Lecturer- 1

Introduction to Cutting Room

Cutting section of garment industry is one of the most important sections.

Accuracy of cutting is of supreme importance. Inaccurate cutting not only causes
hold-up in production but could also mean the costly re-cutting of components.
Excessive use of fabric together with inferior spreading & cutting techniques can
cause serious losses to the company.

Objectives of cutting
The objective of cutting is to separate fabric parts as replicas of the pattern pieces
in the marker. In achieving this objective, certain requirements must be fulfilled.
 Precision of the Cut: The garments must be cut with as much precision as
possible.
 Clean Edges: The edges of the fabric should be clean. Such defects come from
an imperfectly sharpened knife.
 Un-fused Edges: The built up of heat in the knife blade comes from the friction
of the blade passing through the fabrics. Solutions to this problem lies in well
sharpened blade, the use of anti-fusion paper, spraying the blade with silicon
lubricant, slowing down the speed of the cutting blade and reducing the height
of the lay.
 Support of the Lay: The cutting system must provide not only to support the
fabric but also to allow the blade to penetrate the lowest ply of a lay.

Objectives of cutting room

 The spreading of fabric to form a lay.
 To cut garment parts accurately and economically.
 To cut and keep garment parts in reserve with optimum quality & quantity so
that sewing section need not to be interrupted for input shortage.
Safety Instructions in Handling Cutting
 Areas near of cutting tables should be clearly marked, and their access should
be restricted by barriers.
 On motorized and automatic cutting tables the warning signals should be fitted
to indicate when blade is in motion.
 The metal gloves should be worn by the cutting operators on all times during
cutting work.
 There should be a regular check on the condition of the light, table fittings,
cutting knives etc.
 Only fully trained operatives should be allowed to work on knives.
 There should be an effective cleaning system in operation that prevents build up
of fluff thus reducing fire, health hazards.

What is clothing?
Clothing is assemblage of several parts together by means of a seam or stitch. Raw
material used for clothing is a TWO DIMENSIONAL FABRIC, but the finished
garment (clothing) is a three dimensional product which wraps around our body
giving proper fit and comfort ability.
The first stage in the manufacture of the garments is the cutting of the fabrics into
necessary pattern shapes.
Then the cut components are joined together by means of seams to create three
dimensional garments.

Working Procedure of Cutting Room

 Fabric Receive from Store Room
 Fabric Storing in Cutting Room
 Fabric Quality Check
 Fabric relaxation
 Fabric Loading & Spreading
 Marker Placing
 Cutting
 Sorting
 Numbering (Sticker Attaching)
 Bundling
 Cut Panel Check
 Parts Replace
 Fusing (if required)
 Re-Bundling
 Ready for Input

Different types of garment production systems

There are different ways to organize the production of garments, according to the
type, the quantity and the diversity of products to be made.
The number of items to be made and the rate of delivery of these items distinguish
individual production, batch production and mass production.
* Individual Production
* Batch Production
* Mass Production

 Individual Production
With individual production (making through) each product is made only once. The
system requires highly skilled, experienced operators and versatile machinery.
Example: made-to-measure costume.
The Individual Production best example is CUSTOM TAILORING.
  Batch Production
Batch production is used for larger, though fixed quantities of identical articles
either for stock or to order.
Examples: blouses, skirts

 Mass Production
Mass production means that large quantities of identical products are made
continuously. The high utilization of machinery and labour allows a high level of
automation and specialization.
Examples: T-shirts, work trousers

Machine & equipments used in cutting section in clothing industry

1. Pattern
2. Marker
3. Marker paper
4. Tracing wheel
5. Cutting table
6. Measuring tape
7. Pencil
8. Gum tape / scotch tape
9. Weight scale (machine)
10.Auto spreader (computer controlled)
11.Ruler
12.Scissors
13.Cutting machine:
- Straight knife
- Band knife
- Round knife
- Die press cutter
- Computer controlled cutting machine
14.Metal globes
15.Numbering machine / numbering sticker
16.Bundle card
17.Rack
18.Register book
 Activities of a cutting room
1. Fabric inspection
2. Cut Planning according to shipment schedule
3. Fabric, interlining receiving from store as per the plan.
4. Approved pattern receive from sample section / PD section
5. Marker receive from sample/CAD section
6. Marker generation or copying
7. Spreading as per cut plan
8. Cutting
9. Numbering
10. Cut panel checking
11. Fusing
12. Bundling
13. Racking
14. Embroidery & Print Parts delivery & receiving to the factory
15. Maintain receiving & issue register
16. Cut panel issue / supply to sewing floor
17. Keep all record perfectly.

Quality Control in Cutting Room

Mixed Plies of Different Shade
Mixed plies results in shaded garments parts when assembled. Shaded fabric lot delivered from
fabric suppliers without proper notification, lack of proper receiving and checking procedures of
the manufacturers, or no systemic standard for shade checking during spreading. Proper
separation of shade by proper markings can solve this problem.
Mixed size parts
Mixed size parts results in uneven appearance. Careless bundling after cutting or careless
handling of the sewing operation may cause this problem. Workers in the cutting and sewing
rooms should be careful about it.
Proper Tension
It is commonly found that garments panels gets smaller than required size after cutting although
the marker is correct. It is a frequent problem for stretchy knitted fabrics. If the fabric is stretched
in the rolls or if excessive tension is given during spreading or if the fabric is very extensible this
may happen. Relaxing the fabric over night before spreading and applying minimum tension to
stretchy fabric can solve this problem.
Marker
Check all the parts are there in the marker. Ensure that no markers are creased, damaged, or have
overlapped parts.
Marker Placement
Check that the marker placement with the fabric lay to verify that all cut pieces will be
completed after cutting.
Counting the plies
Count all plies at both ends. There should be no tolerance. Do not only record the problem make
sure to fix the problem immediately.

The Potential area in cutting room to be concentrated

Before going to cutting we have to also think the sewing capacity, delivery date, order quantity,
etc. Our target always should be to use minimum man power and time for cutting. We have in
mind that cutting consumption always should be less than allocated consumption.
There are different number of areas in the cutting room in which there are normally potential
savings (time, money, material) could be achieved. They are-
1. Cut order planning
2. Fabric faults detection
3. Pattern
4. Marker
5. Remnant (piece) waste
6. Cutting waste

Duties and responsibilities of a Cutter

As we know cutting section performs great role in any apparel industry and when the spread
fabric is going to cut to make garment components, of all 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 if
serious mistakes happen. So workers of cutting room should obey following duties and
responsibilities strictly:
* Have to check physically all cutting tools before start work to know their
effectiveness.
* Cutting department always has to follow factory planning department’s
instruction. So every day they should analyze production planning report and
emphasize on their request.
* Should collect approved sample which style going to cut to protect any fabric
item or garments part missing.
* Analyze approved sample and marker to erase consumption shortage.
* The marker should be checked very well before spreading.
* Have to check carefully between the fabric width and marker paper.
* Have to check fabric roll with color detail sheet carefully.
* Before starting cutting, brief all problems with supervisor or concern person.
* Remember if any mistakes happen by their negligence during their working hour,
they have to bear those responsibilities.
* End of the day evaluates daily performance and has to fix tomorrow’s goal.
* After cutting, machine should be well cleaned
* Cutter should be alert so that he does not fall any dirt on the floor or on the fabric
during cutting.
* Cut panel numbering and bundling have to finish carefully and dispatch quickly.
* If any mistakes happen during cutting, please notice it to supervisor at once.
* Remember everybody should work efficiently and finish their task perfectly to
expedite production.
Factories cannot be run and production output will not be smooth if cutting
department not performs well because cutting department is the feeding point of
any apparel industry. So production authority should always emphasize on cutting
departments need.
Cutting room Organism
 General Manager (Cutting)
 Cutting Room Manager /Assistant Manager/Cutting In-charge
 Cutting Supervisor
 Marker Man, Spreader, Cutter
 Assistants/Helper

Reference:
- Textile school
- Online clothing study
- Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials, 1st Edition by Vilumsone-Neme
- Spreading and Cutting of Apparel Products by P. Lakshmanakanth
- Technology of Clothing Manufacture by Carr & Latham
- Garments Manufacturing Technology by Saiful Azam