Flow of Cutting Room

1. Pattern / Marker: According to the design and fit, patterns of different garment parts
are made on the pattern paper and cut into pattern pieces. For manual marker, these
pattern pieces are used for marker making. On the other hand, in CAD system patterns
are made on the computer. Later using a plotter marker are made on the sheet. In the
second case, the cutting department receives a ready marker.

2. Cut ratio receiving: Prior to cutting, cutting department get a job sheet from
planning department or merchandiser or production manager that includes total
quantity of garment pieces to be cut, sizes ratio of the garments and colour-wise size
break up. According to the size and colour ratio cutting team prepare one marker or
multiple markers. Marker length and number of lay to be cut are planned in this stage.

3. Fabric receiving: Fabric requirement for an order is calculated according to the

average consumption of the fabric from the marker. In case of multiple colour order,
colour wise requirement is made. Fabric department issue fabric to cutting against the
fabric requirement (generally requisition slip is used).

4. Spreading (Fabric Layering): In this stage, the fabric sheet is layered one above
another maintaining pre-defined maker length and correct ply tension. Fabric is
layered up to a certain height to avoid cutting quality problems. Spreading is done by
manual layering or automatic layering machine can be used. During layering of the
fabric, the fabric edge is aligned at one side.

5. Marker Making: After layering of a lay, pre-made paper patterns (or ready markers
made by plotter) are placed on the top layer of the lay. In manual marker making,
marking is done around each pattern shape using marking chalk. This process is called
marker making. In a marker, all garment components are placed.

6. Cutting: Lay is cut following the marked lines on the top of the lay. Cutting is done
using a straight knife or other cutting means. In the cutting process, the garment
components are separated. On the basis of pattern shape, different cutting
methods/machines are selected.

7. Numbering: Separated garment components are numbered to ensure that in stitching

all components from the same layer are stitched together. It is important to avoid
shade variation in a garment. Between the cutting and sewing processes cut
components may be passed through other processes like printing and embroidery.
There is a maximum chance of mixing the components. If there is a layer number in
each component then at the time of stitching only correct components will be stitched
together.
 8. Sorting: According to the production system (Make through, progressive bundle or
one-piece flow system) cut components are sorted. In sorting all components of a
garment placed together. Size-wise sorting and in case multiple colours are cut in a
single lay, colour wise sorting will be required.

9. Bundling: As per the production line requirement, a certain number of pieces with all
components are tied together. This process is known as bundling. Each bundle is
marked with bundle number, style name, size number and quantity of pieces in that
bundle. At this stage, cuttings are ready to send to a production line for stitching.

Pattern Making Software

The pattern making software is called a CAD system. The abbreviation of CAD is computer-
aided design. Nowadays the CAD system is a must-have software in garment export house,
medium, and large size garment business. A CAD system is used for pattern making as well
as for marker making, and pattern grading.

1. Tuka CAD: This product is from Tukatech. You can purchase TUKAcad pattern
design software suite or go for their subscription options with low capital investment.

2. Lectra: They provide pattern making software with the advanced solution for fashion
designing, 3D virtual prototyping.

3. Optitex: They have 2D and 3D pattern making a suit

4. Gerber Accumark: they have pattern making software for high-end customers.

5. Richpeace: They have pattern making software. It can be downloaded from their

website.

6. Etelestia: They have CAD software for pattern making, grading, pattern cutting

7. PAD Systems: A comprehensive and full-featured CAD pattern making software for
the apparel industry. PAD Pattern Design offers innovative and sophisticated features
including Clone, Made-To-Measure and more, to allow you to apply the most
powerful CAD tools for pattern design, pattern treatment, grading, mass
customization and custom-made tailoring.

8. Tanya Contour: This CAD software is for Auto-generating Patterns from

measurement specs. Auto-extraction of Patterns from their digital images, Pattern-
Designing, Grading and Marker-Making in a Garment enterprise.
Spreading Mechanisms
Different types of machines and equipment’s used in fabric spreading process. Basically, they
can be classified in three categories. They are:

 Manual spreading machines

 Semi-automatic spreading machines
 Fully automatic spreading machines

1. Spreading Table:
Spreading normally requires a flat, smooth surface. Spreading and cutting tables are
available in standard widths. A spreading table should be about 10″ wider than the
fabric width.
Specialised spreading tables are also available depending on the type of fabric and
cutting.
 One kind of spreading has an option of a row of pins that are placed below the
table surface and can be drawn-out above the table through slots for better
gripping of fabric in an accurate position for getting an accurate pattern
matching in case of repeats.
 Vacuum tables are also available to compress the lay and prevent sliding of
plies during cutting.
 The fabric can be spread on one table and then transferred to the cutting table.
With the air flotation facility in spreading tables, a lay can be transported
easily to the adjacent cutting table. A layer of air between the top of the table
and the bottom layer of paper reduces friction and allows a lay to be moved
easily.
 Spreading tables with a conveyor arrangement move the fabric from the
spreading table to the cutting table with ease to minimise the handling and
transportation time.

2. Solid Bar:
Even though this method is apparently unsound, this kind of spreading by two
workers is still used. There is no tension control in this type of spreading and
hypothetically can be used for any mode of spreading.

3. Stationary Rack:
This machine has basically two uprights fixed at the end of the table. A steel bar is
passed through the fabric roll and two spreaders, one on each side of the table, pulls
the fabric from one end of the table to the end of the spread length. After the fabric
ply is aligned and weighted at the end, the spreaders then smooth out any ridges or
wrinkles in the fabric and align the fabrics with respect to any one side of the fabric.

4. Drop-In Unwinder:
This equipment has a cradle with rollers that enclose the fabric roll. It is most
commonly used when the tube in the fabric roll is crushed or too small for the steel
bar in a stationary rack.
 5. Rolling Rack:
In the case of a rolling rack machine, it is understood that it rolls down the table
length with the fabric roll kept on it. The entire arrangement sits on a rail mounted on
both edges of the table and the wheels roll over it. Similar to other rolling machines,
the wheels on the far side of the machine ride on the top of the opposite edge of the
table. This method has no tension control on the fabric, hence apart from smoothing
out wrinkles and aligning the fabric edges, the spreader must cautiously unroll the
fabric slightly ahead of the speed that the machine is advanced.

6. Turntable:
It is another manually operated spreading machine. Similar to the rolling rack, it is
manually pushed down the table, and there is no control over fabric tension like the
rolling rack. Conversely, as the fabric roll is fixed on a rack that can easily be rotated.

7. Semi-automatic Rolling Rack:

Semi-automatic spreading machines are designed with electric eye edge sensors that
use a servo-motor to move the rack side to side to align the fabric selvedge on the
control side of the table.

8. Automatic Rolling Rack:

It has a drive motor and end switches that allow the machine to automatically drive
itself from beginning to the end of the table and back. The machine can be fitted with
an end cutter that would also automatically cut off the end for F/O/W, N/O/W
spreading. The fundamental components in this machine consist of carriage, wheels
travelling in guide rails at the top edge of the table, a fabric support and guide collars
to aid the perfect unrolling of the fabric. An advanced version of the spreading
machines consists of a platform for the spreader to walk, a motor to drive the carriage,
an automatic ply catcher and cutting device, a ply counting device, automatic ply
alignment system using photoelectric sensors and alignment shifters, a turntable and a
positive drive for the fabric support which is synchronised with the spreading speed to
minimise the fabric tension during spreading.

9. Automatic Turntable:
The common form of turntable has all the features of the automatic rolling rack, may
use a cut-off knife mechanism, and is self-powered. It requires the spreader to
manually rotate the fabric turntable rack when spreading. The fully automatic
turntable spreader is also capable of rotating the fabric as well.

Types of spreading mode

Fabric spreading mode is the manner in which fabric plies are laid out for cutting. The
spreading mode is determined by the fabric characteristics, quality standards of the firm, and
available equipment. Two fabric characteristics that determine the spreading mode are the
direction of fabric and the direction of the fabric nap.
 1. Face One Way/Nap One Way (FOW/NOW):
All the plies are spread with their face side up and in one direction. This is the most
commonly used spreading mode. 

2. Face One Way/Nap Either Way (FOW/NEW):

All the plies are spread with their face side up and in both directions. After a ply is
laid, it is cut from the fabric roll across its width. To ensure the face side is upwards
in all plies, the fabric roll has to be turned through 180° at the end of every ply.

3. Face Either Way/Nap One Way (FEW/NOW):

The first material ply is spread with its face side up. The ply is laid and then cut
from the fabric roll across its width. After or during the ‘dead heading’ procedure,
the fabric roll is turned through 180° and the next ply is spread in the same
direction with its face side down.

4. Face Either Way/Nap Either Way (FEW/NEW):

The fabric is spread in both directions. At the end of each ply, the fabric is folded
and spreading continues in the opposite direction. So, the first ply has its face side
up, the second ply has its face side down and the third ply is again face side.

Cutting Machineries and Equipment

1. Hand Shears: Hand shears are normally used when cutting only single or double
plies. The lower blade of the shears passes under the plies, and some distortion of the
fabric might occur which can be avoided with practice. Both left-handed and right-
handed shears are available for left or right-handed people. The major disadvantage of
the method lies in the time it consumes and the consequent high labour cost per
garment, but it is appropriate for made to measure garments.

2. Straight Knife: A straight knife is used where the quantities for cutting do not justify
the purchase of a computer-controlled cutter. The elements of a straight knife consist
of a base plate, usually on rollers for ease of movement, an upright or a standard
carrying a straight, vertical blade with varying edge characteristics and an electric
motor above it, a handle for the cutter to direct the blade, and a sharpening device.
The base plate on its rollers slides under the glazed paper which is spread below the
bottom ply of fabric in a lay. Normally, available blades heights vary from 10 cm to
33 cm and strokes vary from 2.5 cm to 4.5 cm. The greater the blade movement, the
faster the blade cuts the fabric and the more rapidly and easily the operator can push
the machine.
3. Round Knife: The elements of a round knife are a base plate, above which is
mounted an electric motor, a handle for the cutter to direct the blade, and a circular
blade rotating so that the leading edge cuts downwards into the fabric. Blade
diameters vary from 6 cm to 20 cm. Round knives are not suitable for cutting curved
lines in high lays because the blade does not strike all the plies simultaneously at the
same point as a vertical point does. Therefore, a round-knife is used only for straight
lines or lower no of lays of relatively few plies.

4. Band Knife: A 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. The band knife passes through a slot in the cutting table in a
fixed position and the section of the lay to be cut is moved past it. Band knives are
used when a higher standard of cutting accuracy is required than can be obtained with
a straight knife. Pieces to be cut are first cut on a block, and then cut exactly on a
band knife.

5. Notchers: Many garments require that notches be cut into the edges of them to enable
alignment during sewing with other garment parts. Specialized notching equipment
provides greater accuracy because a guide lines up the notcher with the cut edge to
give consistent depth of notch at a consistent right angle to the edge.

6. Drills and Thread Markers: Where reference marks are needed away from the edge
of a garment part, such as for the position of the pockets, darts and similar features, a
hole is often drilled through all the plies of fabric in the lay. The drill mounting
includes a motor, a base plate with a hole to allow the drill to pass through, and a
spirit level to ensure that the base is horizontal and hence the drill vertical. On many
fabrics, the drill is used cold and the hole remains visible until the sewing operator
comes to use it. On looser weave fabrics, where the hole may close up, a hot drill is
used which will slightly scorch or fuse the edges of the hole. A hypodermic drill may
be used which leaves a small deposit of paint on each ply of fabric. 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 each ply, leaving a few centimeters visible on each
garment panel. All drill holes must eventually be concealed by the construction of the
garment.
7. Computer Controlled Cutting Knives: This method provides the most accurate
possible cutting, at high speed, and to keep the larger systems fully occupied they are
frequently used in a central cutting facility that supplies a number of separate sewing
factories. A typical computer cutting system has a table with a cutting surface
consisting of nylon bristles which support the fabric lays but are flexible enough to
permit penetration and movement of the knife blade which is supported only at the
top. The bristles also allow the passage of air through the table to create a vacuum,
reducing the height of the lay and holding it in place. The carriage supporting the
cutting head has two synchronised servomotors, which drive it on tracks on the edges
of the table. The cutting head contains a knife, automatic sharpener and a further
servo motor which rotates the knife to position it at a tangent to the line of cut on
curves. A sheet of airtight polyethylene covers the top of the lay, which assists the
creation of a vacuum and allows significant compression of the lay. Control cabinet
houses the computer and the electrical components required to drive the cutter, its
carriage and the vacuum motor.

8. Die Cutting: Die cutting involves pressing of a rigid blade through the laid fabric.
The die is a knife in the shape of the pattern periphery, including notches. Free
standing dies generally fall into two categories. They can be of strip steel,
manufactured by bending the strip to the shape required and welding the joint. These
cannot be sharpened and must be replaced when worn. Alternatively, they can be a
heavier gauge, forged dies which can be re-sharpened but which are five times the
price of strip steel. They provide a high standard of accuracy of cutting but, because
of the cost of the dies, they are only appropriate to situations where large quantities of
the same pattern will be cut. Die cutting also offers much faster cutting than knife
cutting for the same depth of cut. It is proportionally more economic for small parts
which have a greater periphery in relation to their area.