Page 42 - Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

P. 42

Principles and methods of textile 4

spreading

4.1 Introduction

Spreading is the process during which fabric is cut in pieces of a specific length, which
are placed on top of each other to form several plies. The length of a ply is determined
by the shape, size, and number of the components that are to be cut from it. The
number of plies in a spread depends on the number of articles ordered and the tech-
nological and technical limitations of the fabric spreading and cutting processes. The
pattern and properties of the fabric determine the spreading mode, that is, the manner
in which plies in a spread should be placed. Fabric spreading may be carried out either
manually or by automation. Manual spreading is traditional and has been used since
the mass production of garments first began. The automated spreading process has
come into wide usage during the last few decades.

4.2 General characteristics of the spreading process

Both manual and automated spreading processes employ the same basic principles.
Therefore, in describing the spreading of textile materials, it is preferable to start with
the characteristics of the basic spreading principles and methods and then to move to
a description of the specific differences between manual and automated spreading.

4.2.1 The spreading table
Spreading is carried out on special tables with smooth surfaces (see Fig. 4.1). The
width of the table must be at least 20 cm more than that of the spread fabric. The length
of the table depends on the specifics of the technological process and the area of the
cutting room (see Section 6.3.8).

4.2.2 The use of underlay paper

2
At the beginning of the spreading process, one layer of underlay paper (40–100 g/m )
is spread on the table (see Fig. 4.2). This ensures easy transfer of the prepared spread
or its parts along the spreading table and eliminates any deformations of the low-
est fabric plies during the transportation process of the prepared spread or its parts
along the spreading table. Underlay paper ply must be 2–3 cm longer than the spread.
Perforated underlay paper is used if the spread is cut using an automated multi-ply
cutting system (see Section 9.3.12).

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47