Knitting technology, Third Edition

20.3
The RTR garment-length machine
This fully-automatic garment-length rib machine was introduced in 1938 by 
Wildt
(Mellor Bromley)
as a replacement for their RSB model of 1936, which had no facil-
ities for rib loop transfer. Its anti-clockwise revolving cylinder and dial cam-box has
cam sections of equal size whether they are for knitting feeders or rib loop trans-
fer. A unit set in advance of the section can select the cylinder needles for the knit-
ting or transfer action. The original RTR has six cam sections, four for knitting (2
and 3; 5 and 6) and two for transfer (1 and 4). Section 4 also has facilities via the
back butt set-out of the dial needles for changing the rib, either by collective dial-
to-cylinder loop transfer or by dial needle loop press-off. Four 
Brinton
trick-wheel
units provide selection for the cylinder needles – one for each transfer section and
one for every two knitting sections, with the selection at section 2 being repeated
at 3 and the selection at 5 being repeated at 6.
In Figures 20.5 and 20.6, section 4 contains the cams for selective cylinder-to-dial
loop transfer (cams R and Y) and collective dial-to-cylinder loop transfer (cams X,
P and Q).
In section 1, cam T may be set to raise cylinder needles to clearing height and,
as there is no feed position in this section, when lowered by cam U they will press-
off their loops (for the end of the garment sequence). In a similar position at section
4 are raising and lowering cams P and Q, which act as receiving cams for the col-
lective transfer of dial loops when cam I acts on the back transfer butts of dial
needles.
It soon became apparent that the machine’s garment-length knitting sequence of
drawthread separation course, tubular welt, 1 
¥
1 or 2 
¥
2 rib border or waist, body
panel section, and press-off locking courses could be used for knitting jacquard,
double-jersey, or coarse-gauge knitwear as well as stitch-shaped underwear. A six
knitting-section model, with each section having its own selection unit, thus became
available for jacquard with interchangeable transfer sections. For double jersey, the
dial shogging was adapted for interlock knitting. Depending upon the end-use of its

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Circular garment-length machines
251