Quilted fabric panel cutter

An apparatus for cutting a quilted material web having a quilted pattern into a panel, the panel having a width and length with the quilted pattern disposed therein, the quilted material web being movable in a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to a length of the quilted material web, the apparatus comprising:

• a cross cutting apparatus being movable in a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction for cutting the quilted web material to form end edges of the panel extending in the transverse direction;
• a length detector for detecting an edge of the quilted material web and being movable in the longitudinal direction to a position displaced from the cross cutting apparatus by a distance substantially equal to the length of the panel;
• a camera movable in the longitudinal direction to a position displaced from the cross cutting apparatus a distance substantially equal to one-half the length of the panel, the camera being operable to detect a center of the quilted pattern on the quilted material web;
• and
• a pair of trim blades, each of the trim blades being movable to a position on an opposite side of the center of the quilted pattern, and the pair of trim blades being operable to cut the quilted material web to form opposed side edges of the panel extending in the longitudinal direction equidistant from the center of the quilted pattern.

A method of cutting a quilted material web having a quilted pattern into a panel, the panel having a width and length with the quilted pattern disposed therein, the quilted material web being movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to a length of the quilted material web, the method comprising:

• applying a center mark to the quilted material web, the center mark identifying a center of the desired quilted pattern;
• moving the quilted material web in the longitudinal direction;
• detecting the center mark;
• stopping motion of the quilted material web in response to detecting the center mark;
• and
• cutting the quilted web material to form opposed side edges of the panel extending in the longitudinal direction equidistant from the center of the quilted pattern.

A method of cutting a quilted material web having quilted patterns into panels, each of the panels having a width and a length with a respective quilted pattern disposed therein, the quilted material web being movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to a length of the quilted material web, the method comprising:

• applying center marks to the quilted material web, the center marks identifying centers of respective quilted patterns;
• providing a cross cutting apparatus for cutting end edges of respective panels;
• providing a length detector for detecting end edges of respective panels;
• providing a trimming apparatus for cutting side edges of the panel;
• providing a center detector for detecting the centers of the quilted pattern;
• moving the center detector to a position displaced from the cross cutting apparatus by a distance substantially equal to one-half the length of the panel;
• moving the quilted material web in the longitudinal direction;
• detecting a position of a center mark;
• stopping motion of the quilted material web in response to detecting the position of the center mark;
• moving the trimming apparatus to a position centering the center mark with respect to the trimming apparatus;
• operating the cross cutting apparatus to form a first end edge of the panel;
• moving the length detector to a position displaced from the center mark by a distance substantially equal to the length of the panel;
• moving the quilted material web in the longitudinal direction;
• simultaneously operating the trimming apparatus to cut opposed side edges of the panel substantially equidistant from the center mark;
• detecting the first end edge with the length detector;
• stopping motion of the quilted material web in response to detecting the first end edge;
• operating the cross cutting apparatus to form a second end edge of the panel, the first end edge and the second end edge being equidistant from the center mark.

A method of processing a material web comprising:

• applying a center mark to the material web, the center mark having a known dimensional relationship to a center of a pattern to be quilted in the material web;
• quilting the pattern in the material web;
• subsequently moving the material web in a longitudinal direction;
• detecting the center mark;
• stopping motion of the material web in response to detecting the center mark;
• and
• cutting the web material to form a panel of web material, the panel of web material having edges substantially equidistant from the center of the pattern quilted in the material web.