Dust collecting and removing device in a circular knitting machine and a knit fabric manufacturing apparatus

Dust particles generated in a circular knitting machine and a knit fabric manufacturing apparatus, which comprises a circular knitting machine and creels, are collected, thereby preventing the breakage of yarns and maintaining the quality of a knit fabric. There is provided an outer casing which is provided at the upper portion of the circular knitting machine and is open at the lower surfaces thereof and a dust collecting body which is provided inside the outer casing and has a cylindrical filter on which suction operation acts. There is provided an adjusting plate having a cylindrical portion between a knitting portion of the circular knitting machine and the dust collecting body, thereby sucking air including dust from the knitting portion. There is fixed a ring plate to the upper outer portion of the cylindrical portion, thereby sucking air including the dust from the portion close to the yarn supply device other than the knitting portion and the sucked air is cleaned by the filter. There is also provided a blowing nozzle inside the filter and a collecting nozzle outside the filter, thereby recovering the adsorbing capacity of the filter by collecting the dust stuck to the filter. There is provided a dust collector in a housing capable of collecting the dust. Detachable surfaces of the yarn packages of the yarn supply portion are covered by flexible curtains, thereby facilitating the replacing of the yarn packages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a dust collecting and removing device in a 
circular knitting machine and a knit fabric manufacturing apparatus 
comprising a knitting portion such as a yarn carrier portion, a sinker 
portion, a sinker cap portion and a yarn needle portion in the circular 
knitting machine, a yarn feeding device provided over the knitting 
portion, a yarn guide portion and a yarn breakage accident detecting 
device. The yarn manufacturing device is integrated with the circular 
knitting machine in a room where the knitting machine room is installed 
(hereinafter referred to as a knitting room) for removing airborne dust as 
flocks which are generated, floated and collected in a creel for the 
circular knitting machine which detachably holds a plurality of yarn 
packages for feeding yarns to the circular knitting machine. 
2. Prior Art 
In case of knitting by a conventional circular knitting machine, several 
tens to one hundred plus yarn packages have been needed at a time. 
Particularly, in case of knitting by a cotton yarn, dust particles are 
generated in a yarn feeding device, and a yarn guiding device which are 
connected to the yarn packages, and are floated in the air in a large 
amounts. The amount of dust is increased as the machine is speeded up. 
Since once the dust particles are airborne, they attach again to the yarn 
feeding device, yarn guide device and knitting portion of the circular 
knitting machine, they are scattered to machines adjoining to the yarn 
feeding device, etc. installed in a knitting room so as to cause 
deterioration of the quality of a knitted product such as yarn breakage 
and knitting flaw. To solve this problem, as a removing device for 
removing dust particles which are generated in the circular knitting 
machine, there has been employed a dust removing machine such as a motor 
fan or an air blower provided over the circular knitting machine for 
blowing off the dust. 
However, there has been such a drawback in a dust removing machine for 
blowing off the dust particles by the motor fan, etc. that the dust 
particles are impossible to be collected and they deteriorate working 
surroundings in the knitting room, and exert a bad influence upon other 
machines although they are effective in each of the circular knitting 
machine. 
In the conventional circular knitting machine, a plurality of yarn packages 
are disposed concentrically over the table of the circular knitting 
machine and there is a tendency that the given numbers of yarn packages 
are increased for an advancement of a multiplicity of yarn feedings in the 
circular knitting machine for improving productivity. On the other hand, 
as the yarn package has been recently enlarged, it has been difficult to 
dispose a heavy yarn package on the table. 
Accordingly, a creel like a creel for a warper in a weaving mill has been 
used as a yarn package feeding means of the circular knitting machine. 
Dust particles which are floated in the air in the creel on which a 
plurality of yarn packages are mounted are accumulated on the creel and 
the packages on the creel. If they are left as they are, there has been 
generated such a drawback that the dust particles are attached to a yarn 
which is unwound from the yarn package and travel toward the circular 
knitting machine so that it is knitted in a knitted work to thereby 
generate knitting flaws. 
Accordingly, there has been employed various dust removing devices for the 
creel such as a fan, a motor fan disposed on a ceiling and a traveling 
fan. However, such dust removing devices are insufficient for removing the 
dust particles in the creel and have such a drawback that the dust 
particles are scattered in the knitting room to thereby exert a bad 
influence on the circular knitting machine and swing the yarn which 
travels toward the circular knitting machine. 
Whereupon, there has been proposed a method for removing dust particles by 
providing a housing which surrounds the periphery of the creel by a 
plate-shaped panel in which air is blown off from the upper portion 
thereof toward the creel and the yarn package and the blown-off dust 
particles are collected and removed by a dust collector disposed under the 
housing. In such a method, since the housing is formed of the plate-shaped 
panel, a panel in front of the yarn package is needed to be removed during 
replacement of a yarn package full of the yarn, which is performed when a 
bobbin is empty upon consumption of the yarn package on the creel. 
Accordingly, there has been such a drawback that additional labor has been 
needed during the replacement of the yarn package on the creel during the 
knitting operation of the circular knitting machine. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is to provide a dust collecting and removing device 
in a circular knitting machine and a knit fabric manufacturing apparatus 
capable of preventing yarns from being broken by collecting dust particles 
which are generated in a circular knitting machine and a knit fabric 
manufacturing apparatus composed of the circular knitting machine and 
creels. The knit fabric manufacturing apparatus also is capable of keeping 
the quality of the knit fabric, capable of improving a working 
environment, and capable of performing a replacement of yarn packages 
mounted on the creels in a yarn supply portion where dust particles can be 
collected. 
In view of such aforementioned problems of the prior art that the quality 
of the knit fabric is deteriorated by the dust particles which are 
generated in the knit fabric manufacturing apparatus, and the collection 
of the dust particles in the creels is incompatible with the replacement 
of the yarn package with ease, the circular knitting machine includes an 
outer casing which is provided at the upper portion of the circular 
knitting machine and is opened at the lower surfaces thereof, a dust 
collecting body which is provided inside the outer casing and has a bottom 
plate and a rotatable cylindrical filter, a suction device provided in the 
outer casing and an adjusting plate which is provided between a knitting 
portion of the circular knitting machine and the dust collecting body and 
has a cylindrical portion at the lower portion thereof, thereby sucking 
the air including the dust from the knitting portion and cleaning the air 
by a filter of the dust collecting body. 
Further, a ring plate is fixed to the upper outer portion of the 
cylindrical portion of the adjusting plate, thereby sucking air including 
dust particles from the portion adjacent to the yarn supply device other 
than the knitting portion and cleaning the air while a blowing nozzle is 
provided at the inner surface side of a rotatable filter and a collecting 
nozzle is provided at the outer surface side for performing the suction 
operation respectively, thereby recovering the suction capacity of the 
filter by collecting the dust stuck to the filter. 
In the creels as the yarn supply portion, detachable portions of the yarn 
packages in a housing in which creels are disposed are covered with 
flexible curtains, thereby facilitating replacement of the yarn packages. 
Further, an air blower is disposed at the upper portion of the housing and 
a dust collector is provided at the lower portion of the housing, thereby 
collecting the dust particles which are generated in the creels. Still 
furthermore, since a filter cleaning device for filtering the dust 
collector is provided and the filter cleaning device is connected to the 
dust collecting box, thereby recovering the suction capacity of the filter 
.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
A dust collecting and removing device in a circular knitting machine and a 
knit fabric manufacturing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of 
the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. 
Denoted at I is an entire fabric knit apparatus provided with a dust 
collecting and removing device 2 wherein the fabric knit apparatus 
comprises a circular knitting machine 5 having dust collecting portions 3 
and 4 and a yarn supply portion 6. 
Denoted at 7 is a knitting portion of the circular knitting machine 5 and 
the knitting portion 7 is disposed over a bed 9 which is supported by a 
plurality of leg bodies 8, 8a provided on the surface of a floor. The 
knitting portion 7 includes a cylindrical yarn portion, a yarn carrier 
portion and a sinker portion, etc. which are not shown. 
Denoted at 10, 10a are plurality of posts which stand on the bed 9. First 
supporting arms 11, 11a project laterally from the upper portion of the 
posts 10, 10a in the inward direction of the posts 10, 10a and second 
supporting arms 12, 12a project laterally from the posts 10, 10a above the 
supporting arms 11, 11a in the outward direction of the post 10, 10a. 
Denoted at 13, 13a are horizontal members which are provided on the second 
supporting arms 12, 12a. The horizontal members 13, 13a are supported by a 
plurality of supporting members 14, 14a which are suspended from a 
ceiling. Yarn supply devices 15, 15a are disposed on the posts 10, 10a and 
the second supporting arms 12, 12a vertically relative to each yarn supply 
port of the knitting portion 7. 
There are provided a plurality of yarn introduction pipes 16, 16a between 
the yarn supply devices 15, 15a of the circular knitting machine 5 and the 
yarn supply portion 6 so as to supply many yarns at the same time from the 
yarn supply portion 6. 
Denoted at 17 is an outer casing of the dust collecting portion 3 which is 
provided over the knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 5. 
The outer casing 17 is placed on the supporting arms 11, 11a of the posts 
10, 10a. Window portions 18, 18a are provided on the outer peripheral 
surface of the cylindrical portion of the outer casing 17 and a 
ring-shaped closed frame body 20 having an opening 19 of an opening radius 
of .phi.1 is provided under the outer casing 17, thereby forming a suction 
side 21 of the dust collecting portion 3. 
Denoted at 22 is an opening of a discharge side provided at a ceiling 23 of 
the outer casing 17. A suction device 26 composed of an axial flow fan is 
attached to a supporting frame 25 which is fixed to the ceiling 23 so as 
to face the opening 22. 
Denoted at 27 is a dust collecting body which is rotatably disposed inside 
the outer casing 17. The dust collecting body 27 comprises a ring-shaped 
upper frame body 29 which is fixedly supported on a circular bottom plate 
28 by rod-shaped supporting portions 30, 30a which are disposed at given 
intervals, and a cylindrical filter 31 which is fixed upright to the 
bottom plate 28 beside the upper frame body 29 at the peripheral portion 
of the bottom plate 28, wherein the dust collecting body 27 is held inside 
the outer casing 17 by way of attaching members 32, 32a so that the upper 
portion of the dust collecting body 27 contacts the lower surface of the 
ceiling 23 of the outer casing 17. 
A radius of .phi.2 of the outer periphery of the filter 31 of the dust 
collecting body 27 is greater than an opening radius of .phi.1 of the 
opening 19 provided under the outer casing 17. 
Denoted at 33 is a driving motor provided at the attaching shaft which 
hangs from and is fixed to the ceiling 23 of the outer casing 17 at the 
central portion of the dust collecting body 27. The dust collecting body 
27 is rotatable by the driving motor 33. There is provided a suction flow 
passage 34 having a predetermined interval between the outer peripheral 
side wall of the outer casing 17 and the outer peripheral surface of the 
filter 31 of the dust collecting body 27. 
The filter 31 in the dust collecting body 27 is formed so as to be 
rotatable while it is fixed to the bottom plate 28. However, the bottom 
plate 28 of the dust collecting body 27 is fixed relative to the outer 
casing 17 and the filter 31 is formed of an endless belt shape and 
supported by a guide roller, etc., so that it is may be rotatably moved 
relative to the bottom plate 28. 
The filter 31 is not limited to the aforementioned one but may be formed of 
a body formed of two or more divided bodies which are connected to one 
another. The size of many ventilation holes, which is formed by 
perforating the filter 31, is preferably 20 to 40 meshes per inch and is 
most preferably 30 meshes. The filter 31 may be replaced with a wire net 
or a punched plate having meshes corresponding to those of the filter 31. 
Denoted at 35 is a filter cleaning device which is provided at a given 
position inside the outer casing 17. The filter cleaning device 35 is 
disposed inside the filter 31 of the dust collecting body 27 that is 
provided inside the outer casing 17. The filter cleaning device 35 
comprises a blowing nozzle 36 which generates air current for blowing off 
the dust particles accumulated on the outer surface of the filter 31 from 
the inside thereof and a collecting nozzle 37 which is disposed outside 
the filter 31 but inside a suction flow passage 34 of the outer casing 17 
in a position confronting the blowing nozzle 36 for collecting the dust 
particles which are blown off by the blowing nozzle 36 and discharging 
such dust to the outside. 
Denoted at 38 is a collecting box of the dust collecting and removing 
device 2 of the fabric knit apparatus 1. The collecting box 38 permits a 
suction operation to act on the dust collecting portion 3 of the circular 
knitting machine 5 and the dust collecting portion 4 of the yarn supply 
portion 6. 
A filter 39 and a fan 40 are provided inside the collecting box 38. A 
suction port 41 of the collecting box 38 and the collecting nozzle 37 of 
the filter cleaning device 35 corresponding to the dust collecting body 27 
disposed on the circular knitting machine 5 are connected by a suction 
pipe 42, thereby permitting the suction operation to act on the collecting 
nozzle 37 such that compressed air is supplied to the blowing nozzle 36 
confronting the collecting nozzle 37 by way of a pipe 43. 
Denoted at 44, 44a are air blowers which are disposed at the tip ends of 
the horizontal members 13, 13a provided at the upper portion of the 
circular knitting machine 5 and outside the yarn supply devices 15, 15a. 
The air blowers 44, 44a are vertically adjustable in an angular interval 
by way of connecting members 45, 45a provided at the tip ends of the 
horizontal members 13, 13a and they are attached to the horizontal members 
13, 13a so as to blow the air toward the upper central portion of the 
circular knitting machine 5. The air blowers 44, 44a can be rotated at the 
outer peripheral side of the yarn supply devices 15, 15a, if need be. 
Denoted at 46 is an adjustable plate provided between the upper portion of 
the knitting portion 7 and the dust collecting portion 3 of the circular 
knitting machine 5. The adjustable plate 46 is integrated with a 
collar-shaped ring plate 49 that projects outward from the upper end of a 
cylindrical portion 48 which has a suction portion 47 confronting the 
knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 5. Tip ends of the 
supporting members 50, 50a which are fixed to the cylindrical portion 48 
are vertically movably attached to the posts 10, 10a of the circular 
knitting machine 5. 
A supporting base portion 51, which is provided at the upper portion of the 
knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 5, and a driving 
portion 52, which is attached to the supporting base portion 51, are 
connected to the supporting members 50, 50a of the adjusting plate 46 so 
that the adjusting plate 46 is automatically vertically movable. 
An amount of projection or a width of the ring plate 49 on the adjusting 
plate 46 and a height of a suction flow passage 53 which is formed between 
the frame body 20 of the outer casing 17 and the upper surface of the 
adjustable plate 46 are determined by the positions of the yarn supply 
devices 15, 15a and the air blowers 44, 44a. Further, the vertical 
movement of the adjustable plate 46 is not limited to the automatic one 
but may be a manual one. 
Described hereinafter are the yarn supply portion 6 and the dust collecting 
portion 4 of the knit fabric manufacturing apparatus 1. 
Denoted at 54 is a housing of the yarn supply portion 6 and two sets of 
creels 56, 56a on which a plurality of yarn packages 55, 55a are mounted 
in the housing 54 and are disposed on a base 57. Detachable surfaces of 
the yarn packages 55, 55a forming outer surfaces of the housing 54 are 
covered by flexible curtains 58, 58a. 
Denoted at 59 is a rail disposed at the central upper portion of the 
housing 54. An air blower 60 composed of an air blower fan is movably 
attached to the rail 59 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 54, 
namely, in the direction of reference arrows X1 and X2. A dust collector 
62 in which suction fans 61, 61a, each composed of a cross flow fan are 
incorporated is disposed on the base 57 at the central lower portion of 
the housing 54. 
A casing 64 of the dust collector 62 is disposed inside an attaching 
recessed portion 63 provided at the central portion of the base 57. An 
upper surface 65 and a side surface 66 of the casing 64 are opened. A 
filter 67 covers the upper surface 65. By the operation of the suction 
fans 61, 61a, air is circulated and sucked from the upper surface 65 of 
the casing 64 and is cleaned by the filter 67 so that the cleaned air is 
discharged from the side surface 66 and the base 57. 
As another embodiment of the dust collecting portion 4 of the yarn supply 
portion 6, it comprises a dust collector which is the same structure as 
the dust collector 62 disposed at the lower portion of the housing 54 and 
the air blower 60 provided at the upper portion composed of an air blower 
69 in which cross flow fans 68, 68a are incorporated, wherein the dust 
collector which has the same structure as the dust collector 62, is 
laterally laid on the upper portion of the yarn supply portion 6. 
That is, a plurality of cross flow fans 68, 68a are disposed inside a 
casing 72 having a side surface 70 and a lower surface 71 which are 
respectively opened. A filter 73 covers the side surface 70. Air is 
circulated through the filter 73 and the cleaned air is blown off from the 
lower surface 71 toward the creels 56, 56a inside the housing 54. 
A filter cleaning device 74 for cleaning the filters 67 and 73 of the dust 
collector 62 and the air blower 69 are disposed at the lower and upper 
portion of the yarn supply portion 6. A collecting nozzle 75 having a 
cylindrical suction cylinder 76 is disposed so as to contact the filters 
67 and 73 wherein a slit 77 open in the direction of the axial line of the 
outer periphery of the suction cylinder 76. A connecting portion 78 is 
provided at a given position of the suction cylinder 76 for performing a 
suction operation. 
Denoted at 79 is a suction pipe for use in the dust collecting portion 4 of 
the yarn supply portion 6. One end of the suction pipe 79 is connected to 
a suction port 80 of the collecting box 38 and the other end of the 
suction pipe 79 is connected to the connecting portion 78 of the filter 
cleaning device 74 so that the suction operation acts on the collecting 
nozzle 75 of the filter cleaning device 74 relative to the filters 67 and 
73. 
An operation of the dust collecting and removing device in the circular 
knitting machine will be described hereinafter. 
Flies are generated and accumulate at the portion close to the yarn supply 
devices 15, 15a that are provided for supplying yarns which yarns are 
supplied from the creels 56, 56a of the yarn supply portion 6 to the 
knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 5 in a given tension. 
The flies are sucked in the suction flow passage 53 formed between the 
frame body 20 provided at the lower surface of the outer casing 17 and the 
ring plate 49 of the adjustable plate 46 as illustrated by the arrows in 
the figures due to the air blowing operation by the air blowers 44, 44a 
and the suction operation by the suction device 26 of the outer casing 17. 
Successively, air passes in the peripheral direction in the outer casing 17 
so as to perform a U-turn through the opening 19 of the frame body 20 and 
then passes inside the outer casing 17 through the suction flow passage 34 
formed between the outer casing 17 and the dust collecting body 27. Then, 
the air including the is filtered by the filter 31 of the dust collecting 
body 27 when when passing through the filter 31 and the cleaned air is 
circulated in the knitting room by the suction device 26 from the opening 
22 which is opened on the ceiling 23 of the outer casing 17. 
The suction force of the suction device 26 is applied to the dust particles 
which are generated in the knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting 
machine 5 by way of the cylindrical portion 48 of the adjustable plate 46. 
The thus sucked dust particles merge into the air including the dust from 
the yarn supply devices 15, 15a at the opening 19 of the outer casing 17 
and it is cleaned in the manner as set forth above. 
The blowing nozzle 36 disposed inside the filter 31 blows compressed air 
toward dust stuck to the filter 31 for cleaning the air including dust 
particles so as to blow off the dust and the blown off dust particles are 
collected by the collecting nozzle 37 disposed at the position confronting 
the blowing nozzle 36, thereby recovering the adsorbing capacity. 
An operation of the dust collecting and removing device of the yarn supply 
portion alone in the knit fabric manufacturing apparatus will be described 
hereinafter. 
When the circular knitting machine 5 is operated, the air blower 60 and 
dust collector 62 of the dust collecting portion 4 in the yarn supply 
portion 6 are operated at the same time. An air flow Y1, which is supplied 
by the air blower 60, blows off the flies on the creels 56, 56a and flows 
downward in the direction of an arrow Y2 and reaches the dust collector 62 
so that the filter 67 removes the dust from the air, thereby circulating 
the cleaned air alone into the knitting room in the direction of an arrow 
Y3. When the yarn packages 55, 55a mounted on the creels 56, 56a in the 
housing 54 are replaced, after the yarns are unwound from the yarn 
packages 55, 55a which requires, with new yarn packages around which yarns 
are wound full, the flexible curtains 58, 58a are rolled upward so that 
the detachable surfaces of the yarn packages 55, 55a are exposed. 
When the air blower 69 is used instead of the air blower 60, the air 
currents for blowing off the dust in the longitudinal direction of the 
housing 54 are generated at the same time so that the dust particles are 
collected by the dust collector 62. When the dust particles are 
accumulated on the filters 67 and 73 in the dust collector 62 and air 
blower 69, the dust stuck to the filters 67 and 73 are collected due to 
the suction force of the collecting box 38 through the slit 77 of the 
collecting nozzle 75 thereby recovering the adsorbing capacity of the 
filters 67 and 73. 
An operation of the dust collecting and removing device in the knit fabric 
manufacturing apparatus as a whole will be described hereinafter. 
When the collecting box 38 in the dust collecting and removing device 2 of 
the a knit fabric manufacturing apparatus 1 permits the suction operation 
to act on one or both of the dust collecting portions 3 and 4 of the 
circular knitting machine 5 and the yarn supply portion 6 so that the dust 
particles are adsorbed and the air is cleaned in the circular knitting 
machine 5 and in the yarn supply portion 6 in the same manner as set forth 
above, the dust particles are accumulated on the filters 31, 67 and 73 of 
the dust collecting portions 3 and 4. Whereupon, the suction force by the 
filter 31 acts on the collecting nozzles 37 and 75 so that the dust 
particles accumulated on the filters 31, 67 and 73 are collected by the 
collecting box 38. 
At the time of collecting the dust accumulated on the filters 31, 67 and 
73, the filters 31, 67 and 73 are intermittently moved so as to recover 
the adsorbing capacity while moving the filters 31, 67 and 73 and to stop 
the operation of the filters 31, 67 and 73 when cleaning air which 
includes the dust particles. 
With the arrangement of the dust collecting and removing device in a 
circular knitting machine and knitting manufacturing apparatus as 
mentioned above, namely, since the outer casing 17 having the lower 
opening is provided over the circular knitting machine 5 and the dust 
collecting body 27 having the bottom plate 28 and filter 31 is provided in 
the outer casing 17 while the suction device 26 is provided in the outer 
casing 17 and the suction flow passage 34 is provided between the outer 
peripheral wall of the outer casing 17 and the filter 31, the suction 
operation acts on the knitting portion 7 and the yarn supply devices 15, 
15a of the circular knitting machine 5 so that the air including the flies 
is sucked by the filter 31, thereby collecting the dust. As a result, the 
yarn breakage and the deterioration of the quality of the knit fabric can 
be prevented. 
Since the lower portion of the adjustable plate 46 provided at the upper 
portion of the knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 5 has 
the cylindrical portion 48, it is possible to permit the suction operation 
to act smoothly on the knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 
5, thereby effectively collecting the dust particles which are generated 
in the knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 5. Further, 
since the ring plate 49 is fixed on the cylindrical portion 48 outside the 
cylindrical portion 48, it is possible to permit the suction operation to 
act on the yarn supply devices 15, 15a effectively at the suction flow 
passage 53 formed between the ring plate 49 and the frame body 20 of the 
outer casing 17. Further, since the blowing nozzle 36 is provided inside 
the filter 31 and the collecting nozzle 37 is provided outside the filter 
31, and the collecting nozzle 37 is connected to the collecting box 38, 
the dust particles accumulated on the filter 31 can be collected due to 
the synergistic effect of the blowing nozzle 36 and collecting nozzle 37, 
thereby recovering the adsorbing capacity of the filter 31. Still 
furthermore, since the filter 31 is rotatable, the blowing nozzle 36 and 
collecting nozzle 37 can be fixed to the outer casing 17, etc. so that the 
collecting box 38 and collecting nozzle 37 can be directly connected to 
each other, thereby simplifying the structure. 
Since the radius of .phi.2 of the outer periphery of the filter 31 is 
larger than the opening radius of .phi.1 of the lower opening 19 of the 
outer casing 17, when the suction operation against the filter 31 is 
stopped due to unexpected trouble, even if the dust particles accumulated 
on the outer peripheral surface of the filter 31 drop, they do not drop 
inside the circular knitting machine 5 but drop on the frame body 20 of 
the outer casing 17, thereby preventing the dust particles from being 
stuck to the knit fabric when the apparatus stops. 
Since the creels 56, 56a are disposed inside the housing 54 in the yarn 
supply portion 6, and the detachable surfaces of the yarn packages are 
covered by the flexible curtains 58, 58a, the flies generated in the yarn 
supply portion 6 can be prevented from being scattered outside from the 
yarn supply portion 6. Further, since the creels 56, 56a can be approached 
by merely rolling up the flexible curtains 58, 58a the yarn packages 55, 
55a can be replaced easily with new ones in a short time. Further, since 
the air blower 60 is provided over the housing 54 and the dust collector 
62 is provided under the housing 54, it is possible to blow off and remove 
the dust particles in the housing 54, thereby preventing the dust from 
being scattered toward the circular knitting machine 5. Still further, 
since such air current is generated in the housing 54, it is possible to 
stably supply the yarn which travels from the yarn packages 55, 55a to the 
knitting portion 7 of the circular knitting machine 5 without swinging. 
Further, since the filter cleaning device 74 is provided for cleaning the 
filter 67 of the dust collector 62 and the filter cleaning device 74 is 
connected to the collecting box 38, it is possible to collect the dust 
stuck to the filter 67 of the dust collector 62, thereby recovering the 
adsorbing capacity of the filter 67. 
Still furthermore, since the collecting box 38 also generates the suction 
force like the filters 31 and 67 of the dust collecting body 27 and dust 
collector 62 in the circular knitting machine 5 and yarn supply portion 6, 
it is possible to reduce the collecting box 38 and also reduce the space 
to be involved in installing the collecting box 38. Still further, since 
the dust collecting portions 3 and 4 are provided in the circular knitting 
machine 5 and yarn supply portion 6 and the dust collecting and removing 
device 2 are provided respectively at the portions where the dust 
particles are generated in the knitting room where the knit fabric 
manufacturing apparatus I is installed, whereby the knitting room can be 
cleaned due to the synergistic effect. Other various effects can be 
obtained by the dust collecting and removing device in a circular knitting 
machine and knitting manufacturing apparatus.