Automated garment manufacturing using continuous webs of fabric
AssigneeCreateMe Technologies LLC
InventorsNicholas Chope, Eric Berner Strom, Khamvong Thammasouk, Yongqiang Li
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Abstract
Embodiments herein describe automated systems and methods to assemble a garment, such as a T-shirt. Some embodiments provide for systems and methods for transferring and manipulating fabrics and joining garment components during garment manufacturing in a way that is more suitable to automation. Some embodiments provide for garment manufacturing systems and methods that are reconfigurable to enable both mass production of customized garments and small batch processing with reduced human intervention.
Claims12
A system for automated manufacturing of garments, the system comprising:
- a first fabric transport system configured to move a first web of fabric from a first fabric roll;
- a second fabric transport system configured to move a second web of fabric from a second fabric roll;
- an adhesion system comprising an adhesive dispenser configured to apply an adhesive to at least part of at least one of the first web of fabric or the second web of fabric;
- a plurality of relaxer stations configured to relax the first web of fabric and the second web of fabric, wherein:
- each relaxer station of the plurality of relaxer stations comprises an air table configured to force air through perforations in a surface of the air table and against the first web of fabric or the second web of fabric to relax the first web of fabric or the second web of fabric, and wherein at least of portion of the plurality of relaxer stations are positioned before the adhesion system;
- and
- a plurality of fabric preparation systems configured to provide slack in at least one of the first web of fabric or the second web of fabric while the first fabric transport system moves the first web of fabric and the second fabric transport system moves the second web of fabric, wherein each fabric preparation system of the plurality of fabric preparation systems comprises:
- a motorized roller configured to feed the first web of fabric or the second web of fabric;
- and
- a non-contact measurement sensor for measuring the slack in the first web of fabric or the second web of fabric, wherein the motorized roller adjusts a rotation rate based on the non-contact measurement sensor;
- and
- a cutting station configured to cut the coupled first and second webs of fabric into a garment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.