm (one English inch)
Roughly yarn diameter could be somewhere
around l/5 of needle pitch (25.4/g) or lower
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1.4. Welts
Quality welt should meet next demands:
To be fast (upper border ready for use)
No or low curling
Suitable stretchability
Double cylinder machines are able to produce very
suitable rib (double-faced) structure
Single cylinder machines are able to knit single-faced structure only, tubular welt is often used
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Mostly used types of welts:
a) Rib welt (1x1 rib structure) with fast border, greatstretchability, often with elastic inlayed yarn.
b) Tubular welt formed by transfer of kinks of the yarn insome of initial course again on knitting needles after
knitting double welt height
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1.5. Shaping of heels and toes
Heels and toes could be knitted as:
Reciprocated, knitted on reverse movement of the
needle bed and creating 3-D pouch on about one halfof the product.
Rotation producing only tubular fabric.
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Examples of heels
Reciprocateda) 3-D pouch on about one half of the product.
b) Part above the pouch could be reinforced.
Rotation
c) Producing only tubular fabric with inserted additionalcourses on about one half of the perimeter
d) Only reinforced and shaped by thermal setting later.
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Examples of toes
Reciprocated
a) Knitted in the same way as reciprocated heel but sawn together
later.
b) Similar toe with inserted a group of rotation courses.
Rotationc) Only reinforced tubular part is finalized by sewing. The seem
may be led from left to right side or from above down.
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1.6. Shaping of legs
The number of needle in circular needle bed is
done. This fact limits changes of product diameter.
Basic and generally used possibility is change ofstitches length.
The change of the yarn consumption is connected
with the change of wales and courses density andso as well with fabric diameter.
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1.7. Used knitted structures and designs
Mostly used single-faced structures (from single bedmachines):
Plane structures
Plated structuresPlush structures
Laid-in structures
All in different modifications
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1.7. Used knitted structures and designs
Mostly used double-faced structures (from double
bed machines):
Plane double-faced structures
Rib structures
Purl structures etc. in different modifications and designs
Heels, foots and toes are knitted in plane single-
faced structure. The reason is relatively flat surfaceand low thickness and so better comfort of user.
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1.8. Closing of toes
Product of circular machine is ended by tubular
open part and before usage the toe need to be
closed. Next two possibilities are important:
Closing the toes by sewing on product finalization
Closing the toes when knitting on circular machine.
There are several used principles (see chapters 2, 3, 7)