FABRIC
CUTTING
OBJECTIVES OF FABRIC
CUTTING
To separate fabric parts from the spread of the lay according to the dimension of the
marker.
The cutting room is the first potential area where apparel manufacturers undertake automation
to ensure material utilization, process optimization and manpower reduction. Because the
department handles fabric, which is the most expensive raw material in apparel manufacturing,
it is the most vital step that carries the potential of fabric saving, resulting in cost saving and
waste reduction. Every apparel manufacturer targeted towards long-term growth and profit, is
now investing in automatic cutting room solutions
FUNCTIONS OF CUTTING
SECTION
Take fabric from the fabric store
Relaxation of fabrics
Cut order planning
Fabric Spreading/layering
Planning markers
Making markers
Cutting fabrics
Sorting, bundling and numbering of garment plies (parts)
Inspecting cut components
Sorting printed and embroidery panels (optional)
Re-cutting panels (optional)
Fusing garment components (optional)
SOME CUTTING TERMS
BALANCE MARKS: Used mainly to keep a balance when joining knees, waist, hip etc.
BALANCE NOTCHES: These are small cuts to mark out pleats, darts, overlapping and
also to mark the side seams, waist, and knees.
CUT ON DOUBLE: When the fabric is folded before cutting, it is known as cut on double
or on fold
SEAM ALLOWANCE: The margin kept for stitching the garment is known as seam
allowance.
REQUIREMENTS OF CUTTING:
Precession of cut
Clean edge
Infused edge
Consistency in cutting
Support of the lay
METHODS OF FABRIC
CUTTING
1) Manual Cutting Machine: 3) Fully Automatic / Computerized
Hand Operated Scissor Cutting Machine:
Computer Controlled Knife Cutting
Machine.
2) Semi-Automatic Cutting Machine: Laser Cutting Machine.
Straight knife of Cutting Machine. Water Jet Cutting Machine.
Round Knife Cutting Machine. Rib Cutting Machine
Band Knife Cutting Machine. Plasma Torch Cutting Machine etc.
Die Cutting Machine.
Notcher Machine.
Drill Machine.
STRAIGHT KNIFE
CUTTING M/C
• Features
✔ Speed: 3000-3600 RPM
✔ Motor speed: 50-60 Hz
✔ lay: 100-150 layers (6”-8”)
✔ Min. Lay: 30-40 layer (2”)
• Advantages
✔ Used at 90% garments factory
✔ Cut more curved line than round knife
• Disadvantages
✔ Greater fabric layer, greater motor weight and
deflection and greater possibility of accident.
BAND KNIFE
CUTTING M/C
• Features
✔ Speed: 1300 RPM
✔ Knife width: 1.5 cm
✔ Lay: 40-100 layers (4’’)
• Advantages
✔ Suitable for cutting small parts
cutting( collar, cuff etc)
✔ Less rick of accident than straight
and round knife
• Disadvantages
✔ Fabric block required so more
wastage and more work load
ROUND KNIFE
CUTTING M/C
• Features
✔ Speed: 1000-3500 RPM
✔ Knife dia: 11 to 30 cm (Octagonal
shape)
✔ Lay: 40-60 layers (2.5”)
• Advantages
✔ At the same RPM round knife having
10 times greater cutting efficiency
than Straight knife
• Disadvantages
✔ Unsuitable for small parts
✔ Can’t cut more layers
DIE CUTTING
• Features M/C
✔ Die is made according to pattern
✔ Pressure exerted by ram head
✔ Distance between one to another: 2-4
mm
• Advantages
✔ More accurate for small parts in any
shape or in any angle
✔ Best for knit fabrics
• Disadvantages:
✔ More time to make die so more labor
cost and not suitable for big parts.
NOTCHER
CUTTING M/C
• Features
✔ To make balance notches
✔ Notches in U or V shape
• Disadvantages
• Because of heat generation
tendency of fraying of thread
• Skilled operator can do notches
using straight knife so it is useless
in that case
DRILL CUTTING
• Features
M/C
✔ Used to indicate inside places of fabric
like pocket
✔ Always maintain 90 degree angle
movement
✔ Heated drill is used to remain stable the
holes
✔ It has to be ensured that hole will not be
visible after garments making
COMPUTER
• Features
CONTROLLED
• The computer-controlled knife KNIFE CUTTING
cutting method provides the most
accurate possible cutting at high
M/C
speed.
• During cutting, the marker is not
needed to put over the fabric lay.
• A cutting blade is made of stainless
steel.
• This type of fabric cutting machine
followed the CAD (computer-aided
design) system.
• The cutting knife itself moves
according to the direction of the
computer program
PLASMA TORCH
CUTTING M/C
• Features
✔ By using these fabric cutting
machines, one or more fabric plies
can be cut.
✔ Here, fabrics are cut by a thin
through the nozzle which is made
by argon gas.
✔ To cut a single ply of fabric it is
most used.
• Features WATER JET
✔ In this machine, a catcher in the CUTTING M/C
bottom of fabric lays which is used
with the same speed and the same
direction as a water jet machine.
✔ Here, the pressure of water is
60,000 pounds per square inch.
✔ Here, a thin jet of water is passed
through a nozzle in a very
momentum.
✔ Water is worked like a hard and
sharp knife which helps to cut the
fabric easily.
• Features
✔ In the case of laser beam LASER CUTTING
fabric cutting machines, the
cutting head is controlled by a M/C
computer.
✔ Here, the fabric is cut at a
speed of 13m per minute.
✔ In the case of this cutting
process, the fabric is cut by a
ray of light in a very fine spot
using a laser.
✔ When the ray falls on a
material, it generates heat on
the material, and the cutting
process is done by
vaporization.
✔ The radius of the spot of light
is 0.25 mm which is highly
powerful.
METHOD OF PLANNING, MONITORING AND
INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY IN CUTTING ROOM
Step one: List of work, which is in hand for cutting
Step two: As per the production plan daily requirement of cutting for next one week for
sewing.
Step three: From industrial engineering department following data has been provided:
✔ Spreading time of standard 100 plies.
✔ Maximum number of plies of fabric to be cut in one layer.
✔ Consumption per garment.
✔ Number of garments marker plan etc.
Step four: Analysis and planning of cutting activity of current designs.
✔ Modelling/drawing the garment sketch in 3D
format, CUTTING
✔ Examining the model in a digital SECTION AND
environment supported by virtual reality
technologies, 4IR
✔ Sending the drawings/markers of the product
to the cutting system via a wireless network
in a digital environment using the cloud
technology
✔ Carrying fabrics from the warehouse to the
cutting room by cyber-physical systems,
✔ Spreading the fabric on the cutting table by
cyber-physical systems and robots,
✔ Completing the cutting operation through
laser systems with a minimum-level of
human interaction.
In Bangladesh, Karim textile In their cutting
section has installed 6 European automatic fabric
spreading machines and 2 robotic auto-cutters.
AUTOMATED
• Lectra TECHNOLOGY
• Gerber Technology SOLUTIONS FOR
• Bullmer CUTTING ROOM
• Morgan Tecnica
• FK Group
• IMA
• Eastman
• Tukatech
• Shima Seiki
• Yin
THANKS TO ALL
Any Questions?
