Page 159 - Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

146 Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

processing very light textiles. To increase work surface, it can be extended with mod-
ular table extenders.

9.7.1.2 Conveyorized tables
Conveyorized tables ensure continuous work process and higher productivity. They
can be equipped with unwind and roll-up devices to process rolled materials (see
Section 9.3.3). Using a conveyorized table on a single-ply cutter, work process can
be performed in fully automated way. This is large benefit processing digitally printed
fabrics where precise pattern matching is necessary (see Section 16.4.3) and process-
ing long components. Fully automated continuous work process also gives possibility
to reduce fabric end losses, minimize process setup time, and raise work productivity.
Typically, conveyorized cutting surfaces are up to 5 m wide and 5–6 m long.
However, on customers' requests, they can be manufactured longer (up to 11 m). To
increase work surface and the take-off space for manual or robotic pickup and kitting
of cut components, modular add-on table extenders can be fixed on the cutter (see
Fig. 9.13).

9.7.2 Cutting tools

As technical textiles have very different properties, their cutting is performed using
wide range of cutting tools: different knives, laser, and ultrasound.

9.7.2.1 Knives
Technical textiles used to be cut with different nonmotorized (passive), electrically, or
pneumatically driven knives fixed in a simple or multitool cutting head (see Section
9.3.1). Nonmotorized tools (pizza/wheel knives, drag knives, and creasing tools) and
electrically driven tools (round knives, tangential knives, oscillating knives, and creas-
ing tools) are used to cut thinner and softer materials. Pneumatically, driven tools
(oscillating knives and punches) cut hard and dense materials.
Simple single-ply cutters are equipped with a nonmotirized round blade (a pizza
knife) only and pen for marking. The cutters can have also a drag blade (to cut more
complicated shapes, corners, small holes, and tough fabrics, e.g. heavy carbon fibre)
and one or more different diameter drill punches and creasing tools.
More versatile and complex cutters use a multitool cutting head equipped with wide
range of electrically and pneumatically driven cutting tools: round knives, tangential
knives, oscillating blades, drill punches, routers and marker pens or inkjet printers, and
also laser or ultrasound cutting heads. They can also perform wide range of additional
operations, such as creasing, scoring, sanding, and buffing.

Round knife
Nonmotorized and electrically driven round blades are the most typical tools for cut-
ting very wide range of technical textiles (see Section 9.3.1.2). 18 mm round knives cut
small shapes and accurate curves. 28 mm blades are the general-purpose knives used
for cutting most shapes. 45 mm and larger ones are used for cutting thick materials