The similarities and differences between the circular machine and flat machine
The difference between the circular machine and flat knitting machine can be reflected in their classifications and definitions. Knitting machines which operates in reciprocating motion belong to the flat knitting machine, such as commonly seen iron flat knitting machine, computerized flat knitting machine, and household knitting machine. Another type which belongs to flat knitting machine is glove machine. Flat knitting machine has long types as well as short types. The lengths mainly include 40 inches, 36 inches, 24 inches, and 42 inches and so on. And the stitch can be 5 needles, 7 needles, 9 needles, 12 needles, 14 needles and so on. Circular machine does circular motion in the process of knitting fabric. Many types belongs to the circular machine such as Zhenlihua multifunctional high-speed single machine, Zhenlihua multifunctional high-speed single machine, Singapore Lida single four runway machine. Types of circular machine can be distinguished from cylinder diameter and needle length, such as 30 cylinder diameters, 34 cylinder diameters and so on. Needle lengths are ranged from 16 needles, 24 needles, 18 needles, and 20 needle, 28 needles and so on.
The similarities of flat knitting machine and circular knitting machine are that they all belong to knitting machinery, which can knit sweater fabric and other kinds of fabrics. They both have stitches. And they select needles by a certain way so as to achieving the purpose of designing patterns. But their have more differences. Flat machine and circular machine have different functions. And they also have different abilities of knitting patterns. Because flat machine has long type as well as short types, in the same stitch length conditions, it can only knit cylinder fabrics with a certain diameter. Circular machine has high running speed and production output. But these two aspects are very low for flat machine.. From the above, we can see that the flat knitting machine and knitting machine are the main equipments for knitting sweater. And the pattern knitting ability of both of them can reach to a high standard through the needle selecting method. But flat machine and circular machine have their defects too. Although circular machine can produce high outputs, but it can not reduce and add needles in the sweater knitting process, which can only be solved by tailoring. So this disadvantage has decided the circular machine can not knit high grade sweater. Although flat machine has lower output, but it can knit fashionable and personalized sweater through the change of pin number and adding or decrease the numbers of needles. Therefore, the flat machines are selected to make sweaters.
Circular machine and flat knitting machine both belong to weft knitting equipment. And their knitting principles are the same, while their structures are different. The knitting part of circular machine is cylindrical from the appearance. And its yarns do knitting as the circular machine doing circular motion while the knitting parts of flat machine is in a line. Its yarn does reciprocating motion to do knitting. Circular machine is cylindrical too, while the products made by flat knitting machine are in a single ship. The main products of circular machines are single cloth, double cloth, jacquard cloth, rib fabrics as well as many color cloth, while flat machine mainly knit piece products, pieces of sweaters, t-shirts collar. The narrowing and widening of high-grade flat machine is controlled by computer. And it mainly knit sweater products in the designing shape.
Flat machine and circular machine both belong to weft knitting which a yarn forms into a loop in the weft direction.