Method and apparatus for hosiery manufacture

摘要

For toe seaming hosiery knitted with reinforced and/or shaped heels, automatic toe closer has one or more hose carriers, a sewing machine and a clamping means movable for conveying a toe end portion of a hose on a carrier past the sewing machine for toe closing. The toe closer has a heel positioner comprising a rotationally-driven roller mounted for movement into and out of frictional engagement with a hose on the carrier, rotation of the roller in contact with the hose causing a rotation of the latter about the carrier until a mark on the hose aligns with a photosensor responsible, when alignment occurs, for causing disengagement of the roller from the hose leaving the latter in a properly adjusted attitude on the carrier in readiness for seaming.