Automatic means of accurately detecting and cutting fabric panels

A method of forming a pattern printed pillow case comprising the steps of:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web while moving the web in a first direction, the fabric web being susceptible to stretching or shrinking;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a) disposing a magnetic mark on the fabric web in a known position adjacent each pattern in the direction of fabric movement;
• (c) providing a portion of the fabric web so that it has a width generally comparable to the width of the pillow case to be formed;
• (d) folding over the web portion so that the pattern face of the web portion is folded in half, with the pattern faces abutting each other;
• (e) forming a side hem on the web portion;
• (f) detecting the magnetic mark on the web portion and rough cutting the web portion at a known position with respect to the mark, the cutting being performed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a cut;
• and
• (g) fine cutting the web portion and forming an end seam at the cut, the position of the cut as set forth in step (f) relative to the known position of the mark lying closely adjacent one another and at least within a discrete pattern length.

A method of forming a pattern printed textile product comprising the steps of:

• (a) printing a pattern of a fabric web while moving in a first direction, the fabric web being susceptible to stretching or shrinking;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a) disposing magnetic marks on the fabric web to define perimeter cut lines for subsequent use in manufacture of the textile fabric product from the fabric web;
• (c) subsequently detecting the magnetic mark perimeter cut lines on the fabric, and cutting the fabric along the perimeter cut lines to produce fabric panels, the position of the cut lines relative to the position of the marks lying closely adjacent one another and at least within a distance less than the length a discrete panel extends in said first direction;
• and
• (d) forming the fabric panels into a final textile product.

A method forming pattern printed textile products having the pattern properly positioned at desired locations on the textile product, comprising the steps of automatically:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web moving in a first direction, the fabric web being susceptible to stretching or shrinking;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a), disposing a detectable mark, distinct from the pattern, on the textile in a known position adjacent the pattern in the first direction;
• (c) subsequently detecting the mark on the fabric web and cutting the web at a known position with respect to the mark to form a web section with a known position of a pattern thereon, the position of the cut relative to the known position of the mark lying closely adjacent one another and at least within the length of the web section;
• and
• (d) forming the web section into a final textile product.

A method of forming a pattern printed pillow case comprising the steps of:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web while moving the web in a first direction, the fabric web being susceptible to stretching or shrinking;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a) disposing a detectable mark on the fabric web in a known position adjacent the pattern in the direction of fabric movement and to define web panels having discrete lengths;
• (c) providing a portion of the fabric web so that it has a width generally comparable to the width of the pillow case to be formed;
• (d) folding over the web portion so that the pattern face of the web portion is folded in half, with the pattern faces abutting each other;
• (e) forming a side hem on the web portion;
• (f) detecting the detectable mark on the web portion and rough cutting the web portion at a known position with respect to the mark, the cutting being performed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a cut;
• and
• (g) fine cutting the web portion and forming an end seam at the cut.

A method forming pattern printed textile products having the pattern properly positioned at desired locations on the textile product, comprising the steps of:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web moving in a first direction;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a), disposing a magnetic mark on the textile in a known position adjacent the pattern in the first direction;
• (c) subsequently detecting the magnetic mark on the fabric web and cutting the web at a known position with respect to the mark to form a web section with a known position of a pattern thereon;
• (d) forming the web section into a final textile product;
• (e) providing the pattern printed web so that it defines a web portion moving in the first direction having a width generally equal to twice the width of the pillow case to be produced;
• (f) folding the web section over in a dimension perpendicular to the first direction;
• (g) producing a side hem on the folded over web portion;
• and wherein step (c) is practiced by:
• (h) detecting the magnetic mark at each position adjacent the pattern, in the direction of web movement;
• (i) rough cutting the web portion in a dimension perpendicular to the first direction in response to the web detection;
• and
• (j) fine cutting the web while forming an end seam adjacent the cut of the web portion;
• and wherein step (i) is practiced by temporarily stopping the movement of the web portion in the first direction and cutting while stopped;
• and wherein step (j) is practiced by simultaneously effecting cutting and end hemming, and practicing the cutting so that a portion of the fabric with the magnetic mark thereon is cut off.

A method of forming a pattern printed pillow case comprising the steps of:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web while moving the web in a first direction;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a) disposing a magnetic mark on the fabric web in a known position adjacent the pattern in the direction of fabric movement;
• (c) providing the fabric web so that it has a width generally comparable to the width of the pillow case to be formed;
• (d) folding over the web portion so that the pattern face of the web portion is folded in half, with the pattern faces abutting each other;
• (e) forming a side hem on the web portion;
• (f) detecting the magnetic mark on the web portion and rough cutting the web portion at a known position with respect to the mark, the cutting being performed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a cut;
• and
• (g) fine cutting the web portion and forming an end seam at the cut by simultaneously effecting cutting and end hemming, and practicing the cutting so that a portion of the fabric with the magnetic mark thereon is cut off.

A method of forming a pattern printed pillow case comprising the steps of:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web while moving the web in a first direction;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a) disposing a magnetic mark on the fabric web in a known position adjacent the pattern in the direction of fabric movement;
• (c) providing the fabric web so that it has a width generally comparable to the width of the pillow case to be formed;
• (d) folding over the web portion so that the pattern face of the web portion is folded in half, with the pattern faces abutting each other;
• (e) forming a side hem on the web portion;
• (f) detecting the magnetic mark on the web portion and rough cutting the web portion at a known position with respect to the mark, the cutting being performed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a cut;
• and
• (g) fine cutting the web portion and forming an end seam at the cut to cut off the magnetic mark from the final pillow case being produced.

A method of forming pattern printed textile pillow cases having the pattern properly positioned at desired locations on the textile pillow case, comprising the steps of automatically:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web moving in a first direction;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a), disposing a detectable mark, distinct from the pattern, on the textile in a known position adjacent the pattern in the first direction;
• (c) subsequently detecting the mark on the fabric web and cutting the web at a known position with respect to the mark to form a web section with a known position of a pattern thereon;
• (d) forming the web section into a final textile product;
• (e) providing the pattern printed web so that it defines a web portion moving in the first direction having a width generally equal to twice the width of the pillow case to be produced;
• (f) folding the web section over in a dimension perpendicular to the first direction;
• (g) producing a side hem on the folded over web portion;
• and wherein step (c) is practiced by:
• (h) detecting the mark at each position adjacent the pattern, in the direction of web movement;
• (i) rough cutting the web portion in a dimension perpendicular to the first direction in response to the web detection;
• and
• (j) fine cutting the web while forming an end seam adjacent the cut of the web portion;
• wherein step (i) is practiced by temporarily stopping the movement of the web portion in the first direction and cutting while stopped;
• and wherein step (j) is practiced by:
• simultaneously effecting cutting and end hemming, and practicing the cutting so that a portion of the fabric with the detectable mark thereon is cut off.

A method of forming a pattern printed pillow case comprising the steps of:

• (a) printing a pattern on a fabric web while moving the web in a first direction;
• (b) in synchronization with step (a) disposing a detectable mark on the fabric web in a known position adjacent the pattern in the direction of fabric movement;
• (c) providing the fabric web so that it has a width generally comparable to the width of the pillow case to be formed;
• (d) folding over the web portion so that the pattern face of the web portion is folded in half, with the pattern faces abutting each other;
• (e) forming a side hem on the web portion;
• (f) detecting the detectable mark on the web portion and rough cutting the web portion at a known position with respect to the mark, the cutting being performed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a cut;
• and
• (g) fine cutting the web portion and forming an end seam at the cut by simultaneously effecting cutting and end hemming, and practicing the cutting so that a portion of the fabric with the detectable mark thereon is cut off.