Knitting technology, Third Edition

12
Electronics in knitting
12.1
The disadvantages of mechanical control
Knitting machines have developed with mechanically controlled and operated
movements. The exacting requirements of modern knitting technology, however,
emphasize the limitations of mechanical movements which are expensive to manu-
facture, slow and cumbersome in operation, difficult to adjust or alter, and subject
to friction and wear.
12.2
The disadvantages of mechanical programming
Mechanical pattern and programming data for controlling knitting machines is
stored in the form of punched cards, chains, rack-wheels, peg drums, and element
butt arrangements. These are expensive in material, bulky in space on the machine
or in storage, time-consuming to handle and alter, slow in operation, and provide
restricted facilities.
Hydraulics, fluidics, and electronics provide alternative systems of power trans-
mission and signal storage with the requisite speed and precision.
12.3
The advantages of electronic control and programming
Electronics offer the decisive advantages of convenient power-supply, com-
patibility with existing mechanical components, micro-miniaturisation of circuitry,
and economical data storage. In addition, electronic systems do not require to be 
of a size proportionate to their task or to operate on a one-to-one relationship 
with it.
Electronic selection or machine control is compatible with higher running speeds
and eliminates complex mechanical arrangements, thus reducing supervisory
requirements. It provides greater versatility as regards design parameters, simplifies

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Electronics in knitting
135
the modification of repeat sequences and size, style and pattern-changing opera-
tions, and, in some cases, enables changes to occur whilst the machine is knitting
(Fig. 12.1).