Method and system for producing a compression garment and customized garment thus produced

A method for modifying elastic properties of a garment comprising the steps of:

• providing a base garment with a fabric comprising elastic fibers, and having stretch of at least 15%;
• disposing said base garment on a supporting mannequin, the supporting mannequin having a plurality of supporting mannequin portions at a plurality of axial mannequin locations, the supporting mannequin including a plurality of heaters operable independently to independently heat said supporting mannequin portions at said axial mannequin locations wherein the base garment applies non-null compressions to said supporting mannequin portions as produced;
• determining target compressions to be exerted by said base garment at different axial garment locations associated with said plurality of axial mannequin locations, so that a compression garment exerts a desired elastic compression at the different axial garment locations when worn by said user;
• operating the heaters to heat the base garment at at least some of said supporting mannequin portions to lower the non-null compressions exerted by the base garment;
• and
• cooling the base garment once said target compression values are reached.

A system for performing a method for producing a compression garment for a user, the compression garment having a plurality of size circumferential lengths at different axial garment locations to apply compression to corresponding locations of the user when said compression garment is worn, the method comprising the steps of:

• a. producing a base garment with a woven fabric comprising elastic fibers, said fabric having a stretch of at least 15% when measured according to ASTM D3107;
• b. disposing said base garment on a supporting mannequin, the supporting mannequin including a plurality of heaters located at different axial heater locations of said supporting mannequin and independently operable;
• c. measuring actual compressions exerted by the base garment on the supporting mannequin via sensors located at a plurality of supporting mannequin portions at said different axial mannequin locations of said supporting mannequin corresponding to said different axial garment locations;
• d. determining target compressions to be exerted by said base garment at said different axial garment locations on the supporting mannequin at said different axial mannequin locations, so that the compression garment exerts the desired compression at the different axial garment locations when worn by said user;
• e. operating at least some of said heaters to heat said base garment at said different axial garment locations, so that the actual compressions exerted by the base garment are lowered to reach the target compressions;
• and
• f. cooling the base garment;
• wherein, in said step a, the base garment is produced so that, at said step b, non-null compressions are applied by the base garment to said supporting mannequin at said axial mannequin locations, said system comprising:
• the supporting mannequin with said plurality of supporting mannequin portions at said different axial mannequin locations;
• the plurality of independently operable heaters, said supporting mannequin portions disposed separate from one another;
• a cooling system configured to cool the base garment disposed on the supporting mannequin;
• the sensors configured to measure said actual compression at said different axial mannequin locations of said plurality of said supporting mannequin portions;
• and
• a programmable logic control (plc) control unit configured to receive compression data from said sensors and to independently operate said heaters to heat said supporting mannequin portions for a required time as a function of said compression data.