a needle cylinder which can be actuated with a rotary motion about an axis thereof, arranged vertically, and on a skirt of which there is a plurality of axial grooves, each accommodating a needle,

a tubular body being arranged internally and coaxially to said needle cylinder and being configured to receive an item during a process of forming the item, said tubular body being supported so that it can slide along an axial direction of said tubular body within said needle cylinder in order to pass from at least one inactive position, in which the tubular body is arranged with an upper end thereof at a same level or at a lower level with respect to an upper end of the needle cylinder, to at least one active position, in which the tubular body protrudes with its upper end from the upper end of the needle cylinder,

actuation means being provided which are configured to act on command on said tubular body in order to actuate an axial movement of said tubular body with respect to said needle cylinder, wherein said actuation means are associated with a controller that is configured to control a speed of said tubular body along its axial movement from said inactive position to said at least one active position,

wherein said actuation means comprise a motor adapted to actuate in a controlled manner the axial movement of said tubular body from said inactive position to said at least one active position, and

wherein the controller is configured to control the speed of said tubular body along its axial movement from said inactive position to said at least one active position as a function of a corresponding rotation rate of the needle cylinder.