Cutting

Cutting
Manual

Scissors

Machine
Portable cutting knives (can be
moved to and through a spread
by operator)
Straight
knife

Round
knife

Stationary cutters (The blade of the

cutting machine remains in a
stationary motion)
Band
knife
Die
cutting

Plasma
cutting
Water jet
cutting
Laser
cutting

Transferring marks
Notchers
Drills and
thread
markers

Scissors

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

Basic component of Portable cutting knives

Power system

Handle

Sharpening
Cutting blade
Blade guard
Up and down movement
One way thrust as the circular
blade makes contact with the
fabric
Round knife

Base plate

Straight knife

1. Knife blade: Affects the quality of the cut. Factors affecting

performance of a blade are : blade edge, surface texture,
coarseness/fineness of blade, blade composition.
Straight edge blades with a flat surface are general purpose
and the most widely used.
Wavy edges are used for plastics and vinyls
Saw type blades are used for cutting canvas
2. Base plates: Foundation that supports and help balance the
cutting mechanism
3. Power system: Controls motor
4. Sharpening Device: To sharpen edges of cutting blade.
5. Handle: to grip, guide and propel the knife through the spread.
6. Blade guard: When positioned at spread height, blade guard
rests on the top ply to stabilize the spread and to protect the
operators hand.

Portable cutting knives

Straight knife

Round knife

Vertical blade

Popular, light and fast.

Reciprocates up and down

Suitable only for cutting in straight lines

Corners and curves can be cut accurately

or very gradual curves, in depths of

Most versatile and commonly used

about 15cm

Blades length - 6 to 14 inches

Spread depth depends on blade length &
adjustable height of the blade guard

Larger blade cuts up to 2" of soft or

bulky material, or lower lays of harder
material such as shirts

All of the pieces cut from a lay are

Small blade cuts single layer

identical

A round blade contacts the spread at

an angle; thus, the top ply is cut before
the bottom ply

STRAIGHT KNIFE CUTTING MACHINE

ADVANTAGES OF STRAIGHT KNIFE CUTTING MACHINE
Comparatively cheap & and can cut many plies at a time
Higher lay of height can be cut very easily.
Round corners can be cut more precisely than round knife.
Production speed is very good.
Garments components can be directly separated from fabric
lay.

STRAIGHT KNIFE CUTTING MACHINE

DISADVANTAGES OF STRAIGHT KNIFE CUTTING MACHINE
High speed of the machine causes high risk of damage.
Faulty knife could damage fabric layer.

Motor weight creates knife deflection which may create faulty

pieces.
Risk is high for physical damage of operator.

Stationary cutters: Band knife

Has fine blades that rotate through a slot in the
cutting table while cutting.
Blade is fixed.

Fabric layers are guided by hand against the blade

Air cushion is provided below the fabric layers
Air blower blows the air to minimize the weight of
fabric.
Balls in air blower help to move the fabric in different
direction.
Plies are stapled together to prevent slippage
Used for precision cutting to a depth of up to 300mm
Corners, tight curves and pointed incisions are cut
precisely
Band knives are more accurate for small blocks or for
shaving small amounts off pre-cut blocks

BAND KNIFE CUTTING MACHINE

Advantages of Band Knife Cutting Machine:
Suitable for any types of line
Very large productivity for limited product
Such as collars, cuff, placket etc.
Automatic grinder grind the knife instantly
Air blower helps to reduce the fabric weight which increases smooth
movement of fabric.
Possible to cut 900 angle of the lay.
Intensity of accident is low.

Disadvantages of Band Knife Cutting Machine:

Not suitable for large component due to the length of the table.
Work load is high as machine is stationary & fabric is movable.
Running cost is higher, Fabric wastage is high.
Required fix space.
Not possible to cut fabric directly.

Stationary cutters: Die cutting

Dies are pre shaped metal outlines with one cutting
edge. When an operator engages the machine, the ram
head moves into the place above the die, applies tons of
pressure to the die, releases and returns to position.
Cutting action is vertical as the ram presses the die into
the surface of the fabric.
Most accurate means of cutting because each and every
piece is cut to the exact same shape.
Die cutting operation involves
Placement of fabric
Positioning the die on the fabric
Engaging the machine to press the die into the
fabric
Used mainly for leather, coated and laminated
materials
Areas where the same patterns are used over
a long period, e.g. collar, pocket flaps
Dies are generally made for those parts which are
generally standard in different styles.
Gloves and shoe industry are the two industries which
make maximum use of die cutting

DIE CUTTING MACHINE

Advantages of Die Cutter:
Very accurate and excellent for small components because
each and every piece is cut to the exact same shape.
The greater the blade movement , the faster the blade cuts
the fabric & more rapidly.
The operate can easily operate the Machine.

Transferring marks
Marks and notches are transferred from the
markers to the surface of garment parts to
facilitate sewing operations.
Operator depends on marks for alignment,
placement of parts and special treatments during
sewing.

Notchers
Notches can be cut by straight knife too but accuracy is
required.
Specialized notching equipment provides greater accuracy
because a guide lines up the notcher with the cut edge.
Hot notcher consists of a heating element (blade) that slightly
scorches the fibers adjacent to the notch . It is not ideal for

thermoplastic fibers because it will melt the fabric plies together.

Temperature and notch depth are adjustable
Two types of notches: Straight notch and V-notch

Drills and thread markers

Drill mount consists of motor, base plate with a hole and spirit
level
Used for reference markers , needed away from the edge of a
garment part, e.g. position of pockets, darts, etc.
A hole is drilled through the lay
Normally, cold drills are used, hole remains visible until the
sewing operator comes to use it
Loose weave hot drill is used which slightly scorches or fuse
the edges of the hole
Hypodermic (or dye spot) drill leaves small deposit of paint on each ply of fabric
ALL drill holes must eventually be concealed by the construction of the garmen

With multi-coloured, or loosely woven fabrics, or if it is important that no mark remains

on the fabric, a thread marker is used. A long thread may be passed through the lay which
is then cut with scissors between each ply, leaving a few centimetres visible on each
garment panel.

Automated / numerically controlled cutting systems

Automated Blade cutting:

Numerically controlled knives for accuracy and

speed
Information can be directly transferred to cutting
systems.
Central control unit operates: Cutting head, cutting
carriage, knife sharpener and conveyorized
cutting blade.
Bristle cutting surface, bristle allow passage of air
through the table to create vacuum, reducing
height of the lay and holding it in place.
Plastic film helps to reduced spread height and
eliminate fabric movement.

Automated Blade cutting

Very active & fast cutting by computer controlled
system.
Suitable for very large-scale production.
Speed of cutting can be controlled.
Cutting defects are less than other.
Less labor cost.
No need of marker paper.
Disadvantages
Very expensive machine.
Higher maintenance cost.

Automated / numerically controlled cutting systems

Laser Cutting

It is a V shaped beam of width of 0.004

inch.
Cutting speed= 30-40 m/min
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 vaporization.
Charring is prevented by the use of a jet
of inert gas which also removes debris
and smoke from the cutting area.
Heat produced tends to seal fabric
hence useful for fraying fabrics.
It can focus to limited depth.
Suitable for cutting single ply.
If several plies are cut, the accuracy is
not perfect as it is a V cut rather than a
straight line.
Lasers are not common for cutting
garments, but they have been used
successfully in home furnishings.

Automated / numerically controlled cutting systems

Plasma cutting
Cutting is achieved by means of a high velocity jet of high temperature ionized gas (argon)

It is a computer operated high speed single ply cutting device, that offers many of the same
features as a laser jet machine, but at a very low price.
Problems same as for laser cutting

Cutting
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 encounters the material to be cut, tearing the fibers on impact. As
the jet penetrates successive plies in a spread, the momentum decreases and
cutting ability is reduced.
The jet spreads out and the cut is wider and rougher at the bottom of the
spread.

There is a danger of wet edges, water spotting and inconsistent cutting

quality. The water used must be filtered and de-ionised.
Water jet cutting is most effective with harder sheet materials,including leather
and plastic.