How Circular Knitting Machines Work? Designing one from scratch - BANDARRA

www.andrebanda...
Since I've knitted a hat by hand I've been fascinated with the hand crank knitting machines (Addi style) that you find on youtube tutorials.
So as a bit of fun I decided to try to design my own. This quickly turned into a full blown R&D project and consumed a lot of time and resources.
It was really fun to figure it all out even though in the end it didn't quite fully work.
I'll revisit it in the future when I have some more time as I have a couple of ideas on how to not only make it work but maybe improve the current state-of-the art :)
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[@AndreBandarra1]

For anyone years in the future asking for the STL files to print this themselves. Unfortunately I had a hard drive malfunction and lost the original files :(

[@brianbrummel1164]

Bummer, I found this and was looking to see where the design files were available. Sorry you had the HD failure.

[@MrKimBest]

為你感到難過，做了這麼久

[@elarcadenoah9000]

i was goin to ask for the files too i found some in the istructables but i have to buy the circular and the needles,is not complete,but if u erase thew files you still can recover it if u didnt use that space there are softwares that can recover files

[@-Anon101]

@@elarcadenoah9000 Mee to

[@greendsnow]

WHAT!

[@benjaminshewan1613]

Most KZbinrs just show project tutorials, but you are detailing the iterative design process you go through to get a successful project! I love this. Keep up the good work! I am looking at making a circular knitting machine as well. I am just in the research stages, but this helps a bunch. Many thanks for sharing!

[@haridas3323]

Jjjjjjjjjjujjjjjjkil

[@SedatKPunkt]

Oh yes, including the trial-n-error battles during development gave that clip far more educational value and insight than one that doesn't show dead-ends, redesigns and frustration. That was really exciting to watch.

[@christopherfry3126]

You are just the kind of innovator the world needs now: skillful, creative, persistent. AND a great educator. If we are to solve poverty, people need to be more self-sufficient. The kinds of machines you are designing are our best hope.

[@judgingoliveu6567]

Excellent explanation of how a CSM actually works. Even if you didn't finish it, I consider you one of the pioneers of 3D printed CSMs. Thank you!

[@charlenefavela825]

You can do it. Don't give up. You're so close. It's so cool to see someone make this

[@unaspensersings]

Thank you for this! I don't plan on making one, but it really helped me to understand how the machine is forming stitches. I'm a hand knitter of 40+ years and just started on a machine, due to loss of use of my hand. Even though I understand knitting intimately, I was still not quite getting what exactly the machine was doing, until I watched this. It helps me think through how to fix problems and how to do creative approaches to things. So, again, thank you!

[@reaper661366]

I think I see the issue, from what I've seen on other csm is that you need a weight put into the center of that cast, either threw a combination of a set up bonnet and/or weights placed in the center so there is downward tension on the yarn. I hope this helps and would love to see more of this project :)

[@MrNathanstenzel]

Weight or maybe elastic tensioner or a spinning yarn yanker maybe?

[@fionafiona1146]

My thought

[@mcRydes]

really nice build! even if it didn't completely work, this is still by far the best explanation of the mechanics of knitting machines on youtube. This video does a great job highlighting both the potential and limitations of 3d printing

[@JDLeeArt]

This is amazing! I really hope you come back to this or release the files so others can.

[@bobcarter5994]

The technique used to make the "green lugs" pieces stronger is something I've never considered and will definitely be utilizing in future designs if needed. That's such a simple and logical way to make little nubs more ridged. I also liked seeing you go through your iteration process.

[@Utube2Itube]

Hmm, where is that part discussed? Must have missed it

[@bobcarter5994]

@@Utube2Itube at 6:50 he talks about it.

[@Ma_X64]

Developing complex mechanics always looks like magic to me to some extent.) It's especially inspiring when that something ends up producing some finished and useful stuff.

[@margaret.olander]

Impressive! You did it from scratch without reverse engineering an existing machine! Definitely go to a lighter yarn.

[@AndreBandarra1]

Thanks Margaret, I'll be coming back to it when I get a couple of weeks free :)

[@snaiperr]

@@AndreBandarra1 Hi ! Where is the next video for this ? :) Amazing project - should be alive!!)

[@umidjonergashev5992]

@@AndreBandarra1 Hi. It's Impressive. in which program is the 3D model developed ????

[@AndreBandarra1]

@@umidjonergashev5992 thanks, SolidWorks

[@yakhyobekmamadaliyev6315]

@@umidjonergashev5992 Assalamu alaykum Umida aka shuni o'zimiz ham o'zbekiston sharoyitida 0 dan to'qish mashinasini yasasak bo'ladimi?

[@onesadtech]

This was a super interesting watch, great documentation of the R&D process that went into this. Sorry to hear that you lost the original files, would be cool to see this completed some day.

[@SaffyFoo]

I have 3 Addi knitting machines and I’m obsessed 😍 Your video is fantastic, so clever 😁👍

[@fujierobesky5651]

You are amazing. I am an avid knitting machine collector and love repairing and cleaning them but never ever thought of making one using CAD. This is so educational, you actually show the mechanics of the circular knitting machine. I am saving this video to review over and over. Thank You.

[@knittingnana2939]

2 things. With the yarn guide, the slot needs to be a little deeper so that it feeds better. Also if you put a weight on the YARN hanging in the middle, it will feed into the needles more efficiently.

[@alfredclausen2593]

I think you are right, I also noticed that when the needle went down it pulled the yarn from both sides. It means that it will become tighter and tighter the more times the yarn gets pulled. I don't think you should use a slot it makes too much resistance, a hole or tube would be better. I am impressed.

[@johnelliott9137]

What a great job you have achieved. I have been looking at the circular knitting machines and noticed that they all require a weight to add tension to the knitted yarn. This could help with the tension to pull the yarn down where it was getting caught up. Great work.

[@TinyMaths]

Just discovered these yesterday. My immediate thought is I wonder if people have tried to DIY/automate these. Now I'm stuck in this rabbit-hole of professionally made knitting machines and attempts to automate/make easier parts of the process. This is the first one I'm seeing where you're trying to build the whole thing. Enjoyed seeing your thought process and breakdown of design ideas.

[@kevinbruce5981]

I love that KZbin showed me this video. I will have to look up what else you have posted.

[@alexanderwolter]

It's the first time that I found your videos today. I really feel with you when you talk about being frustrated after all these hours of work. I think you made a great job figuring out the project this far. In my eyes science is a lot about publishing, what is not working well so that others can continue the way without making the same mistakes again. So I really appreciate that you made a video like that one. I would like to see more content like that on KZbin.

[@txikitofandango]

Love seeing your whole development process, all the details toward solving the problem. My fav part starts around 9:00

[@apogeedesign4348]

Came upon your video by accident ... just cause I was curious on how knitting machines worked. To my surprise I found out that some one can go into all this trouble just to test something not sure if it’s even going to work a little bit. My congrats to you ! Even if it’s not super smooth just to see how much you got the mechanics of it understood up to perfection and made it in software perfectly. This is something I would only dream to be able to do. By the way the secret to the smooth push of the rod upwards specially when it’s under load while knitting the actual machines that I saw all over I noticed they had some kind of stainless still circular spring flattened washer in between the circular part that where the middles RIDE as a Guide in the V section is where it makes all the difference and on top of that acts like a spring helping the push of the niddle up.

[@henrykleyn3423]

To have even tried such a project takes a lot of courage. I hope that you do not give up on doing the next version. I'm sure that you will be successful in your next attempt.

[@maxwell_edison]

Very fascinating. I would love to see a part 2, definitely!

[@laurahaaima1436]

Genius! I thought about this myself.. then I thought.. let's look it up.. and here you are.. !

[@fxm5715]

I've seen these in action in textile mills, but it all happened so fast I couldn't tell what it was doing. Thank you for explaining and demonstrating it so well.

[@cyberdeckcipher]

this is so close to completion, congrats on your work :)

[@pamparam4637]

Till today I wasn't even aware of existence of this kind of knitting machine :) I love the way you explained every step of your design process. Thank you :)

[@bltsevdallarfanclub641]

Our final project was to create a 3D model of a industrial circular knitting machine. Thanks to this video I understand the knitting process. Thank you!

[@perrymattes4285]

This is a fantastic application of rapid prototyping. Industry is just starting to look at this tech

[@eriadnaduca]

THANK U FOR SHOWING US ALL THE FULL PROSSES ! With trial and error

[@GPinaffiRodrigues]

Man, i really enjoyed your vid. the itarations and failures are all part of the process but many people don't show this. Thanks for sharing :)

[@AndreBandarra1]

Thanks dude, appreciate it :)

[@tiddlypom2097]

Thanks, this helped me be more understanding of the limitations of my Addi. Mainly the yarn needs to be stretchy and relatively fine for the needle size. I've accepted that it's not going to give me a close-knit or thick fabric.

[@PacoOtis]

Excellently presented and so very clever! Thanks for sharing and the best of luck!

[@mlopezastrada]

Hi Andre. Congratulations for your work. Well done. You are so close to get it.

[@orpheuscreativeco9236]

Great work man! Thanks for sharing your process 👍 That thing is awesome 🙌 I remember trying to find an automatic loom years back and boy were they pricey 😳 I hope to see your next iteration ✌️

[@CidtheVicious3]

Amazon has the circular knitting machines the senco versions for like 60 bucks right now for the largest 48 pin one but I think it goes down as low as 30 bucks for the 20 pin

[@orpheuscreativeco9236]

@@CidtheVicious3 Great tip! 👍 Thanks ✨

[@Zimothy]

Hello, a random person from the future here! Absolutely lovely work, well done! You mentioned that the yarn effects it: very true, and you can also pass the yarn over some parafin or beeswax as it's feeding into the machine. It reduces some of the fuzziness and makes it more slick.

[@GoodandBasic]

This video is excellent! I'm going to be doing a short series of videos on knitting machines in the near future. I love that your design does not require hooks with individual hinges. Thanks for showing the design process! JB

[@chrissres]

Im glad you showed it like it is. Very instpiring and a proof of concept to learn from. Things like this make me want to get in to 3D printing.

[@greendsnow]

YES! YES!!!!!! THIS!!!! I was trying to make reasons for buying a 3d printer. Winter is coming and clothing is expensive, baby.

[@justharryjohnson7250]

Well done for giving this a shot. It seems a shame you are walking away from it when you are so close. Put it aside then come back to it at a later date. Great stuff

[@AndreBandarra1]

for sure, i literally ran out of time as I had to go on a paragliding trip (videos coming soon) but it was a lot of fun and will definitely come back to it when I have a couple more weeks.

[@anushavyamajala9663]

Just one word --- genius.

[@videowatchaccount]

If you ever revisit this, look at getting a straight knitting machine and plundering the needles. They close while pulling the new line through, making the cycle a bit easier.

[@wage4598]

I know this is quite an old video now, but this execution was flawless. One of the few videos where I'm not screaming at the creator because they're doing everything wrong.

[@sky_mec]

thanks to you.. i learn.. how a product actually made.. from thought to reality.. Thank YOU..

[@Ruffian144]

Great job, even if you didn't reach your goal! If you make a better knitting machine & put it on the market people will buy. A machine for yarns 4 and under, and another machine for yarns 5 & thicker maybe? Keep at it, we need more knitting machines for different size yarns!

[@Renotaraa]

Dying for a Chunky Yarn knitter!

[@uis194afm2]

with yarns they snag easily to make the parts smoother acetone vapour would make the parts slicker smoother.

[@PanoptesDreams]

I call that a massive success!

[@AdamBen115]

To potentially remedy this prototrype to try to proceed, you may be able to mechanically program a "tap" as you were talking about. Find the position on you're cam wheel thing that you want a tap to occur, then add a little bump to the wall above it. so it will push the needle and essentially "tap" it onto your green studs. This is a super interesting project. I wanted to get one of these for my mother but like you noticed how expensive they are. I may go down the same route of making one myself. I wish you luck!

[@gfixler]

Machine knitting yarn comes on cones, and is coated in a lubricant, which needs to be washed off after knitting. I believe it's something like machine oil, and it makes the yarn thinner and harder, and less fuzzy, and it also makes it much slicker. When you wash the finished knit, it swells up, blooms, and gets much softer. Machine knitting yarn on a cone may work on your machine. I'm impressed with your efforts! I've been wanting to build a range of various knitting machines myself (no printer, though), so this is fun to see.

[@AndreBandarra1]

Very cool, thanks for letting me know, had no idea!

[@treestate]

This is really neat. You put a lot of work into this. I hope to make something like this someday too. You have really helped me.

[@helmutzollner5496]

Yeah! Keep at it! This is one of the areas of technology I have never come to grips with. Like yourself, I find it a fascinating subject. You should also look at the knot making mechanism in a Square hay baler. That seems to be only o e rotation and a bang and the knot is done.

[@suegurney4666]

Keep going ! There is a market for this!

[@maccliff2115]

I truly appreciate the “engineering” if you will. Makes no difference if it’s a knitting machine or a automatic pancake flipper. The problem solving and mechanics are there. Very interesting.

[@paultinwell5557]

Nicely… but you gave in! I’ve worked in R&D for my entire career and many years ago I learnt the golden rule: never give up. Never stop until someone tells you the project is out of time or money or both. Keep pushing!! A little bit of polishing and a few springs to bias the needles in the right direction and you’ll be there.

[@AndreBandarra1]

Ahah I know, worked quite a few years in R&D myself and it definitely it changes if you’re the boss or you’re working for someone else

[@camforman]

Excellent video! A success in telling the world what not to do and how to get 3/4 of the way there. This is a great start for anyone wanting to take this up. I suspect the problem is that the path needs to become longer to insert the next row. In other words the hook is always having to pull the yarn to a larger diameter. I don't know how to fix this but the solution would be to somehow have something feed slack to this stage. Kind of like the extra arm in a sewing machine that pulls the thread backwards through the needle as the needle lifts upwards. It's not a great analogy because the sewing machine would have an issue of excess slack not tension, but I hope that helps. Also if the little guide "nubs" were glued into a pocket rather than a hole, the pitch could be improved and it would be easier to convince the yarn to drop over it. In other words, instead of gluing them into a 4 sided hole, glue them into a 3 sided pocked that is open to the hole for the hook. Another alternative would be to print the ring in small sections in a different orientation so your strength is in the vertical direction and glue the many segments together rather than screwing 3 of them.

[@sambish1981]

Bloody good effort! You can rest assured you gave it a really good go.

[@JY.PinkPanda]

What it seems like it needs is a slanted edge on the green pins, with a larger top on the hooks to help push it down onto the pins

[@ChemicalConcoctionsSoapLab]

I loved the video. I watched it with my 5 year old. We are interested in doing something like this.

[@AndreBandarra1]

Chemical Concoctions that's great, thanks for letting me know :) check out andre bandarra 2 channel for all making things videos from now on :) happy making

[@overworked123]

Yes! Keep trying! This is very good!

[@TheAnachronist]

I've been wanting to design and 3D print a circular knitting machine for almost 10 years now! You're so close. If you printed an arm on the outside that pulls the hook out more (gives it a "bump" as you say), then the problem should be solved without reprinting the whole device. Also, printing the parts in ABS and acetone vapor smoothing them would allow stickier yarns to be used (this was a similar concern that I had). I ended up buying a toy circular knitting machine, and all kinds of things will knit. I knitted a "sock" (more like a mesh) out of plastic bags that I made into a kind of yarn.

[@sistermaide]

I really like that you explain your thought process!

[@JENNISWISS]

very exciting and nice work. Not everything is going to gold. Thanks for the video👍🍀

[@oceanpinkuk]

Excellent work. My Prym machine can work fanstic with some yarns, then refuses to work with others. Also I always have to unwind the ball of yarn for my machine to turn, if not it will Jam and not turn. All the very best and look forward to seeing your next project knitting smoothly.

[@sinancan4822]

Well done. I understand now how it works. Great project. Keep your works on.

[@Gallardo6669]

Absolutely fantastic. Great project!!!!! Good work

[@violettracey]

Cool! Thanks so much for explaining the process.

[@deezynar]

I am very impressed by this, and I've just subscribed. I suggest that you rub on some paraffin wax to lubricate all the moving parts where they rub on other parts. Then smooth the parts that touch the yarn. Only on the areas that contact the yarn, give a light sanding with very fine sand paper, then apply one coat of polyurethane finish to fill the open pores in the plastic, and sand again.

[@mrcpu9999]

Man, I almost learned something, and almost subscribed, but couldn't quite finish, as I ran out of time. :)

[@creativeworld4237]

Dont worry bro , u tried , u a GENIUS, never geat discouraged.

[@jessiejanson1528]

You could easily replace the line feeder and extend a bar upward from it that extends towards the center and down with a curved face to act as the 'bump' that you said it needs to push it in position. You could also get some kind of glue that you can paint onto the plastic surfaces that touch the yarn to make them much smoother so the yarn doesnt grip the plastic. you could also replace the green plastic posts that are wider then you wanted with a small finish nail they dont have much of a head on them anyway(virtually none) and you could glue them in place. the top two solutions together would probably solve your problem, all 3 might improve it a bit.

[@davidchavez81]

Honestly, 15 years ago when the internet was starting to blossom I dreamt of stuff like this, so really today this type of information from creatives all over the world is a dream come true for me.

[@larrykent196]

Great idea, I will add in my career as a machinist I have corrected machine functioning issues by just polishing surfaces at the places of contact or where things slide. While you are 3D printing this consider a polished metal insert to provide the slip where you need it. I like the video, great project. Cheers!

[@ShaminMike]

balls I wish we could have seen this finished! great stuff though man thanks

[@bradleygallant615]

You can do it man, I wish I could help, great video

[@tinkrful]

This is truly impressive. It helped me understand how these machines work a little better. One thought: Is the gap under the blue pegs too big? If that gap was smaller, I think it would help the stitches to fall down around the green pegs better. I have subscribed so, if you pick up this project again, I can see how it goes. Thanks!

[@HanaYumusaki]

Hi Andre, I don't have the most experience with 3d printing, but I do knit traditionally and understand how pla plastic works and feel. 1. I do see some problems in here, but I think we got to first address making maybe making the green parts more angled? It might help with the movements if you make it a 45-60 degree on the pointed edges to make it slide off, or just make it rounded at around 45 degrees. 2. I would suggest printing with a stronger material for the needle parts, like instead of pla use petg plastic to print? it should hold better and cause less bending of the plastic inside when the tension is higher. 3. have you tried sanding the parts? it might be ok if you sand it down to take away the potential hooking from scratchy 3d prints. 4. this is the hardest fix idea: make the places the thread goes through have more room, so it could knit better with less tension. maybe enough that when the needles glide through, it barely touches the holes made for it. 5. last fix idea: the needles itself seems to need more support to keep it from bending, so if you can't print petg, put more materials in the middle, like a thickening in the middle of the needle, similar to crochet hooks. Your designs seem too flat, so it may need more belly fat in the middle. Good luck my dude, I hope these advice helped you or you are planning to try them in the future!

[@nicksmale7950]

You could add a small lip on the bottom of the knitting needles and sand the track. This would ease the "clunkiness" of layers hitting each other. On the same side of the knitting needles, you could add a lip somewhere at the top (at the back of the needles) which would hit a fixed pole in the machine to perform the "tap " you needto get the yarn to fall into place

[@morgantrias3103]

From what we see here, this works about as well as any plastic knittng machine. If you had used one before, it's quite normal to need to push the yarn down manually for the first few rows until the project gets long enough to maintain its own internal tension. You can't judge it based on the first few rows. However they are generally temperamental machines.

[@Magnymbus]

I used to work at a place with about 12 knitting machines for inch and half inch width cotton lanyards. It could output one meter of knitted material every 3-7 seconds depending on if it was half or full inch and the stretch of the source thread. I know them well enough that I could draw a diagram of how it works even now, 2 years after I was let go due to C-19.

[@elephantchessboard9060]

awesome video. really love this kind of reverse engineering process.

[@slicerr2]

Great project can't wait to see more!

[@helench332]

Вот это да! Умничка парень,теперь надо чтобы эти машинки продавались по всему миру......

[@jankas64]

Thanks for trying😊. Love your work and patience. Good done. Hope you find a solution later if you want.

[@greggv8]

Find a second revision of the Mattel knitting machine. It has a switch that does something so it can knit part way around, you flip the toggle then reverse direction to make flat strips that can then be put together. It has a small number of needles so to make a blanket would be a very lengthy job. The first version of the Mattel knitting machine can only make tubes since it doesn't have the reversing capability. If you can get one of each then do a teardown video to compare the two it would be very interesting. You'd also find out exactly how a "low resolution" circular knitting machine works.

[@THarSul]

not sure if theres still any interest in making one of these contraptions, but in videos of the antique sock making ones, folks seem to use special weights hung from the end that pulls through the ring to apply consistent tension to the line being woven, as a means of preventing the tension based locking you experienced, which appears to occur when the amount of tension on the line exceeds the amount of downward force the line is experiencing.

[@cranegantry868]

Very nice, loved watch this. The original designer of those metal machines would have had similar problems in getting his machine to work.

[@whatevernamegoeshere3644]

"Hopefully you found this interesting" Yeah you answered a question I had for the better part of 10 years lol

[@philhewett1601]

Well done. I have great admiration for you engineering skills.

[@Bob_Adkins]

Silicone spray will smooth out the action and reduce friction a LOT. My favorite is "CRC Professional" in a red spray can. It's not expensive and works wonders.

[@generalswede8834]

I love seeing the development process but also I don't know if it was intentional but I love the different colored parts so many time I'll start a 3D project in one color then run out of it.

[@averageXIAOHONGSHUenjoyer]

the vertically printed base creates internal friction in the mechanism, you would have to smooth out the surfaces on both needles and base in order for it to not create excessive friction under tension. separating the mechanism into two parts or making the needles tip a little during the closing and opening stages would also help alot. it's basically just an indent and groove in the inner ring in order to facilitate this little tipping motion. to even out the wear on the needle, you could have it roll in the inner ring over the indent/groove on a small little wheel or silicone roller.

[@FringanSthlm]

Highly interesting! Waiting for the continuation of the project. Any day now, right? :)

[@johnhodgkiss9882]

Great video. I am looking at making one of these.

[@diceblue6817]

40 seconds in - clear voice, good talk, nothing superfluous - already great - but always note what software you're using as you go.

[@afafmansour7334]

One of the best video's i've seen in a while. I watched it to the end and was wondering why didn't you make it a bigger machine by printing the circles into sections and not one circle in one go. Also, i think you need to polish off the plastic where they meet to reduce friction. And regarding the needles, yes you need to enhance their design and make them maller and thinner in the size. Forcing the yarn to go past those double edges is easy if you perfect the profile of the needle kicker. Good job, and keep enhancing the design! Don't Stop!

[@theexistentialist-8888]

Really clever work mate.

[@secretwpn]

Interesting project, and well delivered too 👍

[@omgblk23]

Ithink you would need to add a tensioner to the free hanging string. I think t would swap the strain from the device to the thread itself. Great idea and design. I had the thought to get into this one. But you are far much further along than I and may this consideration/insight offered helps get this thing in better working condition. I love the work you've done thus far! Def gonna subscribe dude

[@remusdouglas9654]

Something I've found when using my own knitting machine (not a very expensive one) is that bulky yarn just doesn't work. You definitely want to use stuff like the thinner yarn you used at the end. I've also found my machine messes up relatively often and you've just got to constantly watch it and make sure the yarn is going where it's meant to. I've basically given up on my knitting machine because of how inconsistent it is, so I hope that makes you feel a bit better about how yours turned out (which is still really impressive!!!)