The Cutting of the Fabric

The objective of Cutting

The objective of cutting is to separate fabric parts as replicas of the pattern pieces in the marker. In achieving this objective, certain requirements must be fulfilled.

1. Precision of the Cut

The garments must be cut with as much precision as possible.

2. Clean Edges

The raw edges of the fabric should not show fraying or snagging. Such defects come from an imperfectly sharpened knife

3. Unscorched, unfused Edges

The built up of heat in the knife blade comes from the friction of the blade passing through the fabrics. Solutions to this problems lie in well sharpened blade, the use of antifusion paper, spraying the blade with silicon lubricant, slowing down the speed of the cutting blade and reducing the height of the lay.

4. Support of the Lay

The cutting system must provide not only to support the fabric but also to allow the blade to penetrate the lowest ply of a spread and sever all the fibres

5. Consistent Cutting

The cutting system must cut accurately irrespective of the height of the pile.

The Cutting of the Fabric

spreading of the fabric-2

5. Elimination of Static Electricity



In spreading plies of fabric containing man made fibres, friction may increase the static electricity in the fabric.The spreader will experience in laying a ply neatly on top of the others due to either attraction or repulsion of those plies according to how they are charged.



Method to reduce static electricity



- Change the method of threading the fabric through the guide bars

- increase the humidity of the atmosphere in the cutting room

- arrange to earth the lay



6. Avoidance of distortion in the spread



A layer of glazed paper, laid glazed upside down, is normally placed at the bottom of the spread. This helps to avoid disturbing the lowest plies on the material in the spread when the base plate of a straight knife passes underneath. Also gives stability to the lay if it is to be moved on a table.



7. Avoidance of Fusion during cutting



Anti-fusion paper may be used in the same way as interleaving. It contains a lubricant which lubricates the knife blade as it passes through the spread.



Method of Spreading



1. Spreading by hand onto a horizontal table



In this process, the fabric is drawn from its package. The operator work back from the end, aligning the edges and ensuring that there is no tension and there are no wrinkles. The ply is cut with hand shears.



Typical fibres which are spread by hand are checks, crosswise stripes and other regular repeating patterns.



2. Spreading by hand and hooking up: This method uses a table with a horizontal surface at normal height. The table incorporates a swivel device which enables the table to be tilted so that the surface is about 10 degree off the vertical. The top edge of the table carries a series of hooks. The spreader hooks the selvedge of the fabric onto these hooks, while maintaining the correct tension down the length of ply. He begins at one end and works towards the other. whenthe spread is complete the table is returned to the horizontal position, the hooks are retracted and the marker is positioned on the top.

This method is used when it is difficult to lay the plies on a horizontal table or when it is wished to align checks along one selvedge.

3. Spreading using a travelling machine

these carry the piece of fabric from end to end of the spread, dispensing one ply at a time on to the spread

Consideration in Spreading (number 3, No.1 is requirement, number 2 is method of spreading)

The nature of fabric package

The fabric packages vary in length, width and make up. The forms of fabric piece that can be used are as follows:

1. Open face rolled: Most fabrics are rolled as a single ply on to a disposable tubular cardboard core about 7 to 8 cm in diameter. The packages are suitable for spreading by machine.

2. Tubular knitted fabric rolled
this is usually used for the manufacture of garments such as sports shirts or t-shirts

3. Folded fabric rolled
This form is traditional with the woollen and woollen fabrics used in tailored garments

4. Folded fabrics- cuttled
This form occurs usurally with check fabric to avoid the distortions which may ensue from tight rolling.

5. Velvet-hanging
Some velvets may be delivered wound on specially constructed frames to prevent the pile becoming crushed

Spreading of the Fabric-1

Objective

The objective of spreading is

1. To place a number of plies of fabric under the marker according to the planning process.

2. in the colour required

3. correctly aligned as to length and width

4. at correct tension

Limitation of Spreading

1. It requires strongly constructed tables usually with steel legs and braced frames

2. Spreading itself is a time consuming process

Remember

Spreading is no more than a sophisticated method of material handling, it adds nothing to the manufacture of garments. In conventional cutting rooms it is a technological bottleneck.

Considerations in Spreading

a. The requirements of the spreading process

Spreading must achieve a number of specific objectives:

1. Alignments of the plies

Every ply must comprise at least the length and width of the marker. In addition it should have minimum possible extra outside those measurements. Because nature of fabric is such that fabric width varies piece to piece

2. Elimination of the Fabric Flaws

Fabric flaws may be identifies by the supplier or by the spreader. It must be eliminated by different methods.

3. Correct Ply direction

For fabrics designated both one way only and one way either way, the spread should contain plies whose surface direction is compatible with the pattern facing of the marker.

4. Correct Ply Tension

If the plies are spread with too slack a tension they will lie in ridges with irregular fullness. If plies are spread in a stretched state they will maintain their tension while held in a lay, but will contract after cutting or during sewing, thus shrinking the garment parts to a smaller size than the pattern pieces. Thus tension in the plies should be optimum.