Brescia - Sock knitting machine specialist Busi Giovanni has enhanced the performance of its Rimaglio technology, the renowned, automatic, stitch-by-stitch toe-closing device.

The Brescia-based firm says it is constantly looking to improve the reliability and versatility of the Rimaglio technology. This latest upgrade means it is now possible to knit the last course of stitches all around the item’s body, effectively 360 degrees.

This method means that the sock manufacturer can fix the end part of a tube, with both a single welt or a double one, to prevent it from unwinding.

This third version of the Rimaglio system is located on the left-hand side of the machine, which means the knitting technician still has full accessibility to the knitting head.

The sequential operation of the new device starts with the yarn finger head being raised when sock knitting has been completed. The cylinder then stops in a pick-up position with the help of a mechanical clutch.

The knitting head is then raised and the toe-closing device swings across and aligns itself exactly above the cylinder needles. It is then lowered to a position where pick-up elements position themselves precisely onto these needles. Individual knitted loops are then transferred from the cylinder needles on to the toe-closing device. The sock is then picked up and the arm swings the device back into its position underneath the tubular sock-turning piston on the left-hand side of the machine. The knitting head is closed again and knitting of the next sock commences.

As knitting of the next sock commences, the completed sock is pushed upwards and turned inside out by a sock-turning tube. This means stitching of the toe occurs on the inside of the sock to replicate traditional linking.

Next, two half-crowns, on which the last knitted course is located, close like a jaw superimposing the two halves of the sock toe on top of each other. Loops from the two separate courses are placed on the same comb. At this point, the sock toe is ready to be stitched closed, and the linking-device starts up sewing the toe area of the sock fabric with stitch-for-stitch linking. Needles pass through the loop twice to give a secure stitch and improve the elasticity of the seam.