Process and apparatus for reducing the lead-in thread length in circular knitting machines

A process and an apparatus for reducing the length of the lead-in thread in double-cylinder circular hosiery-making or knitting machines in which the thread, fed by a corresponding thread guide, is clamped at its end, before knitting begins, by a thread cutting and clamping device which laterally faces the needle cylinders of the machine downstream of the position of the thread guide, relative to the direction in which the needle cylinders rotate about their own axis, with respect to the thread guide and to the cutting and clamping device. The process consists in keeping the thread clamped by the cutting and clamping device even after the thread has been taken up by the needles at the beginning of the knitting process, and in cutting the portion of thread which, at the beginning of the knitting process, lies between the first needle that took up the thread and the point where the thread is clamped in the cutting and clamping device. The thread is cut by means of a lead-in cutting device adjacent to the first needle that took up the thread and therefore the lead-in is very short and requires no further cutting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for reducing 
the length of the lead-in thread in circular knitting machines, and in 
particular in double-cylinder circular hosiery-making or knitting 
machines. 
It is known that in double-cylinder circular hosiery-making or knitting 
machines, at the end of the manufacturing process the thread or threads 
used to produce the knitted fabric are cut and retained by way of a 
suitable cutting and clamping device which laterally faces the needle 
cylinder. At the end of the manufacturing process, the thread accordingly 
runs from the corresponding thread guide that dispensed it to the cutting 
and clamping device that retains it after cutting it. 
At the beginning of a new manufacturing process the thread guide is 
actuated so that its thread delivery end moves toward the needle work area 
and the cutting and clamping device is actuated so as to release the end 
of the thread which, as a consequence of the suction that is present in 
the needle cylinders, is drawn into the slot that divides the lower needle 
cylinder from the upper needle cylinder. The needles are then moved into 
the active position, at the feed or drop served by the thread guide, so as 
to engage the dispensed thread and form new loops of knitting. 
Due to the fact that the end of the thread is released by the cutting and 
clamping device and is drawn into the needle cylinders before the thread 
is taken by the needles to form the loops of knitting, at the end of the 
knitting of the item said item has a lead-in thread which protrudes at the 
region that was knitted first. 
This lead-in thread, which is not acceptable from an aesthetic point of 
view, must be cut with a manual operation in a subsequent finishing step 
which affects the overall production costs of the item. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The aim of the present invention is to solve the above problem by providing 
a process and an apparatus which can be applied to double-cylinder 
circular hosiery-making or knitting machines and allow to reduce the 
length of the lead-in thread so as to avoid the need for a subsequent 
manual operation for cutting said lead-in thread. 
Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an 
apparatus which can be installed very simply in double-cylinder circular 
hosiery-making or knitting machines of a conventional type. 
This aim, this object and others which will become apparent hereinafter are 
achieved by a process for reducing the length of the lead-in thread in 
double-cylinder circular hosiery-making or knitting machines in which the 
thread, fed by a corresponding thread guide, is clamped at its end, before 
knitting begins, by a thread cutting and clamping device which laterally 
faces the needle cylinders of the machine downstream of the position of 
said thread guide, relative to the direction in which the needle cylinders 
rotate about their own axis, with respect to said thread guide and to said 
cutting and clamping device, characterized in that it consists: 
in moving the thread dispensing end of said thread guide toward the needle 
cylinders of the machine to allow the thread to be taken up by needles 
that are moved so as to knit at the feed served by said thread guide; 
in keeping the end of the thread clamped by said thread cutting and 
clamping device while the needles that have been lifted to knit take up 
the thread; 
in moving the cutting end of a lead-in cutting device toward the needle 
cylinders, said cutting device being arranged proximate to said thread 
cutting and clamping device, so as to engage said cutting end with the 
portion of thread that is arranged between said cutting and clamping 
device and the first one of the needles that has taken up the thread; 
in cutting, by means of said cutting end of the lead-in cutting device, 
said portion of thread that is adjacent to the first needle that has taken 
up the thread. 
In order to perform the process according to the invention, an apparatus is 
preferably used comprising: a thread guide, which laterally faces the 
needle cylinders and is adapted to dispense a thread to the needles at a 
feed or drop of the machine, and a thread cutting and clamping device 
which laterally faces the needle cylinders and is arranged downstream of 
said thread guide, along the direction in which the needle cylinders 
rotate, with respect to said thread guide and to said thread cutting and 
clamping device, characterized in that it comprises a lead-in cutting 
device which laterally faces the needle cylinders and is arranged 
proximate to said cutting and clamping device, said lead-in cutting device 
being provided with a cutting end which can engage the portion of thread 
that runs from said cutting and clamping device to the first one of the 
needles which, at the beginning of the knitting process, took up the 
thread dispensed by said thread guide during the rotation of the needle 
cylinders about their axis with respect to said thread guide.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
With reference to FIGS. 1 to 9, the apparatus for performing the process 
according to the invention, in its first embodiment, comprises: a thread 
guide 1, a cutting and clamping device 2, and a lead-in cutting device 3 
which laterally face the needle cylinders 4 and 5, which can be actuated 
with a rotary motion about their axis 6 with respect to the supporting 
structure 7 of the machine that supports the thread guide 1, the cutting 
and clamping device 2 and the lead-in cutting device 3. 
More particularly, the thread guide 1 can be constituted by a conventional 
thread guide which is supported by the supporting structure 7 of the 
machine at a longitudinal end 10 thereof and laterally faces, with its 
opposite end 11 which constitutes the end for dispensing the thread 12, 
the needle cylinders 4 and 5 at the needle work area, i.e., at the slot 13 
that is formed between the lower needle cylinder 4 and the upper needle 
cylinder 5. 
The body of the thread guide 1 is hinged, at its end 10, to the supporting 
structure 7 of the machine so that it can rotate, with respect to the 
supporting structure 7 of the machine, along an arc covering a preset 
angle about an axis 14 which is parallel to the axis 6 of the needle 
cylinders 4 and 5. 
Moreover, the body of the thread guide 1 can preferably move in a direction 
which has a radial component with respect to the needle cylinders 4 and 5. 
In practice, the body of the thread guide 1 is hinged to the supporting 
structure 7 of the machine by means of a pivot, not shown for the sake of 
simplicity, which passes through a slot 15 of the body of the thread guide 
1; said slot is elongated in order to allow both a partial rotation of the 
body of the thread guide 1 about the axis 14 of the pivot and a 
translatory motion of the body of the thread guide 1 towards or away from 
the needle cylinders 4 and 5. 
The partial rotation of the body of the thread guide 1 about the axis 14, 
as well as its translatory motion towards or away from the needle 
cylinders 4 and 5, can be achieved by means of conventional actuators, for 
example actuators of the mechanical or pneumatic type, or of the 
electromagnetic type, which are not shown for the sake of simplicity. 
The cutting and clamping device 2 also can be constituted by a cutting and 
clamping device of a known type, which is associated with the supporting 
structure 7 of the machine so that it can be partially rotated about an 
axis 20 which is also parallel to the axis 6 of the needle cylinders 4 and 
5. 
More particularly, the cutting and clamping device 2 laterally faces, with 
one of its ends, the needle cylinders 4 and 5, proximate to the slot 13, 
downstream of the position occupied by the thread guide 1 during the 
dispensing of the thread 12. A cutting and clamping element 21 is arranged 
on this end of the device 2 and is constituted, in a per se known manner, 
by a hook which, at the end of the knitting process, engages the portion 
of thread that lies between the thread guide 1 and the last needle that 
took up the thread 12 dispensed by the thread guide 1 and makes it undergo 
the action of a blade and of a spring, both of which are arranged inside 
the device 2, so as to simultaneously cut and clamp the thread 12. 
The rotation of the cutting and clamping device 2 about the axis 20 can be 
achieved, in a per se known manner, by means of an actuator of the 
pneumatic type 25, as shown, or by means of actuators of the mechanical or 
electromagnetic type, of a known kind, which are not illustrated for the 
sake of simplicity. 
The lead-in cutting device 3 is arranged proximate to the cutting and 
clamping device 2 directly downstream of the thread clamping point in the 
device 2 in the direction in which the needle cylinders 4 and 5 rotate, 
and is supported by the supporting structure of the machine so that it can 
move in a direction which has a radial component with respect to the 
needle cylinders 4 and 5. 
More particularly, the lead-in cutting device 3 comprises a body 30 which 
is mounted on a block 31 which is supported by the supporting structure 7 
of the machine so that it can slide in a radial direction with respect to 
the needle cylinders 4 and 5. An actuator 32 acts on the block 31 and can 
be actuated to produce the translatory motion of the block 31 and 
therefore of the body 30 of the lead-in cutting device 3 toward or away 
from the needle cylinders 4 and 5. 
The actuator 32 can be constituted by a pneumatic cylinder, as shown, or by 
an actuator of the mechanical or electromagnetic type or of another type. 
More particularly, the block 31 is slidingly coupled to a guide 37 which is 
formed in a block 38 which is fixed to the supporting structure 7 of the 
machine. The guide 37 runs in a direction which has a radial component 
with respect to the needle cylinders 4 and 5. The actuator 32 is 
associated with the block 38 and acts on the block 31 with the stem of its 
piston to produce the translatory motion of the block 31 and therefore of 
the body 30 of the lead-in cutting device 3 in a direction which has a 
radial component with respect to the needle cylinders 4 and 5. 
The body 30 of the lead-in cutting device has a cutting end 33 which is 
directed toward the needle cylinders 4 and 5 and is shaped like a hook 
which is open in the opposite direction with respect to the rotation of 
the needle cylinders, so as to engage the thread 12, as will become 
apparent hereinafter. 
In the cutting end 33 there is a passage for a blade 34 which is actuated 
in a substantially radial direction with respect to the needle cylinders 4 
and 5 relative to the body 30 by means of an actuator 35, for example a 
pneumatic cylinder, in order to cut the thread 12 engaged with the cutting 
end 33. 
The actuator 35, instead of being constituted by an actuator of the 
pneumatic type, can also be constituted by an actuator of the mechanical 
or electromagnetic type or of another type. 
The passage for the blade 34, in the cutting end 33, is preferably 
delimited in an upward region by a rigid plate 40 which acts as contrast 
blade and in a downward region by a flexible spring 41 which is meant to 
clamp the thread when it is cut by the blade 34. 
It should be noted that the rotation of the cutting and clamping device 2 
about the axis 20 moves the cutting and clamping element 21 towards or 
away from the cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3 and toward or 
away from the needle cylinders 4 and 5, as will become apparent 
hereinafter. 
The apparatus according to the invention further preferably comprises an 
engagement device 50 which is supported by the supporting structure 7 of 
the machine. Said engagement device 50 has a hook-shaped end 51 which is 
arranged proximate to the cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3. 
The end 51 can move on command, in a substantially tangent direction with 
respect to the needle cylinders 4 and 5, between the cutting and clamping 
device 2 and the cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3, in order 
to engage the portion of the thread 12 that is arranged between the first 
needle that took up the thread 12 and the cutting and clamping device 2, 
upstream of the cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3 in the 
direction in which the needle cylinders 4 and 5 rotate, in order to 
tension it by carrying it downstream of said cutting end, causing its 
assured engagement with said cutting end 33 regardless of the position of 
the point where the thread 12 engages in the cutting and clamping device 
2. 
It should be noted that the engagement of the portion of thread 12 with the 
cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3 might still occur, albeit 
less precisely, simply as a consequence of the movement of said portion of 
thread 12 toward the cutting end 33 caused by the rotation of the needle 
cylinders 4 and 5 about their axis 5. 
More particularly, the engagement device 50 comprises a fluid-driven 
cylinder 52 which is associated, by means of its body, with the supporting 
structure 7 of the machine and is orientated so that its axis is 
substantially tangent to the needle cylinders 4 and 5. 
The hook-like end 51 is fixed to the end of the stem of the piston of the 
fluid-driven cylinder 52. Preferably, the fluid-driven cylinder 52 is of 
the single-acting type and the movement of the hook-like end 51 in the 
opposite direction with respect to the rotation of the needle cylinder is 
produced by feeding the cylinder 52 with a pressurized fluid, while 
movement in the opposite direction is achieved by means of a return 
spring, not shown for the sake of simplicity, and by connecting the 
cylinder 52 to the discharge. 
The operation of the apparatus in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 
9 in the execution of the process according to the invention is as 
follows. 
At the end of a knitting process or in any case before beginning a knitting 
process, the thread 12 dispensed by the thread guide 1 at a drop or feed 
of the machine is clamped by the cutting and clamping device 2 and its end 
portion runs from the end 11 of the thread guide 1, which is spaced from 
the needle cylinders 4 and 5 toward the device 2, to the cutting and 
clamping element 21 of said device 2, as shown in FIG. 1. 
Conveniently, some needles 60 of the needle cylinders 4 and 5 which 
directly precede the first needle 70 that is meant to take up the thread 
12 at the feed or drop served by the thread guide 1 are moved, by means of 
a conventional needle selection device with which double-cylinder circular 
machines are usually equipped, into a position in which an intermediate 
portion of their extension lies at the slot 13. 
In practice, the needles 60 are placed so that their upper tip is in the 
upper needle cylinder 5 and their lower tip is in the lower needle 
cylinder 4. 
In this manner, the needles 60 form a barrier at the slot 13. 
The thread guide 1 is then arranged, by rotation about the axis 14 and 
translatory motion toward the needle cylinders 4 and 5, so that its end 11 
lies at the slot 13, so that the needles 70, in the lower needle cylinder 
4, that are moved so as to knit at the feed served by the thread guide 1 
can engage the portion of thread 12 that runs from the end 11 of the 
thread guide 1 to the cutting and clamping element 21 of the cutting and 
clamping device 2, which differently from conventional methods keeps the 
thread 12 clamped (FIG. 2). 
It should be noted that the needles 60, which precede the needles 70 that 
must take up the thread at the feed or drop served by the thread guide 1, 
cannot engage the thread 12 and at the same time form a barrier which 
prevents the thread 12 from being drawn toward the inside of the needle 
cylinders 4 and 5. 
The actuator 32 is simultaneously actuated and moves the cutting end 33 of 
the lead-in cutting device 3 toward the needle cylinders 4 and 5. 
The portion of the thread 12 that runs from the end 11 of the thread guide 
1 to the cutting and clamping element 21 of the device 2 is tensioned as a 
consequence of the movement imparted to the thread guide 1 with respect to 
the cutting and clamping device 2. 
The needles 70, which are moved so as to knit at the feed served by the 
thread guide 1, thus assuredly engage said portion of thread and, as a 
consequence of the rotary motion of the needle cylinders 4 and 5 about the 
axis 6, move gradually toward the cutting and clamping device 2 which is 
located downstream of the thread guide 1 in the direction in which the 
needle cylinders 4 and 5 rotate with respect to the supporting structure 7 
of the machine. 
This approach slackens the portion of thread 12 that runs from the first 
needle 70 that engaged the thread to the cutting and clamping element 21 
of the device 2 (FIG. 3). 
The actuator 25 is subsequently actuated, causing a rotation of the cutting 
and clamping device 2 about the axis 20 along an arc which covers a preset 
angle, so as to move the cutting and clamping element 21 toward the 
cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3 and move said cutting and 
clamping element 21 away from the needle cylinders 4 and 5 (FIG. 4). As a 
consequence of this fact, the portion of thread 12 that lies between the 
cutting and clamping element 21 of the device 2 and the first needle 70 
that took up the thread is tensioned. 
Also as a consequence of the rotation of the needle cylinders 4 and 5 about 
the axis 6, the first needle 70 that took up the thread 12 moves gradually 
toward the cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3, which is 
located proximate to the cutting and clamping device 2. At this point the 
fluid-driven cylinder 52 is actuated, moving the hook-like end 51 
downstream of the cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting device 3 in a 
position which is adapted to engage the portion of thread 12 that lies 
between the first needle 70 that took up the thread and the cutting and 
clamping element 21 of the device 2 (FIG. 5). Then the fluid-driven 
cylinder 52 is connected to the discharge and its return spring causes the 
hook-like end 51 to return downstream of the cutting end 33 of the device 
3. In this manner, the hook-like end 51 engages the portion of thread 12 
and tensions it, moving it into the cutting end 33 of the lead-in cutting 
device 3 (FIG. 6). 
It should be observed that when the needles 70 have ended their descent 
into the lower needle cylinder 4, the thread 12 between said needles is 
engaged in a per se known manner by the sinkers supported by the sinker 
ring arranged inside the upper end of the lower needle cylinder 4 and is 
tensioned against the stem of said needles 70, while the needles 70 are 
lifted again to engage a thread which is fed at a subsequent feed so as to 
form new loops. The sinkers have not been illustrated for the sake of 
simplicity. 
Then, while the portion of thread 12 is tensioned and engaged with the 
cutting end 33 of the device 3, the actuator 35 is activated, causing the 
blade 34 to slide in the cutting end 33 and therefore cutting the portion 
of thread 12 that lies between the first needle 70 that took it up and the 
cutting and clamping element 21 of the device 2 (FIG. 7). 
If the engagement device 50 is not provided, and therefore if the 
engagement of the portion of thread 12 with the cutting end 33 of the 
lead-in cutting device 3 occurs only as a consequence of the rotation of 
the needle cylinders 4 and 5, after the portion of thread 12 has engaged 
the cutting end 33 the fluid-driven cylinder 25 is actuated again so as to 
produce a further rotation of the cutting and clamping device 2 which 
moves its thread clamping point toward the cutting end 33 and moves it 
away from the needle cylinders 4 and 5 to tension the portion of thread 12 
before it is cut by the blade 34. 
It should be observed that in any case the thread is cut adjacent to the 
first needle 70 that engaged it and remains clamped between the blade 34 
and the spring 41. The cut lead-in thread, designated by the reference 
numeral 80, is thus clamped by the cutting and clamping element 21 of the 
device 2 at one of its ends and, at its other end, by the blade 34 and by 
the spring 41. 
The actuators 25 and 32 are then actuated again, but in reverse with 
respect to the previous direction, so as to return the lead-in cutting 
device 3 and the cutting and clamping device 2 to the initial position, 
i.e., to the position shown in FIG. 1 (FIG. 8). 
The cutting and clamping device 21 of the device 2 is also actuated and 
protrudes from the device 2, releasing the cut lead-in thread 80, and then 
retracts into the device 2. 
Finally, the actuator 35 is activated, causing the retraction of the blade 
34 and thus releasing the other end of the cut lead-in thread 80 (FIG. 9). 
With reference to FIGS. 10 to 14, the apparatus for performing the process 
according to the invention comprises, in its second embodiment, a thread 
guide 101 which laterally faces the needle cylinder 102 and 103 of a 
double-cylinder circular machine at a feed or drop of the machine, and a 
thread cutting and clamping device 104 which laterally faces the needle 
cylinders 102 and 103 and is arranged downstream of the thread guide 101 
relative to the direction in which the needle cylinders 102 and 103 rotate 
about their axis 105 with respect to the thread guide 101 and the cutting 
and clamping device 104. 
According to the invention, the apparatus further comprises a lead-in 
cutting device 106 which laterally faces the needle cylinders 102 and 103 
and has a cutting end 107 which can be positioned between the point where 
the thread guide 101 dispenses the thread 110 and the point where the 
thread 110 is clamped in the cutting and clamping device 104. The cutting 
end 107 can be engaged by the thread portion 110a that lies between the 
cutting and clamping device 104 and the first needle 111 of the needle 
cylinders that engaged the thread 110 dispensed by the thread guide 101 in 
order to cut said portion of thread 110a adjacent to the first needle 111. 
More particularly, the thread guide 101 can be constituted by a 
conventional thread guide, provided with a body 112 which is hinged to the 
supporting structure of the machine about an axis 113 which is parallel to 
the axis 105 of the needle cylinders. The body of the thread guide 112, 
besides being hinged to the supporting structure about the axis 113, can 
be movable, in a per se known manner, in a radial direction with respect 
to the needle cylinders 102 and 103. 
The connection provided between the thread guide 101 and the supporting 
structure of the machine allows to move the end 114 of the thread guide 
101 from an inactive position, in which it is arranged proximate to the 
cutting and clamping device 104, as shown in FIG. 10, to an active 
position, in which it laterally faces the needle cylinders at the needle 
work area, i.e., at the slot 115 provided between the lower needle 
cylinder 102 and the upper needle cylinder 103 to allow the thread to be 
taken up by the needles 111 which are moved to knit at the feed being 
considered, as shown in FIG. 11. 
The cutting and clamping device 104 can be constituted by a conventional 
cutting and clamping device provided with one or more cutting and clamping 
points for the thread 110. 
The cutting and clamping device 104 is provided with one or more hooks 116 
which, at the end of the knitting process, engage the portion of thread 
that lies between the thread guide 101 and the last needle that took up 
the thread 110 dispensed by the thread guide 101 and makes it undergo the 
action of a blade and of a spring, arranged inside the cutting and 
clamping device 104, so as to simultaneously cut and clamp the thread 110. 
The cutting end 107 of the lead-in cutting device 106 can move on command 
towards or away from the needle cylinders 102 and 103. 
Furthermore, said cutting end 107 of the lead-in cutting device 106 is 
preferably arranged directly upstream of the clamping point of the thread 
110 in the cutting and clamping device 104 in order to achieve the 
engagement of the portion of thread 110a with said cutting end 107 as a 
consequence of the rotation of the needle cylinders 102 and 103 about 
their axis 105 with respect to the lead-in cutting device 106. 
The cutting end 107 of the lead-in cutting device 106 is shaped like a hook 
which is open in the opposite direction with respect to the rotation of 
the needle cylinders 102 and 103 relative to the lead-in cutting device 
106. 
More particularly, the lead-in cutting device 106 comprises a fluid-driven 
cylinder 118 which is mounted, so that it can slide along its own axis 
119, on a support 127 which is connected to the supporting structure of 
the machine. The axis 119 is arranged on a radial plane with respect to 
the needle cylinders 102 and 103 and is inclined with respect to a plane 
which is perpendicular to the axis 105 of the needle cylinders 102 and 
103. 
The piston 120 of the fluid-driven cylinder 118 is fixed, by means of its 
stem, to the cutting end 107, which during its movement along the axis 119 
away from the needle cylinders 102 and 103 abuts against a cutting blade 
130 which is rigidly coupled to the body of the fluid-driven cylinder 118, 
in order to cut the portion of thread 110a that is engaged by the cutting 
end 107. The body of the fluid-driven cylinder 118 can be provided, as 
shown, as the piston of an additional fluid-driven cylinder, whose body 
constitutes the support 127 and is fixed to the supporting structure of 
the machine. In practice, the support 127 constitutes the body of a second 
fluid-driven cylinder inside which there is a chamber 121 which slidingly 
accommodates the body of the fluid-driven cylinder 118 and can be fed with 
a pressurized fluid in order to move the fluid-driven cylinder or piston 
118 along the axis 119 toward the needle cylinders 102, 103 in contrast 
with the action of a spring 123. 
In the body of the fluid-driven cylinder 118 there is a chamber 124 which 
accommodates the piston 120 and can be supplied with a pressurized fluid 
in order to move the piston 120 along the axis 119, with respect to the 
body of the fluid-driven cylinder 118, toward the needle cylinders 102 and 
103 in contrast with the action of a return spring 125. 
Conveniently, there are means for moving away the portion of thread 110a 
cut by the lead-in cutting device 106 in order to prevent said portion of 
thread 110a from being knitted in. Said spacing means comprise a nozzle 
140 for dispensing a jet of compressed air which can be actuated on 
command. The nozzle 140 is arranged proximate to the cutting and clamping 
device 104, downstream of the lead-in cutting device 106, and is 
orientated so as to be tangent to the needle cylinders 102, 103 toward the 
cutting end 107 of the lead-in cutting device 106. 
The operation of the device in its second embodiment, in the execution of 
the process according to the invention, is as follows. 
In the inactive condition, the thread guide 101 is positioned so that its 
end 114 for dispensing the thread 110 is close to the cutting and clamping 
device 104. In this inactive condition, the end of the thread 110 is 
clamped inside the cutting and clamping device 104 and the cutting end 107 
of the lead-in cutting device 106 is moved away from the needle cylinders 
102 and 103 (FIG. 10). 
At the beginning of a knitting process, the thread guide 101 is moved into 
the active position, i.e., so that its end 114 is closer to the needle 
cylinders 102 and 103 and is arranged proximate to the needle work area, 
so as to allow the thread 110 to be taken up by the needles 111 that are 
made to knit at the feed being considered, while the end of the thread 110 
remains clamped in the cutting and clamping device 104, as shown in FIG. 
11. 
At this point, or even before bringing the thread guide 101 into the active 
position, the chambers 121 and 124 are supplied with pressurized fluid, 
causing the cutting end 107 to move toward the needle cylinders 102 and 
103, placing the cutting end 107 between the point where the thread 110 is 
clamped in the cutting and clamping device 104 and the end 114 of the 
thread guide 101, in the active position, or between the cutting and 
clamping device 104 and the needle cylinders 102 and 103. 
The needles 111 raised to knit at the feed being considered engage the 
thread 110 and start, in a per se known manner, to form loops of knitting, 
while the needle cylinders 102 and 103 rotate about their own axis 105 
with respect to the thread guide 101, to the cutting and clamping device 
104 and to the lead-in cutting device 106. This rotation causes the first 
needle 111 that took up the thread 110 to move toward the cutting and 
clamping device 104. This approach also causes the portion of thread 110a 
that lies between the first needle 111 that took up the thread and the 
cutting and clamping device 104 to engage the cutting end 107 of the 
lead-in cutting device 106, as shown in FIG. 12. 
When the first needle 111 is adjacent to the cutting end 107, the chamber 
124 is connected to the discharge, causing the movement of the cutting end 
107, whereto the portion of thread 110a is engaged, away from the needle 
cylinders 102 and 103, consequently cutting said portion of thread 110a 
adjacent to the first needle 111 that took up the thread, by virtue of the 
action of the blade 130, as shown in FIG. 13. Due to the fact that the 
portion of thread 110a is cut adjacent to the first needle 111 that took 
up the thread 110, the length of the initial lead-in thread is minimized, 
eliminating the need for a subsequent step for cutting said lead-in 
thread. 
The chamber 121 is then also connected to the discharge, causing a 
consequent movement of the fluid-driven cylinder 118 along the axis 119 
away from the needle cylinders 102 and 103. 
Finally, the cutting and clamping device 104 is actuated, lifting the hook 
116 which releases the cut portion of thread 110a, and the nozzle 140 is 
actuated, moving the portion of thread 11a away to prevent it from being 
knitted in (FIG. 14). 
In practice it has been observed that the process and the apparatus 
according to the invention fully achieve the intended aim, since cutting 
the lead-in thread of thread adjacent to the first needle that engages the 
thread avoids subsequent manual finishing of the item. 
By eliminating this manual operation, the process and the apparatus 
according to the invention allow to reduce the overall manufacturing costs 
of the item. 
The process and the apparatus thus conceived are susceptible of numerous 
modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the 
inventive concept; all the details may also be replaced with other 
technically equivalent elements. 
In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any 
according to requirements and to the state of the art. 
The disclosures in Italian Patent Applications No. MI98A000529, 
MI98A001179, MI98A001235 from which this application claims priorities are 
incorporated herein by reference.