Page 63 - Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

50 Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

Fig. 5.6 Interleaving paper ply in between fabric plies.

aligns left fabric edge with the edge of the table and the previously spread fabric plies
with a permitted variant of ±0.5 cm. The second worker smoothes the surface of the
ply, ensures an even tension in the fabric, and prevents creases or folds appearing
during the spreading process.
When the fabric ply is spread, it is cut off (or folded using the zig-zag spreading
mode) (see Section 4.3.5). The spreading process is repeated until all the fabric plies
are laid down. Interleaving paper may be spread between plies at fixed intervals to sep-
arate fabric plies from different rolls or to separate cut components into manageable
bundles (see Fig. 5.6) (see Section 4.2.6). Narrow tubular fabrics and interlinings are
spread by a single worker.

5.2.2.1 Cutting of fabric plies
The spread fabric plies can be cut off in different ways:

Using a lay-end cutter: This is the most effective and commonly used method. The lay-end
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cutter may be manual, semiautomatic, or fully automatic (see Section 5.5.2). It can be used
for most fabrics with the exception of very light, elastic, and high pile fabrics.
Using shears: If the spreading table is not equipped with a lay-end cutter or the device cannot
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be used, the cutting process is carried out using shears. Two workers then cut the fabric from
both sides (see Fig. 5.7). However, cutting by shears is much more time-consuming, and the
cutting quality is lower.
Using a knife: The laid fabric ply at the end of the spread is folded precisely (using a long
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metal ruler, for example) and is cut by placing the knife between the folded fabric plies (see
Fig. 5.8). This is a quicker cutting process of a higher quality than that obtained by using
shears, however not use often.
Tearing the fabric along its weft: Used for very light fabrics with no deformed weft direction
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(natural silk, thin cotton, others). Tearing is quick and gives a straight fabric edge. Very light
fabrics can be only torn, as qualitative fabric separation is not possible when using cutting
devices.