Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

utting is the process in which fabric is cut in required pieces and then its send to the production department where they are assembled into the garment.

4.1.1 IMPORTANCE OF CUTTING

As a unit, the cutting room has a greater effect on excessive manufacturing costs than any other department concerned with the actual production of garments. These excess costs can be divided into two groups:

INTERNAL COSTS
Those incurred in the cutting room itself. Labour Materials Efficiency

EXTERNAL COSTS
Those incurred by other departments as a result of the malfunctions of the cutting room. Co-ordination Defects Matching Accuracy Sewing Shading Quality

The common factors between these two groups are efficiency and quality, and each influences the other.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

4.2 PRODUCTION PROCESSES IN THE CUTTING ROOM

Irrespective of size, all cutting rooms use the same basic system to produce cut work, with the raw materials going through the same operations in the same sequence. The factor distinguishing the operations of one cutting room from another is the level of technology employed. Cutting production starts with the receipt of inspected raw materials, production orders and graded patterns and finishes when bundles of cut work are issued for sewing. The total process has four stages Planning Spreading Cutting Preparation for sewing

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

4.2.1 PLANNING
The inputs to this function are the cut order plan, which contains detailed instructions regarding the cutting markers to be planned and/ or copied from existing markers, and a graded set of patterns for the style to be cut. The graded patterns can be cut out in pattern paper or may exist in the memory of a dedicated computer. The operation itself consists of planning the layout of the pattern components so as to ensure the most economical use of materials and can be performed by one of three methods: The marker planner uses full-size patterns and arranges them in the most economical fashion on marker paper. This is a specially printed paper having symbols on it which enable the marker planner to visually control the positioning of components according to their specified grain lines. The full-size patterns are reduced, generally to a 1:5 scale, to facilitate the work of the marker planner. The miniature patterns are then arranged on a planning board with the cloth width represented at the same scale. When the marker has been planned it is photographed, and this is used as a guide for preparing the full-sized marker. Computerized systems are used and the marker planner works interactively with the system to plan the markers, which can then be used for manual or computer controlled cutting. The markers can be produced on paper, which is fixed to the spread with pins or staples, or on an adhesive paper which is heat-sealed to the top ply of the spread. For computerized cutting, the marker is held in position by the vacuum used to compress the spread and keep it stables.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

4.2.2 SPREADING
This is a preparatory operation for cutting and consists of laying plies of cloth one on top of the other in a pre-determined direction and relationship between the right and wrong sides of the cloth. The composition of each spread, i.e. the number of plies of each color is obtained from the cut order plan. The spreads can be of two basic types:

FLAT SPREADS
All the plies are of the same length;

STEPPED SPREADS
This, as the name suggests, is built up in steps, with all the plies in one step having the same length. A stepped spread is generally used when for some reason the imbalance between the quantities to be cut precludes the use of a flat spread. The cut order plan details the colors and ply lengths for stepped spread it is needed.

In which unwinding large rolls of fabric into long, wide tables. Following point are noted for spreading Each layer lay in opposite direction from the one below it. For non directional prints and solids Each layer of fabric laid in same direction

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters For directional prints and napped fabrics. Range height Marker width Marker length Plies Table number Number of panels

4.2.3 CUTTING
This is the major operation of the cutting room, when the spread fabric is cut into garments. Of all of the operations in the cutting room this is the most decisive, because once the fabric has been cut, very little can be done to rectify serious mistakes. Cutting requires the use of different types of tools and some of their main features are:

POWERED SCISSORS
These are used for cutting one or two plies and are often used in the sample room.

ROUND KNIVES
This is a very fast machine excellent (or cutting straight lines or gradual curves. Blade sizes range from 4 cm to 20 cm in diameter and the effective cutting height is about 40 percent of the blade diameter.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

STRAIGHT KNIFE
The workhorse of most cutting rooms, the straight knife, if correctly used, is versatile and accurate enough for most purposes.

BAND KNIFE
The narrow blade of this machine allows the finest of shapes to be cut very accurately. Some band knife machines have air flotation tables, which support the block of work on a fine air cushion, enabling the cutter to maneuver the work during cutting with the minimum disturbance to the plies.

SERVO-ASSISTED CUTTING
This consists of a straight knife-cutting machine on an articulated arm at the side of the cutting table. The system has a servo-drive, which enables the cutting machine to be moved easily in all directions while maintaining the right angle between the blade and the table.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

PRESS CUTTING
This process involves the use of a hydraulic press which forces a shaped metal cutting die through a pile of material and is mostly used when large quantities of small components have to be cut very accurately. Press cutting is also often used for cutting many of the components for leather and suede garments.

COMPUTER CONTROLLED CUTTING

The input for this operation comes from the markers generated on computerized marker planning systems. The marker data is transferred to the cutting unit by means of tapes, floppy discs, and streamers or directly from the marker planning system itself. Computerized cutting is six to eight times faster than any manual method and produces cut components with a consistent level of accuracy. Although a computerized cutting system requires a substantial initial investment, it is considered to be the most effective investment for large-scale cutting production. Less expensive systems are avai1able for factories having smaller quantities to cut and these systems also pay their way.

4.2.4 PREPARATION FOR SEWING

The next group of operations is concerned with preparing the cut components for sewing, and includes the following.

POSITION MARKING
This operation marks components with guides for sewing and other operations. A drill marker used-for-marking-pocket-positions, dart lengths etc. The mark itself can be a very small hole or a mark made by a chalk-based liquid taken through the spread by the drill flutes. Bundle of garments can be packed into one box, or each of the major components packed in its own container ready to be issued to different preparation and sub-assembly sections in the factory. Alternatively, if unit production systems are used, the components for single garments can be loaded directly into the system from the cutting table.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

BUNDLE TICKETS
These tickets identify each bundle and in themselves play an important role in production planning and control for the sewing and finishing sections. The tickets themselves can be in alphanumeric form or bar-coded, and in both cases they can be computer generated.

4.3 TYPES OF CUTTING

4.3.1 HAND CUTTING
A pair of scissors or cutting blade is used to cut the required panels or patterned pieces as according to the pattern design.

BLUE STREAK II (HAND CUTTER)

4.3.2 COMPUTERIZED CUTTING

The input for this operation comes from the markers generated on computerized marker planning systems. The marker data is transferred to the cutting unit by means of tapes, floppy discs, and streamers or directly from the marker planning system itself. Computerized cutting is six to eight times faster than any manual method and produces cut components with a consistent level of accuracy. Although a computerized cutting system requires a substantial initial investment, it is considered to be the most effective investment for large scale cutting production. Less expensive systems are avai1able for

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters factories having smaller quantities to cut and these systems also pay their way.

4.3.3 LASER CUTTING

Laser cutters guided by computer help the cutting in such a way that the machine automatically operates at the assigned places on the fabric surface. It can prove to be the most accurate cutting device. Not only because it is computer guided but also because the cutter is a laser beam. While cutting manually people can shiver, loose their concentrations or do something silly and they can create a mess of not just their selves but the bundle of fabric to be cut (lay).

GROUPING OF THE CUT PIECES:

After the cutting of fabric, its assembled into groups and these can group into different ways . Garment size Color dye lot Quantity of units for production process All this process is done by hand. After the cutting process Inspection report is prepared in which following points are noted: Selvedge Splices

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters Notches Ends Narrow goods Shapes Rounds Check with pattern Check to ply with bottom ply and compare both to pattern or paper marker

4.4 QUALITY

CONTROL

IN

CUTTING

DEPARTMENT
Good sewing begins with good cutting. Bad cutting result in sewing defect, excessive repairs, and slowed production.

4.4.1 STAFF FOR CUTTING INSPECTION

The quality control inspectors responsibilities include assisting the cutting foreman or supervisor to identify cutting problems and take corrective action. Unless the cutting department staff is unusually large, one inspector is usually adequate for cutting inspection responsibilities. Smaller suppliers may split an inspectors time between cutting and other inspection functions, provided both departments are near each other.

4.4.2 PROCEDURES FOR CUTTING INSPECTION

The in process sample inspection procedures used in the cutting room are similar to those used in the sewing room. However, some cutting operations (such as spreading) must be audited during the actual operation. The frequency of sampling for each operation should be based on the possibilities of problems. Inspect the work of new people or identified problems people more often.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

4.4.2.1 RANDOM SAMPLING

Effective inspection requires random examination of cutting operations. An inspector should not establish a routine such as auditing in the morning and in the sewing rooms in the afternoon. Make every effort to get a fair representation of the cutting production by making random checks.

4.4.2.2 CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS

SPREADING CHEAKS The quality control inspector should check the work of each spreader for the following: Marker placement

Check that the marker is placed on the spread with the edges parallel to the selvedge of the piece goods. Verify that all cut pieces will be complete. Shading

Check for shading. Unless all parts are marked it is essential to have a system to control shading. Table marks

Check for table marks as the label is marked. Allow no minus tolerance for the splices. Markers

Ensure that no markers are creased, damaged, or have overlapped parts. Splices

After completion to the spread check splice laps to see that both plies extend past the marked splice by no less than inch and no more than 1 inch Tension

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters Check tension during spreading, and before cutting. Count all plies at both ends. There is no tolerance.

Leaning

Check carefully to ensure that one edge of the fabric is square to tabletop. Visually inspect the alignment of the edge with the tabletop. Calculate the defect rate for the spreader by dividing the number of defects found by the ply height. CUTTING CHEAKS The quality control inspector should check each cutter at a 2.5 Acceptance Quality Level (AQL) based on the number of parts being cut. The quality control inspector should check for: Miss-cut

Check for miss-cut, or the failure of the cutter to split the line. Tolerance is 1/16 inch. Report all defects to the cutting supervisor. Matching plies

Check the top ply with the bottom ply. Compare both to a hard pattern or the paper marker. Comparison to a hard pattern is best. Tolerance is 1/8 inch. Report each defect found to the cutting supervisor. Ragged cutting

Check for ragged cutting according to the standards for your product. This is a judgement defect. It is more important on critical parts. Notches

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters Check the notch location, patching the pattern over top ply. Tolerance is 1/8 inch.

Pattern check

Compare the pattern to marker paper to ensure that the marker was correct. Often changes are made in patterns to adjust for production problems. Some suppliers note such changes on the pattern and/or marker and not allow changing it.

4.4.3

IN-PROCESS AUDITING

The primary purpose of in-process auditing is to identify problems early in the production process; the operator, the machine, cutting, sewing or other factors may cause a problem. In-process audit helps us to find the specific problems in production and make able to correct them.

4.4.3.1 IN-PROCESS AUDITING INSPECTORS

The number of inspectors needed for in-process auditing depends on the level of quality projected for the final audit. A tool that we can use to project the quality level of our final production is to have a qualified inspector audit all outgoing merchandise, after it final inspection, for one to two weeks. This data will usually establish the quality level of inprocess production and will identify problems in operations. The desired ratio of inspectors is one inspector to every 30 operators. Provided the outgoing quality is within the established Acceptable Quality Level (AQL), the ratio of inspectors to operators can be decreased. It is recommended that all operators be audited a minimum of twice day. Another factor that will affect the ratio is the turnover rate of your operators. All sewing trainees should be closely monitored until audits assure that they meet our quality level.

4.4.3.2 IN-PROCESS AUDITING TOOLS

Below is suggested list of tools that the in-process inspector will need:

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

Forms to record data Sampling plan with allowance defects Work station/area to perform the inspection. It is very important that this inspection area have good lighting. Written quality standards. Visual examples on the sewing floor to illustrate how the product should be made. Tape measure (soft, such as fiberglass-reinforced cloth for apparel. A retractable metal tape can be used on some soft home furnishing items such as king size bedspreads). Apparel Design Appraisal Report (ADAR). inch masking tape or other obvious marker to identify defects.

4.4.3.3 SAMPLING PLAN FOR IN-PROCESS AUDITING

A sampling plan contains the statistically calculated number of sample items to inspect and the number of defects allowed. The following is the recommended sampling plan for in-process auditing that specifies the number of sample items to inspect and the number of defective units allowed. Number of items to inspect: the sampling plan for in-process auditing requires the inspection of seven sample items per bundle (up to 180 units). Acceptable Quality Level: the Acceptable Sampling Level, or AQL, is the percentage of defective units that buyer has established as acceptable for the product being tested. The suppliers in-process audit uses a lower AQL than the final audit; otherwise, the final audits could fail because of the high rate of defects accepted during in-process auditing. Therefore, anytime the in-process inspector finds one defective unit out of seven inspected, the bundle must be 100-percent inspected. Sampling Plan For In-Process Auditing

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters Units in bundle Up to 180 Units to be inspected 7 Defective units allowed 0

Do not have the in-process inspector do the 100-percent inspection on rejected bundles. It reduces the number of bundles audited each day. For product that is not in bundle form, it is recommended that a statistical inspection based on a 2.5 AQL be performed on a constantly controlled quantity of production.

4.4.3.4 PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES FOR IN-PROCESS AUDITING

The following is the recommended procedure for auditing sample units: The inspector should audit completed finished bundles. Do not allow the inspector to stand behind the operator and inspect units as the operator sews. The inspector must select units at random from within bundle. The inspector must inspect exactly the number of units called for on the sampling plan. No more, no less. Depending on your operation (floor space, size of bundle, weight of bundle, lighting conditions), the location for the inspection process will vary. We should establish with our inspector a fully equipped and well-lighted workstation. It may be preferable that this station be portable. The inspector must rove the floor. This means that he or she should not establish a routine. The operators should not be able to guess which bundles of work will be audited. If we have ore than one inspector, rotate them so that the same inspector does not inspect the same operators for too long. A suggested practice is to change inspectors every week. This provides us with a method for evaluating inspectors, by comparing one inspector to another with regard to the same operator. Quality levels for an operator should not fluctuate due to change of inspector. If the inspector finds a defective unit, the following corrective action steps should be taken:

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

If the inspector finds a defective unit, he or she must tie a red ticket to the

bundle containing it and identify the defective unit with red tape or pins so that the sewing supervisor can find it easily. The inspector gives all rejected bundles to the sewing supervisor. The sewing supervisor gives each rejected bundle to the operator who

produced it, and explains what caused the defects, and how to repair them, the inspector must inspect all units in the rejected bundle and repair them all. To ensure that the problem has been corrected, the inspector re-audits the corrected bundle by inspecting seven units at random from the entire bundle. Some suppliers allow the supervisor to do the re-audit, to provide a teamwork attitude between the supervisor and the inspector. Evidence shows that this makes the supervisor feel a part of the total quality control program. Other suppliers prefer that the inspector do the re-audit. The important thing is that, no matter who does it, the re-audit be done well. Once a bundle has been rejected, the inspector must continue a audit every bundle produced by the operator until three bundles in succession are audited and passed. After passing the third bundle, the operator returns to routine auditing. The purpose of in-process auditing is to direct attention to the identified problem. Use feedback from the final statistical audits to decide the frequency of in-process auditing. When the quality control supervisor identifies a problem, he should try to determine the cause. Is the in-process inspector unable to find the defect? Or the problem due to not enough audits on certain operations or operator?

HANDLING REJECTED BUNDLES

When the inspector rejects a bundle, he initiates a five-part rejection ticket. Some suppliers use red hard paper for each identification, and perforate the form for tearing apart. The sample below, which we may modify to fit our individual needs, offers a suggested outline.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters

3rd Follow Up N 2174
0

2nd Follow Up N 2174

0

1st Follow Up N 2174

0

Re-Inspect N 2174 Operator________ Bundle no.______ Operation no.____

0

QC Stub N0 2174 Bundle_______ Operation no.___ Time________ date_________

Operator________

Operator________

Operator________

Time___________ Date___________

10E

10D

10C

10B

10A

On the ticket marked QC Stub, the inspector enters the cut number, bundle number, operators name or operation number, time and date. The inspector tears off the sub ticket and keeps it. The inspector enters the operators name on the other four tickets, places these tickets with the rejected bundle, and takes the bundle to the sewing supervisor for review. The sewing supervisor explains the problem to the operator, shows the operator how to repair or correct the problem, and instructs the operator to 100-percent inspect the entire bundle, making all necessary repairs before starting to work on other bundle. It is very important that the operator correct the rejected bundle immediately: otherwise, the operator may allow the rejected bundle to lay it at the machines for hours or days. After the bundle is inspected and repaired, the operator attaches the re-inspect ticket to the bundle for delivery to the quality control inspector for re-auditing. The operator retains the other three tickets and attaches the 1st follow up, 2nd follow up, 3rd follow up tickets to the next three bundles produced for delivery to the sewing supervisor. The sewing supervisor is responsible for seeing that the rejected bundles and the next three bundles produced are submitted to the inspector. The inspector advises that the supervisor if excessive time was taken to correct a rejected bundle or to submit the next three bundles produced.

Cutting Department and its Quality Parameters After clearing the operator for normal auditing, the inspector destroys the tickets used. However, should anyone of the three follow-up bundles fail, the operator is given another set of three follow-up tickets.

4.4.3.5 RECORD KEEPING FOR IN PROCESS-AUDITING

We must maintain a record or a report form for each individual operator that shows the following: Operator name and time-clock number Operation and/or operation number Sewing supervisor and line number Daily log off audits showing units inspected and units found defective, with details of each defect. Weekly summary to show total units inspected, total defects found, and percent defective The format of the report is up to us. Some suppliers find it easier to keep the individual report at the operator station so that the management and the quality control supervisor can review it as they walk the sewing floor. Others have the quality control inspector carry the reports in folder or on a clipboard. Some suppliers have their quality control inspector total previous days audits at the beginning of each working day. Other performs the calculations at regular, but less frequent intervals.