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(1) Arrive at your workstation at the scheduled time and diligently prepare for the shift handover.
(2) Proactively and thoroughly inquire about the previous shift’s production status, equipment operation, process adjustments, product changes, and any other relevant points to note.
(3) Carefully observe the operation of the machines; stop each machine individually to inspect the fabric surface.
(4) Verify the origin and linear density of the raw materials; check for incorrect yarn connections, misaligned yarn packages (cones), or the presence of oil stains.
(5) Document the handover details regarding the fabric.
Operating Tutorial for Circular Knitting Machines
Employing sound and advanced operating methods is a crucial prerequisite for enhancing the production efficiency of knitting machines and ensuring product quality.
Section 1: Shift Handover Procedures
The shift handover process is a vital step in establishing an orderly production environment, ensuring smooth operations, and maintaining strict quality control. Both the outgoing and incoming operators should share information, clarify responsibilities, and work together to uphold quality standards.
I. Requirements for the Outgoing Operator:
(1) Keep the workspace clean and tidy; ensure that any spare yarn stored on or near the equipment remains within specified limits.
(2) Provide a status update on the operating equipment.
(3) Report any process adjustments, changes in product type, or substitutions of raw materials.
(4) Provide accurate records for the greige fabric (unfinished fabric), including: style number, specifications/dimensions, date, operator ID, raw material origin, batch number, and roll weight.
II. Requirements for the Incoming Operator:
(1) Arrive at your workstation at the scheduled time and diligently prepare for the shift handover.
(2) Proactively and thoroughly inquire about the previous shift’s production status, equipment operation, process adjustments, product changes, and any other relevant points to note.
(3) Carefully observe the operation of the machines; stop each machine individually to inspect the fabric surface.
(4) Verify the origin and linear density of the raw materials; check for incorrect yarn connections, misaligned yarn packages (cones), or the presence of oil stains.
(5) Document the handover details regarding the fabric.
Section 2: Routine Inspections
Routine inspections are categorized into general inspections and focused (priority) inspections. I. General Patrol Inspection:
(1) Scheduling and Requirements: The primary purpose of general patrol inspections is to prevent significant, long-length fabric defects. To ensure that such defects do not exceed specified length limits, operators must conduct a patrol approximately every 5 to 10 minutes.
(2) Patrol Procedure: Following a designated route, operators should use visual observation, listening, and tactile checks—without stopping the machinery—to identify obvious fabric defects or abnormal equipment sounds. If an issue is discovered, the machine should be stopped for resolution. In doing so, operators should follow the "three priorities" principle: address nearby issues before distant ones, simple tasks before complex ones, and urgent matters before less pressing ones. The goal is to resolve issues effectively while ensuring fabric quality is maintained.
II. Targeted Patrol Inspection:
(1) Scheduling and Requirements: Targeted patrol inspections are conducted in addition to general patrol inspections. Specific instances requiring targeted inspections include: after a shift change, after a roll of fabric is doffed, after machine cleaning, and after addressing broken yarns. Each roll of fabric should undergo one or two such in-process, machine-stopped inspections. Given that these inspections are more time-consuming, operators should schedule them in stages, ensuring that general patrol duties are still fulfilled.
(2) Patrol Procedure: Following the designated route, operators perform targeted inspections using visual, auditory, and tactile methods. The primary focus is the fabric surface; operators should examine the fabric from both shadowed and well-lit angles, paying close attention to the areas near the machine side frames. Additionally, operators should manually inspect the fabric for issues such as horizontal or vertical streaks, long runs (dropped or missed stitches), irregular stitch patterns, scattered defects, and tension irregularities. Furthermore, the status of the yarn—including its linear density, the quality of yarn-end splices, and the positioning of these splices—should be verified.
III. Intervals Between Patrols:
The time between patrols should be utilized for specific tasks such as handling machine stoppages, doffing fabric rolls, splicing yarns, and performing cleaning duties during shift handovers. These tasks must be scheduled efficiently to balance the workload, ensure that patrol routines remain uninterrupted, and maintain proactive control over the production process. Specific requirements for operators are as follows:
1. If multiple machine stoppages occur and cannot all be addressed within the interval between scheduled rounds of fabric inspection, the operator should pause addressing the stoppages, complete a full round of fabric inspection, and then return to handling the stoppages. This prevents the formation of long defects (streaks or flaws) on the fabric.
2. Operators should strategically schedule routine, mandatory tasks—such as piecing yarns, doffing fabric, and cleaning—during available intervals. This helps avoid chaotic workflows and negative operational cycles, ensuring that regular inspection rounds are completed according to the prescribed schedule.
IV. Inspection Route:
To ensure that inspection rounds are conducted in an orderly manner, operators must follow a designated route. This saves time, reduces physical exertion, and improves efficiency. The inspection route should be logically planned based on the machine layout to facilitate ease of movement and avoid redundant paths.
In knitting facilities, common inspection patterns include walking in a straight line while observing both sides, or following a "U"-shaped path while observing one side.
Section 3: Cleaning and Sanitation
Cleaning and sanitation are critical to the quality of the fabric produced on circular knitting machines. During operation, friction between the yarn and machine components causes lint (short fibers, often referred to as "fly" or "fluff"), dust, and other debris to detach from the yarn and accumulate around the machine. This lint can easily be drawn into the knitting elements and incorporated into the fabric, resulting in defects. Consequently, removing such lint and debris is a core daily responsibility for operators. Specific cleaning tasks include:
1. Removing lint from the yarn creel (typically performed during shift handovers).
2. Removing lint from around the knitting system (typically performed prior to doffing the fabric).
3. Removing lint from yarn feeders and dust-removal devices (such as fans)—a task to be performed once a week.
