Page 89 - Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

76 Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials

Fig. 6.18 (A, B) Cosmotex spreader with extra attachment to spread open-folded fabric.

6.3.11 Spreading machines for tubular fabrics
Tubular fabrics (see Fig. 6.19) are spread by specially designed spreading machines or
traditional machines equipped with several special devices. Using modified standard
spreading machine, a folded tubular fabric is placed on a tray at the rear of a truck and
directed over a special roof above the traditional fabric feeding system (see Fig. 6.20).
Two motorized iron cylinders (called a tubular device) and adjustable stretchers are
fixed on the machine instead of a cutting device. The stretchers are placed inside the
tubular fabric to expand it and ensure constant and precise alignment of fabric folded
edges on the table during whole spreading process. The stretchers also guide the fab-
ric between two cylinders. Their movement is synchronized with the speed of the
spreader to lay the fabric on the spreading table.
Specially designed machines for tubular fabrics (see Fig. 6.21) are smaller in size –
with maximal working width up to 120 cm. If the fabric is narrow, two separate spreads
can be performed simultaneously. Tubular fabrics can also be spread by a standard
spreading machine cutting every ply at the end of the spread; however, it is less efficient.