Machine for finishing textile material, especially knitted fabric, in a continuous manner

Claim 1

Machine for finishing textile material, especially knitted fabric, in a continuous manner comprising, in combination, feeding means for feeding the fabric in longitudinal direction and comprising elongated support means, two pairs of gears turnably mounted on said support means spaced in longitudinal direction of the latter, and two endless transversely spaced chains extending about and respectively driven by said gears and provided with pins for engaging the fabric in the region of the opposite edges thereof; a pair of drums turnably mounted on said support means spaced in longitudinal direction of the latter and an endless porous belt extending about said drums to be driven thereby and having an upper run downwardly spaced a small distance below the fabric transported by said feeding means; a vaporizing apparatus comprising a first hood located above the fabric, means for feeding vapor upwardly through said belt conveyor in the region of said hood, heating means within said first hood, and suction means communicating with the interior of said first hood; at least one heat-fixing zone comprising a second hood located above said fabric downstream of said first hood, heating means within said second hood and suction means communicating with the interior of said second hood; a calendering cylinder turnably mounted on said support means downstream of said second hood and including heating means within said calendering cylinder for heating the outer surface thereof; means for maintaining the fabric iN close contact with said outer surface of said calendering cylinder; decatizing cylinder turnably mounted on said support means downstream of said calendering cylinder and including a suction device communicating with the interior of said decatizing cylinder; means for pressing the fabric against the outer surface of said decatizing cylinder and means for driving said gears, drums, calendering and decatizing cylinders.