© Folens 2009 Learning objectives/aims You must: recognize a range of basic equipment. describe how and when equipment is used. You should: should be able to identify a range of industrial machinery and classify them to show the types of jobs they do. You could: select appropriate tools and equipment correctly and use them. explain how these items benefit the manufacturer and consumer Tools and equipment

© Folens 2009 Tools and equipment There is a variety of specialist tools and equipment used in the textiles industry. Many processes are carried out by highly specialized machines, many of which are controlled by computers. Whilst some processes can be fully automated and done totally by machines, the soft, flexible nature of textiles materials and products often still means some human input is needed, which means many processes are semi-automated. Investment in specialist machinery can be expensive and a manufacturer will balance any investment against the added value a piece of equipment might bring to a product.

© Folens 2009 Fabric spreading CNC machines spread fabric out in layers ready to be cut. Konsan Fabric Spreader Machine

© Folens 2009 Hand-held cutting equipment Scissors Pinking shears Rotary cutter Unpicker/stitch ripper

© Folens 2009 Using pins Pins are used to hold things in place but they aren’t used in industry as workers are very skilled and don’t need them. Also, if a pin is left in a product a company could be sued, so not using them reduces the risk. Instead of pinning patterns onto fabric a CNC cutting machine is programmed to know where to cut, or paper patterns with a sticky coating can be ironed onto the top layer of fabric.

© Folens 2009 Industrial cutting equipment Hand-held cutting knives and band saws cut through many layers of fabric. Operators wear chain mail gloves to protect their hands and overhead flexes stop the flex being cut by the knife. Cutting machines can be run by a computer and, as well as knives, lasers and fast water jets, can be used for cutting.

© Folens 2009 Transferring pattern markings to fabric Pattern markings can be transferred onto lots of layers of fabric at the same time by using hot blades (hot notcher) or drills that go through fabric leaving tiny markings. Tailor’s chalk and pencils can be used to do this by hand.

© Folens 2009 Industrial machinery (1) Lockstitch machine A basic straight- stitch machine. Some machines have knee controls to lift the presser foot.

© Folens 2009 Industrial machinery (2) Overlocker This machine does a row of lockstitches and a row of zigzag stitches that neaten the fabric edge at the same time as cutting off the raw edge. It has two cutting knifes, so has to be used with care.

© Folens 2009 Industrial machinery (3) Attaching binding Attaching lace Attaching buttons

© Folens 2009 Industrial machinery (4) Attaching eyelets CAM embroidery machine Eton hanging system

© Folens 2009 Ironing and pressing equipment Industrial irons are computer controlled and ironing boards have vacuums to draw steam through the garment to give a more professional finish. Sleeve boards and other shaped, padded items can be used to access small, fiddly items. Steam dolly

© Folens 2009 Extension Describe how fabric cutting is done in industry. Include references to machinery. Revision tip The wording of this question could be changed to include any of the pieces of machinery in this PowerPoint ®.

© Folens 2009 Task 2: equipment Can you name the pieces of equipment that appear on the following slide?

© Folens 2009

Vocabulary Semi-/fully automated Fabric spreading CNC machine Scissors Rotary cutter Pinking shears Unpicker/stitch ripper Hand-held cutting knife Band saw Chain mail glove Hot notcher Hot drill Tailor’s chalk Lockstitch machine Overlocker Sleeve board Steam dolly Heat press Write down an explanation for three of the things you have learned about today.