Textile and Sewing Machines

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The preparation and processing of yarns and fabrics has evolved over time from spindle spinning and handloom weaving to the most modern and complex machines. Here we will limit ourselves to mentioning some of the most important applications of cams on textile and sewing machines. The weaving process consists of passing the weft thread over and under the warp threads. A brief introduction to weaving and looms is provided to clarify the role and importance of cams in these devices. Looms and heddle cams are illustrated first. The batten is often moved by a cam, which imposes a proper law of motion. A cam is also used in some shuttle launchers and projectile launchers to insert the weft. Knitting is another way of making fabric. The knitted fabric consists of a single thread that repeats in both directions the mesh that forms the elementary cell. More complex knitted fabrics are made with more threads. The fabric is made by needles that guide the yarn to create stitches. Knitting cams are used to control the various needle movements through the loops. Modern sewing machines began to appear in the mid-nineteenth century. Traditional sewing machines could only produce linear seams. The introduction of sewing machines equipped with cams made it possible to easily perform other processes. It should be noted that fulling mills are also used in the textile industry. A brief description of the old version of these can be found in Chap. 3.