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.
