Cutting

y The first stage in the manufacture of garments is the

cutting of the materials into the necessary pattern shapes. These are then joine
d together by means of seams to create three-dimensional garments. y When large
quantities of a garment style must be cut, a lay is created which consists of ma
ny plies of fabric spread one above the other. y Depending on the method of cutt
ing that is used, a marker plan must be made in which the pattern pieces are clo
sely interlocked to achieve minimum fabric usage.

Steps involved in Cutting

y A) Planning, Drawing and Reproduction of the Marker y B) Spreading of the fabr
ic to form a lay y C) Cutting of the Fabric

Planning, Drawing and Reproduction of the Marker

y Requirements of marker planning y Efficiency of the marker y Methods of marker
planning and marker use

Requirements of marker planning

y The industry has always paid great
attention to marker planning, because when the cutting room cuts cloth it spends
around half the company s turnover. Any reduction in the amount of cloth used p
er garment leads to increased profit. positioning the larger pattern pieces and
then fitting the smaller pieces into the gaps. pattern placements, selecting the
one which gives the shortest marker
y The planner proceeds by first
y The planner will then try a number of

The work of the marker planner is subject to a number of constraints, such as:Na
ture of the fabric and the desired result in the finished garment a) Pattern ali
gnment in relation to the grain of the fabric b) Symmetry and asymmetry c) Desig
n characteristic of the finished garment 2. Requirements of quality in cutting 3
. Requirements of production planning
1.

Efficiency of the marker :The marker planner measures his success by the efficie
ncy of the marker plan created.
FORMULA: Area of patterns in the marker plan X 100% Total area of the marker pla
n

Marker efficiency can be increased by suggesting alterations to patterns and clo

th such as:y Pattern engineering-examination of seam location to ensure best pos
sible placement of patterns in the marker y Piece a pattern-dividing a large, aw
kwardly shaped pattern into two pieces to accommodate it in the marker y Selecti
on of fabric widths where a choice is available. The best width depends among ot
her factors on the costs of various widths per square meter, the typical number
of sizes in a marker, the potential pattern engineering changes t0 various width
s and the marker efficiency of a series of test markers.

Methods of marker planning and marker use :1.

Manual Marker planning with full size patterns in a full size markerThe planner
works by moving around the full size patterns until a satisfactory plan is obtai
ned. Patterns are usually made from card and it is important that the edges do n
ot become worn and that the patterns held firmly while drawing takes place. This
method takes considerable skill and time, but it is economical for single garme
nts and checked fabric as it can be easily manipulated
y
y
y

Multiple copies of the paper marker are normally needed. These copies can either
be made when the marker plan is first drawn, or the master marker can be reprod
uced as needed by a variety of methods, such as:a) Carbon duplicating b) Spirit
duplicating or hectograph carbon system c) Diazo photographic method

2. Computerized marker planningComputer system for pattern development, grading,

marker planning and marker plotting
It is part of an integrated system which includes digitising or scanning of full-s
ize patterns into the computer, facilities for pattern adaptation, and , by inpu
tting appropriate grade rules , the means to generate all the sizes required. The
planner uses a visual display unit with keyboard, tablet and data pen, puck or
mouse.

y After selecting the most economical marker plan devised in the time available,
the computer will provide an accurate piece count, calculate a marker plan effi
ciency percentage and total the length of the pattern peripheries. y After plann
ing the marker on the computer, the marker planner instructs the computer to plo
t the marker automatically onto paper. Granted a well-maintained plotter, this p
rovides the most accurate marker.

Spreading of the fabric to form a lay

The objective of spreading is to place the number of plies of fabric that the pr
oduction planning process has dictated, to the length of the marker plan, in the
colours required, correctly aligned as to length and width, and without tension
.

An understanding of spreading must include the following considerations:a)Requir

ements of the spreading process
b)Methods of spreading c)Nature of fabric packages

a)Requirements of the spreading process :1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Shade sorting of cloth pieces Correct ply direction and adequate lay stability A
lignment of plies Correct ply tension Elimination of fabric faults Elimination o
f static electricity Avoidance of distortion in the spread Avoidance of fusion o
f plies during cutting

b) Methods of spreading :1. Spreading by hand Time consuming method requiring an o

perator at each side of the table Typical fabrics which must be spread by hand ar
e checks, crosswise stripes and other regularly repeating patterns 2. Spreading
using a travelling machine It carries the piece of fabric from end to end of the s
pread, dispensing on ply at a time onto the spread Basic elements consist of a fr
ame or carriage, wheels travelling in guide rails at the edge of the table, a fa
bric support, and guide collars to aid the correct unrolling of the fabric

c) Nature of fabric packages :y Fabric packages vary in length, width, and makeup. y The choice of package to be delivered to a cutting
room relates to the characteristics of the fabric and the method of spreading em
ployed such as : Open fabric- rolled  Tubular knitted fabric- rolled  Folded fabric- rolled  Folded
fabric- cuttled  Velvet- hanging

Open fabric- rolled

Tubular knitted fabric- rolled
Folded fabric- rolled
Folded fabric- cuttled

Cutting of the Fabric

y The term is used in the sense of cutting room, an area
which normally includes the activities of marker planning, spreading and prepara
tion for sewing, as well as being used to refer to the actual cutting out of gar
ment parts from the lay

Objective of cutting :y The objective of cutting is to separate fabric parts as

replicas of the pattern pieces in the marker plan. In achieving this objective ,
certain requirements must be fulfilled : Precision of cut  Clean edges  Unscorched
, unfused edges  Support of the lay  Consistent cutting

Methods of cutting :1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Hand Shears Straight Knife Round Knife Band Knife Notchers Drills and Thread Mar
kers Computer controlled Cutting Knives Die Cutting Laser Cutting Plasma Cutting
Water Jet Cutting Ultrasonic Cutting

1. Hand Shears Used when cutting only single or double plies.  Flexible enough to
accommodate any pattern construction and pattern shape  Time consuming leading to
high labour cost per garment

2. Straight Knife

Versatile , portable, cheaper than band knife, more accurate on curves than a ro
und knife, relatively reliable and easy to maintain Elements consist of a base p
late, usually on rollers for easy movement, an upright or standard carrying a st
raight, vertical blade with varying edge characteristics and an electric motor a
bove it, a handle for the cutter to direct the blade, and a sharpening device

3. Round knife

Elements of a round knife are a baseplate, above which is mounted an electric mo

tor, a handle for the cutter to direct the blade, and a circular blade rotating
so that the leading edge cuts downwards into the fabric Used only straight lines
or lower lays of relatively few piles Not suitable for cutting curved lines

4. Band knife Comprises a series of three or more

pulleys, powered by an electric motor, with a continuously rotating steel blade
mounted on them. One edge of the blade is sharpened
 Used when higher standard of
cutting accuracy is required than can be obtained with a straight knife

5. Notchers

Specialised notching equipment provides greater accuracy because a guide lines u

p the notcher with the cut edge to give consistent depth of notch at a consisten
t right angle to the edge The hot notcher incorporates a heating element in orde
r that the blade my slightly scorch the fibres adjacent to the notch in order to
prevent it fraying and disappearing

6. Drills and Thread

Markers


Used to mark position of pockets, darts and similar features

Drill mounting includes a motor, a base plate with hole to allow the drill to pa
ss through, and a spirit level to ensure that the base is horizontal and hence t
he drill vertical. If it is important that no mark remains on the fabric, a long
thread may be passed through the lay which is then cut with scissors between ea
ch ply, leaving a few centimeters visible on each garment

7. Computer controlled Cutting Knives  

Provides most accurate possible cutting, at high speed Made up of a table with a
cutting surface consisting of nylon bristles The carriage supporting the cuttin
g head has two synchronised servo-motors. A third servo motor positions the cutt
ing head on a beam across the width of this carriage. The cutting head contains
knife, automatic sharpner and a further servo-motor which rotates the knife to p
osition it at a tangent to the line of cut on curves

8. Die Cutting

Process involves pressing a rigid blade through the lay of the fabric The die is
a knife in the shape of a pattern periphery, including notches Provides a high
standard of accuracy of cutting but, because of the cost of dies, they are appro
priate in situations where large quantities of the same pattern shape will be cu
t

9. Laser Cutting

A laser produces a beam of light which can be focused into a very small spot (0.
25mm), producing a very high energy density Cutting takes place by vaporisation.
Charring is prevented by the use of a jet of inert gas which also removes debri
s and smoke from the cutting area If several plies are cut, the accuracy is not
perfect as it is a V cut rather than a straight line. There is also risk that th
e edges may fuse together

10. Plasma Cutting

Originally developed to satisfy a demand for high quality cutting on stainless s

teels and aluminium but it can also be used to cut textile materials Cutting is
achieved by means of a high velocity jet of high temperature ionised gas (argon)

11. Water Jet Cutting

A very high velocity, small diameter stream of water is created by applying high
pressure water to a nozzle The high pressure jet acts as a solid tool when it e
ncounters the material to be cut, tearing the fibres on impact Here the jet of w
ater is normally caught and drained away

12. Ultrasonic Cutting

Uses an ultrasonically driven knife blade Disposable knife blades save sharpenin
g time and for 10-14 days Upto 10 plies can be cut and low vacuum only is needed

Bibliography:y The Technology of Clothing Manufacture, Harold Carr and Barbara L

atham y http://ellis-sanchez.com/manufacturing-process-trainingmaterial.html y w
ww.garmento.org/cuttingroom/spreadingmethods y http://img.directindustry.com y w
ww.iigm.in/images/eastman y www.hitechmarkers.com