Page 264 - Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

Multi-ply processing of styles from intricate pattern textiles 251

The use of the pin table obviates the need to perform the spreading and cutting
processes in two steps as is done in the traditional, manual process (see Section 15.2).
Directly after the fabric is spread onto the pin table, it is cut, reducing time and labour
consumption significantly. Fabric allowances used to respread roughly cut components
(using standard spreading tables) are not needed; therefore, fabric consumption is also
reduced. Using pin tables, there is no need to make sectioned markers. Conventional
markers can be created increasing marker efficiency and reducing material loss.

15.3.1.2 Overhead projector

By the help of an overhead projector and specialized software, a grid representing fab-
ric pattern can be created and projected on the fabric ply, while it is spread. In this case,
the projector replaces previously used overhead laser beams that showed direction of
only one or two fabric strips (lengthwise or crosswise of the fabric, see Section 15.2.1)
of the fabric. The projector can show full repetition grid of the fabric and thus help to
lay the fabric plies precisely with matched pattern creating multi-ply spreads.
By the help of specialized software, the overhead projector also can be used to show
pattern pieces or a whole initial marker on the top fabric ply during the spreading pro-
1
cess (a projector and ‘Visual Nesť software by Morgan Tecnica ) (see Section 16.4.1,
Fig. 16.5).

15.3.2 Creation of an initial marker
Fabric design image is scanned, imported, or generated as a grid representing fab-
ric pattern. The marker then is created over the fabric image on PC screen (see
Section 16.4.2).

15.3.3 Adjustment of the initial marker

When the ready fabric spread with matched pattern is transported to the work surface
of an automated cutter, the corrections are realized in the initial marker. This is done
by the help of a camera fixed in the cutting head of the cutter and pattern-matching
1
2
software (‘Visual Nesť by Morgan Tecnica, ‘Match Iť by Bullmer, ‘In Vision’ by
4
3
Gerber, or ‘Mosaic’ by Lectra ). The pattern pieces are shifted and slightly distorted
in the initial marker to compensate all existing pattern irregularities in the spread (see
Section 16.4.2).
15.3.4 Automated cutting

After the marker is matched perfectly, the cutting is performed by an automated cut-
ter in a traditional way as processing plain fabrics. Low-ply spreads can be cut by a
single-ply or high-ply cutter and high-ply spreads by a high-ply cutter (see Chapter 9).
2
Company Bullmer has developed pattern-matching and cutting system ‘Topcuť
for multi-ply processing of styles from intricate pattern fabrics. In this case, one more
work surface – a spreading/pattern-matching segment – is involved in the work pro-
cess (see Fig. 15.18).