Page 87 - Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

74 Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

spreader is moving, not to hurt him. Four sensors are placed in the fourth corners
of the machine to detect if any person is too close to the spreader while it is in the
work process.
Additional security systems ensure emergency stops in the following situations: to
prevent the motor burning out if the cutting device is blocked by fabric, if the encoder
cannot determine the location of a spreader, and where the programmed length of a
spread is longer than the spreading table.

6.3.8 The spreading table
The spreading process is performed on special tables with smooth hardboard, lami-
nate, or melamine painted surfaces (see Fig. 6.16). The surface is supported by a steel
construction capable of withstanding the load of a fully equipped spreader. The tables
are available in different widths (110–350 cm), and the width of the table must be at
least 20 cm wider than that of the spread fabric.
Tables are put together from separate sections of 100–150 cm in length. The total
length of a table depends on the technological qualities of the spreading process and
the size of the cutting room. The legs of the table are adjustable to balance the work
surface perfectly and to change the high of the table in accordance to the needs of the
work process.
A table surface may be perforated and equipped with an air flotation or a vacuum
system. The air flotation system helps to lift the lay lightly while it is relocated on the
spreading table (to move to the cutting section or to feed the automated cutter, see
Section 11.3.1). Vacuum system is useful spreading pad and quilting materials when
the volume of the fabric lay must be reduced or blocked before cutting. The vacuum
and air blowing can be combined on one table.

Fig. 6.16 Spreading tables to perform automated spreading process by a spreading machine.