List of Fabric Cutting Tools for Apparel Factory

by | Nov 3, 2014 | Sewing & Production | 0 comments

Fabric Cutting Tools

Fabric Cutting Machine

Fabric cutting machine is very important factor in textile and garments sectors. A good quality garment will be ready first to wear when it will be completed by sewing after cutting fabrics. Many parts of fabric which are cutted by fabric cutting machine in a cutting table in the lay or spread of fabric. The cutting department has the duty of getting the raw material from the store; the raw material is mainly the fabric and interlining, in case of the cutting department. It also has to get the right marker at right time to ensure the smooth running of the department. After the cutting is completed, the cutting department has to dispatch the cut-parts to the sewing department.

List of Cutting Tools:

List of cutting tools or cutting tool is given below-

Water jet Cutting Machine
Water Jet Cutting Machine

Types of Fabric Cutting Machine:

There arethree types of cutting machine available.

Manual cutting machine:

  • Die cutting
  • Drill cutting
  • Hand operated cutting scissor

Manually operated power knife cutting machine:

  • Straight knife cutting machine
  • Round knife cutting machine
  • Band knife cutting machine

Computerized cutting  machine

  • Knife
  • Water jet
  • Laser
  • Plasma torch

Hand Cutters: 

Hand cutters are used to give a small cut to the check fabric after the lay has been spread. This small cut thus made is then torn by the hand and the cutter is not used for the whole width cutting, as cutting throughout can cause the shift of grain and by tearing, the grain does not changes, hence, the cutting of the edge is manual in check fabric.

Cutting Step With Fabric Cutting Machine:

The cutting is done in 3 steps, in the first step, block cutting is done, followed by relaying of the blocks and further cutting it into actual patterns. The spread fabric is cut by 1-3 cutting operators with the help of straight knife fabric cutting machine. The patterns are not given a precise cut at first but are cut into ‘blocks’ that mark the outline of each pattern. The cutting in this section is done for an average of 140 bundles in an hour for a cotton check fabric, though it differs with the type of fabric and the design.

There are a few things which are to be kept in mind while cutting the free fabric lays. These can be listed as

  • Precision of cut
  • Clean edges
  • Unscorched, unfused edges (for polyester fabric)
  • Support of the lay
  • Consistent cutting

The marker is placed over the spread fabric and is matched to the ends. The lay is 1” more than the total width and length of the spread. This allowance is left to allow the space for the movement of the cutter. A hole is made in every marker piece of the paper marker by tearing it, this hole is covered by the cello tape and it keeps the marker from moving from its place. The plies are also kept from moving by the side by the use of clips. A straight knife cutter is used for cutting the block patterns. For a spread extending to 14 yards, upto 3 cutters are used for the purpose of cutting tools. The use of more than 1 cutter at a time increases the number of patterns cut in an hour by 3 times. These cutting men are skilled operators in this job, and cut an average of 25 bundles of 234 lays of the 100% cotton fabric.

The block cuts are then taken for the re-laying, which is done for check and stripe matching. The relaying also ensures that the plies of the block are aligned to perfection. Matching the horizontal lines of the check with he horizontal lines on the table does the check matching in this stage; 2 people are used for this purpose. They also make sure that the block patterns are aligned vertically also, by matching their ends. This re-laying is the most time consuming work in the cloth cutting process with fabric cutting machine and also important for the quality purpose as it ensure the matching of the checks and the stripes.

These blocks, after re-laying are taken for the re-cutting. This re-cutting is done with the help of straight knife cutter and also uses the band knife cutter for smaller pieces. The cloth cutting tool man cuts the final pattern but leaves a small protruding area in the bigger parts, like the front and the back to provide an area for numbering.

The fabric is now finally cut into final pattern, which are very much in the stitching condition. All the pieces are then numbered, in the reverse order from the top. The numbered pieces of the same garment, and of the same colored are again grouped together and bundled. This ensues a proper grouping of patterns cut together. This ends the work to be done on the patterns by the cloth cutting tools machine room. The patterns are then dispatched to the sewing room whenever requested.

Protective Cutting Tools Policy:

This policy is applicable for the workers and those specific staff who work in particular areas, which are hazardous. The objective of this policy is to make sure that, people who are exposed to hazardous or dangerous machines and materials, which are harmful for health, are protected from the risks of such exposures and so that the damage to health can be prevented before it can happen

Basis:

Many of the works that is done in the garment factories possess risks to the health and safety of the workers, and therefore there needs to be a policy to ensure that, everyone is provided with protective equipment to safeguard the health of the relevant persons

Protective Cutting Tool Policy Checklist

All employees working in places which could have health hazards are to be provided with the kind of protective equipment which is particularly required to protect those specific employees, from specific kinds of harms and damages that they are in the risks of. For example: people who are working in the sewing lines are to be provided with the needle guards and goggles, ear plugs in the areas where noise level is very high, cloth cutting section needs to have people wearing metal gloves to avoid any injuries or accidental severing of body parts, musk at the places where too much exposures of dust particles, special gas masks should be provided for the people working in the wash section, PPE spraying area, san blasting and so on.

  • Company will make sure that, they maintain an inventory of all personal protective equipment and if there is any short fall from the required legal minimum quantity, then the company will ensure that the stock is replenished and no one is left exposed to the risks for any duration of time.
  • All people who are working in areas where there are risks have to be trained by the company on how to use the protective equipment and the benefits to themselves by their use and application.
  • Protective equipment will be maintained under strict vigilance and security so that there is no pilferage and loss, and there will be a careful register maintained to keep track of who is using which equipment
  • Compliance and floor management is to maintain strict vigilance to ensure that, everybody who is supposed to wear and use protective equipment, is doing so without any failing and those who are found to not be doing so are to be identified and penalized according to the appropriate disciplinary policy

Regulations & Procedures:

  • Company will maintain an inventory of job roles with risks associated with each of them and kind of protective equipment are required for those specific job roles.
  • Company will make sure that, people who are in those job roles are provided with the appropriate equipment

Communication & Implementation:

  • Policy will be communicated through mail notifications to all and subsequent explanation by the floor management teams, Welfare, Compliance and Admin Departments
  • Also the written policy will be published and sent to the relevant departments to proper implantation of this policy

Feedback & Control:

  • HR will prepare job risk inventory and Admin will ensure the requirement of the equipment and Floor management will ensure the use of the equipment, Compliance will be responsible for overall monitor of the policy)
  • Cloth Cutting Department will carry out random audit to see the status of the equipment and its proper use
  • Floor management will inform the HR and Compliance Departments when there is short fall and they will give requisition for the equipment to the Purchase Department, who make the purchase and handover those equipment to HR and finally HR Department will deploy the equipment through the Admin Department.
  • There will be microphone announcement make several times in a day, warning people about the dangers of not using the protective equipment and officials of the Admin, Welfare Departments and floor management will take note of the people who are found to not be using such equipment and will report to HR and Compliance Departments.

Purpose of Cloth Cutting:

The purpose of cloth cutting is stated here shortly-

  • Fabric must be cut by specific some size to be it useable to make garments.
  • Hundreds of piece of garment’s free fabric should be cut at a time in cutting table.
  • It is possible to cut hundreds of garment’s fabric same design which is provided through buyers requirements or any other factory.
  • Too many lay or spread of fabric’s can be cut different size by the tender of buyer.
  • It is possible for cloth cutting make garments for different country and cultures.
  • Make this cloth cutting suitable according to sewing requirements to use to next level
Engr. Kh. Mashiur Rahman, Garments Auto Machine Technologist, Web: www.autogarment.com, Email: autogarments@gmail.com, Cell: +88 017 92 52 53 54