(57) A method for producing hosiery items or tubular knitted items having a closed end
with a circular hosiery knitting machine provided, proximate to the needle work area,
with a transfer element which faces one half of the needle cylinder and is provided
with thread takeup elements (1) which can be actuated radially to the needle cylinder
and are suitable to engage the thread or threads fed by at least one feed of the machine,
in the region between two contiguous needles. The transfer element is able to turn
over about a diametrical axis (7) of the needle cylinder. The method consists in performing
a first step, during which the needle cylinder is actuated with n oscillations about
its own axis (5) with an oscillation angle of substantially 180o, in order to cause the passage, in front of a thread feed of the machine, of a first
half (3a) of the needle cylinder which is faced by the transfer element. During this
first step, the corresponding thread takeup elements (1) that are arranged in a sector
that is less than 180o wide are extracted from the transfer element and 1/n of the needles (2a) of the first
half (3a) of the needle cylinder are lifted into the active position at each oscillation
and are then lowered after taking up the thread or threads, which rests or rest on
the takeup elements (1) extracted from the transfer element. A second step is then
performed during which the previously extracted takeup elements are retracted into
the transfer element so as to retain the thread that is rested on them. Then a third
step, during which heel knitting is performed with the needles of the first half (2a)
of the needle cylinder (3a), and a fourth step, during which the transfer element
is turned over about the diametrical axis (7) and made to face the second half (3b)
of the needle cylinder, are performed. During a fifth step, the thread or threads
retained by the takeup elements (1) and the knitted loops are transferred from the
needles (2a) of the first half (3a) of the needle cylinder that are arranged laterally
to the sector of the transfer element to the needles (2b) of the second half (3b)
of the needle cylinder. Finally, the machine is actuated so as to complete the item
as a continuation of the previous processes.
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