Italy’s Loop Srl has been developing different methods of sock seaming / linking technology for many years. Headed up by industry veterans  Gianni Conti and Massimo Venni, it is a dynamic and innovative company, with proven experience in the mechanical-textile business field, specifically in the circular textile knitting machine sector for the production of socks for men, women, kids, panty hose, “seamless”, and relevant machinery and accessories, as well as a deep knowledge of the finished product.

Loop Srl offers used socks machines that are always of a high standard. The machines are checked and tested before delivery to the final customer, by qualified skilled staff, at Loop Srl Lab & Show Room in Scandicci, Florence, in order to avoid any kind of problem once the machines arrive at the end user.

However, a further key element of the Loop Srl business is the research, development and manufacturer of new devices for sock seaming which, in line with ever-increasing customer demands for more innovative methods, has moved on several stages, both in terms of technological capability and commercial application.

The research, the development and the prototypes for this new technology have been created at the company’s headquarters in Florence, Italy, traditionally a heartland of sock knitting innovation and technology.

Mr Venni’s and Mr Conti’s latest development is a new patent for an automatic linking toe closing solution which can be easily integrated onto every brand new single cylinder sock- knitting machine.

Specifically, the global Patent No.49458 – PCT/IB2020/052639 is known as the “LbyL” integrated linking toe closing device.

Explaining this latest innovation, Mr. Massimo Venni outlines how the launch of the new technology is the result of a “combination of  Italian Know -How, decades of Florentine experience with a strong technical and commercial background, combined.”

This is an innovative, unique, exclusive, revolutionary solution,” he says. “It is very user friendly, has very low production costs and very low maintenance costs, ensuring a very high production capacity and very high efficiency on a regular basis.”

Looking closer at this new invention, we can see that a key selling point is that it is only on a single device/element of take up, compared to other existing toe closing solutions which are forced to use two or three elements, reducing the efficiency, the performance and the production capacity. These older systems, says Mr. Venni, are much more complicated and delicate and are therefore not always suitable for everybody, particularly if a sock manufacturer does not have qualified skilled technicians.

Benefits

The new “LbyL” solution offers a number of benefits. These include more space between needle to needle, more space for the take up of the loops of fabric, and a very simple way to center the system. Importantly, the knitting machine does not need to stop or to reduce speed during the transfer phase of the sock, a factor that occurs on other systems.

There are also fewer parts involved which leads to greater efficiency, and fewer problems running the machines during the production process.

The “LbyL” system is also suitable for fine gauge socks in view of the fact that there is more space available between needles. “It is a safe solution because it is based only on one element for take up and transfer of the loops of the socks to proceed with linking,” adds Mr. Venni. “It is a very convenient clever solution, based on 40 years experience of R&D in automatic linking toe closing. It is also a very cheap and low cost solution and is affordable for customers all over the world.”

“LbyL” is available for single cylinder sock knitting machines in a diameters 3.5” – 3 3⁄4” – 4” – 4.5” – 5”. There is also no restriction for electronic versions with the system usable with every electronic panel available now into the worldwide market.

“The basis of the “LbyL” solution is a patented system born from the winning combination of the two huge experiences of Gianni Conti and Massimo Venni, therefore it encloses within its distinctions both technological innovation and the answer to the needs of the market,” says Mr Venni.