U.S. patent application number 16/560274 was filed with the patent office on 2020-03-05 for flexible material transport system.
This patent application is currently assigned to GERBER TECHNOLOGY LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is GERBER TECHNOLOGY LLC. Invention is credited to Thomas Andrew GORDON, Mark JOHANSEN, Nicholas JOURILES, Elizabeth KING, Karsten H. NEWBURY, Brett POULIN.
Application Number | 20200071111 16/560274 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67957457 |
Filed Date | 2020-03-05 |
View All Diagrams
United States Patent
Application |
20200071111 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
NEWBURY; Karsten H. ; et
al. |
March 5, 2020 |
FLEXIBLE MATERIAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM
Abstract
A flexible material transport system for fabric and a system for
continuous fabric workflow is presented. The flexible material
transport system comprises a printing machine, a material web
transporter connected to the printing machine, a material
accumulator connected to the material web transporter, and a
cutting machine connected to the material accumulator, wherein the
material accumulator is configured to feed printed fabric from the
material web transporter into the cutting machine, and wherein the
material web transporter comprises a plurality of rollers
configured to control movement of the fabric from the printing
machine to the material accumulator and onto the cutting machine.
The system can also comprise a heater and/or an image scanner. The
system for continuous fabric workflow comprises two or more of the
flexible material transport systems. Information regarding the
fabric can be tracked for local or centralized reporting and
additional data processing.
Inventors: |
NEWBURY; Karsten H.;
(Frisco, TX) ; KING; Elizabeth; (Tolland, CT)
; JOURILES; Nicholas; (Tolland, CT) ; GORDON;
Thomas Andrew; (Glastonbury, CT) ; POULIN; Brett;
(Tolland, CT) ; JOHANSEN; Mark; (Tolland,
CT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GERBER TECHNOLOGY LLC |
Tolland |
CT |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
GERBER TECHNOLOGY LLC
|
Family ID: |
67957457 |
Appl. No.: |
16/560274 |
Filed: |
September 4, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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62727400 |
Sep 5, 2018 |
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62734666 |
Sep 21, 2018 |
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62734711 |
Sep 21, 2018 |
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62816804 |
Mar 11, 2019 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 20/30 20130101;
B65H 23/1888 20130101; G06N 20/00 20190101; B65H 2301/5155
20130101; D06P 1/922 20130101; D06H 1/02 20130101; B65H 20/02
20130101; B65H 20/34 20130101; D06P 5/30 20130101; B65H 2301/5151
20130101; G06F 16/2379 20190101; B65H 2801/21 20130101; B65H
2301/544 20130101; G06Q 30/0643 20130101; G06Q 30/0621 20130101;
B26D 5/20 20130101; D06H 7/24 20130101; B65H 2701/174 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65H 23/188 20060101
B65H023/188; B26D 5/20 20060101 B26D005/20; B65H 20/30 20060101
B65H020/30; B65H 20/02 20060101 B65H020/02 |
Claims
1. A flexible material transport system for fabric, the system
comprising: a printing machine; a material web transporter
connected at a first end to the printing machine; a material
accumulator connected at a first end to a second end of the
material web transporter; and a cutting machine connected to a
second end of the material accumulator; wherein the material
accumulator is configured to feed printed fabric from the material
web transporter into the cutting machine; and wherein the material
web transporter comprises a plurality of rollers configured to
control movement of the fabric from the printing machine to the
material accumulator and onto the cutting machine.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material web
transporter is configured to modulate any difference in speed
between the printing machine and the cutting machine.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material web
transporter is further configured to measure a length of the fabric
printed from the printing machine.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the material
accumulator is further configured to direct the fabric into the
cutting machine only when a sufficient length of the fabric is
accumulated in the material accumulator.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of
rollers are configured to maintain a pre-configured tension before
passing the fabric to the material accumulator.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or more of the
plurality of rollers is configured to move in accordance with the
speed, weight, and tension of the fabric from the printing
machine.
7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more of the
plurality of rollers is configured to move vertically while
remaining at a constant horizontal distance from other of the
plurality of rollers.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising one or more
pulleys configured to interact with the plurality of rollers.
9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or more of the
plurality of rollers comprises a dancer bar.
10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the dancer bar is
configured to use its own weight to tension the fabric.
11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the dancer bar is
machine-controlled to maintain a desired tension.
12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or more of the
plurality of rollers is configured to drop as fabric is fed into
the material accumulator.
13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material
accumulator is configured to accumulate excess of the fabric when
the speed at which the fabric comes off the printing machine is
faster than the speed at which the material enters the cutting
machine for a continuous print-to-cut operation.
14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material
accumulator is configured to accumulate excess of the fabric for
on-demand cutting by the cutting machine after printing by the
printing machine.
15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material
accumulator is further configured to release the fabric from a
stored position and held at a constant tension when the speed at
which the fabric comes off the printing machine is slower than the
speed at which the material enters the cutting machine to prevent
pulling of the fabric.
16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material
accumulator is further configured to align the fabric before
feeding the same to the cutting machine.
17. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an image
scanner connected to the material accumulator and the cutting
machine, the image scanner configured to scan the fabric and direct
the cutting machine based on the dimensions of the fabric.
18. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a heater
connected to the printing machine and the material web transporter,
the heater configured to set a pattern on the fabric.
19. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising one or
more sensors configured to identify and track information relating
to the printed fabric.
20. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control
system configured to control and direct the system.
21. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control system is
configured to control on-demand cutting of fabric as needed.
22. A flexible material transport system for fabric, the system
comprising: a printing machine; a material accumulator connected at
a first end to the printing machine; and a cutting machine
connected to a second end of the material accumulator; wherein the
material accumulator is configured to feed printed fabric from the
printing machine into the cutting machine; and wherein the material
accumulator comprises a material web transporter comprises a
plurality of rollers configured to control movement of the fabric
from the printing machine to the material accumulator and onto the
cutting machine.
23. A flexible material transport system for fabric, the system
comprising: a material accumulator configured to hold one or more
rolls of fabric; and a cutting machine connected to the material
accumulator; wherein the material accumulator is configured to feed
fabric into the cutting machine; and wherein the material
accumulator comprises a material web transporter, the material web
transporter comprising a plurality of rollers configured to control
movement of the fabric from the printing machine to the material
accumulator and onto the cutting machine.
24. A system for continuous fabric workflow, the system comprising:
two or more flexible material transport sub-systems, each of said
two or more sub-systems comprising: a printing machine; a material
web transporter connected at a first end to the printing machine; a
material accumulator connected at a first end to a second end of
the material web transporter; and a cutting machine connected to a
second end of the material accumulator; wherein the material
accumulator is configured to feed printed fabric from the material
web transporter into the cutting machine; and wherein the material
web transporter comprises a plurality of rollers configured to
control movement of the fabric from the printing machine to the
material accumulator and onto the cutting machine; and a control
system configured to control and direct each of the two or more
sub-systems.
25. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein each of the two or
more sub-systems is configured to print a different fabric.
26. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein each of the two or
more sub-systems is configured to cut a different fabric.
27. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the two or more
sub-systems are connected at least one of physically and
electronically.
28. The system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the control system
is configured to control on-demand cutting of fabric as needed.
29. The system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the control system
is configured to re-direct fabric from the printing machine from a
first of the two or more flexible material transport sub-systems to
the cutting machine of a second of the two or more flexible
material transport sub-systems.
30. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the material
accumulator in each of the two or more sub-systems is configured to
modulate any difference in speed between the printing machine and
the cutting machine.
31. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the material
accumulator in each of the two or more sub-systems is configured to
maintain a pre-set tension for the fabric entering the cutting
machine.
32. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the material
accumulator in each of the two or more sub-systems is configured to
maintain a specific tension for the fabric entering the cutting
machine.
33. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the material
accumulator in each of the two or more sub-systems is configured to
accumulate excess of the fabric when the speed at which the fabric
comes off the printing machine is faster than the speed at which
the material enters the cutting machine for a continuous
print-to-cut operation.
34. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the material
accumulator in each of the two or more sub-systems is configured to
accumulate excess of the fabric for on-demand cutting by the
cutting machine after printing by the printing machine.
35. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the material
accumulator in each of the two or more sub-systems is configured to
release the fabric from a stored position and held at a constant
tension.
36. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the material
accumulator in each of the two or more sub-systems is further
configured to align the fabric before feeding the same to the
cutting machine.
37. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein each of the two or
more sub-systems further comprises an image scanner connected to
the material accumulator and the cutting machine, the image scanner
configured to scan the fabric and direct the cutting machine based
on the dimensions of the fabric.
38. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein each of the two or
more sub-systems further comprises a heater connected to the
printing machine and the material web transporter, the heater
configured to set a pattern on the fabric.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Application Ser.
Nos. 62/727,400, filed Sep. 5, 2018, 62/734,666, filed Sep. 21,
2018, 62/734,711, filed Sep. 21, 2018, and 62/816,804, filed Mar.
11, 2019. The disclosures and teachings of each of the foregoing
references are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to systems and methods for the
automated production of garments. More specifically, the invention
relates to systems and methods for the automated production of
garments featuring a flexible material transport system
establishing continuous flow of material from a printer to a cutter
without requiring manual intervention. The continuous print-to-cut
system utilizes a continuous digital workflow which allows for mass
production of plain or printed garment fabrics, or on-demand
print-to-cut of pre-printed patterned fabrics.
Description of the Related Art
[0003] Garment manufacturing involves many processing steps,
beginning with an idea or design concept and ending with a finished
product. The garment manufacturing process involves product design,
customization/alteration and fit, pattern making, fabric selection,
marker marking, spreading, cutting, sewing, ironing, quality
control, inventory management, and product distribution.
[0004] Garment factories receive fabric from textile manufacturers
in large bolts. Many garment manufacturers perform quality
assurance upon receipt of the fabric to ensure that the quality of
the fabric meets customer standards. This step is performed by
manually spot-checking each bolt of fabric using a backlit surface
to identify textile defects such as color inconsistency or flaws in
the material. Defects are marked and circumvented in later
operations. Fabrics that fail to meet customer standards and are
unusable are returned to the textile manufacturer.
[0005] After the fabric has been accepted, it is transferred to the
spreading and cutting area of the garment manufacturing facility.
The fabric is spread either manually or using a computer-controlled
system in preparation for the cutting process. The fabric is spread
to: allow operators to identify fabric defects; release the tension
and stress in the fabric; and ensure each ply is accurately aligned
on top of the others in preparation for multi-ply cutting.
[0006] The number of plies in each spread is dependent on the
fabric type and cutting equipment, and size of the garment
order.
[0007] Next, pre-printed garment patterns or markers are laid out
on top of the spread for manual cutting or programmed into a
control computer for automated cutting. Lastly, the fabric is cut
to the shape of the garment patterns using either manually operated
cutting equipment or a computerized cutting system.
[0008] Screen printing occurs when specified by the customer.
Screen printing may be requested to put logos or other graphics on
garments or to print brand and size information in place of
affixing tags. This process may have varying levels of automation
or may largely be completed at manually operated stations.
[0009] Garments are then sewn in an assembly line, with the garment
becoming complete as it progresses down the sewing line. Sewing
machine operators receive a bundle of cut fabric and repeatedly sew
the same portion of the garment, passing that completed portion to
the next operator. For example, the first operator may sew the
collar to the body of the garment and the next operator may sew a
sleeve to the body. Quality assurance is performed at the end of
the sewing line to ensure that the garment has been properly
assembled and that no manufacturing defects exist. When needed, the
garment will be reworked or mended at designated sewing stations.
This labor-intensive process progressively transforms pieces of cut
fabric into finished garments. Care, content and country of origin
labels must be sewn into the garment during construction or printed
on the garment.
[0010] After a garment is fully sewn and assembled, it is
transferred to the ironing section of the facility for final
pressing. Each ironing station consists of an iron and an ironing
platform. The irons are similar looking to residential models but
have steam supplied by an on-site boiler. Workers control the steam
with foot pedals and the steam is delivered via overhead hoses
directly to the iron. In most facilities, the ironing platforms are
equipped with a ventilation system that draws steam through the
ironing table and exhausts it outside the factory.
[0011] In the last steps of making a finished product, garments are
folded, tagged, sized, and packaged according to customer
specifications. Also, garments may be placed in protective plastic
bags, either manually or using an automated system, to ensure that
the material stays clean and pressed during shipping. Lastly,
garments may be placed in cardboard boxes or hung on hangers and
shipped to intermediary warehouses or directly to customers.
[0012] Accordingly, traditional legacy garment manufacture requires
many discrete stages and manual intervention throughout the
process. Production of fabrics including, rotary screen printing as
well as weaving and knitting of fabrics are manufacturing process
steps traditionally performed in facilities specializing in these
production methods, more often than not taking place remotely from
the facility performing the garment cutting and sewing functions.
Generally, after fabric is produced and/or printed, it returns to a
completed roll or bolt, which then must be transferred to a
different locale and installed on separate machines for aligning
and cutting of the same. The dynamic of the garment manufacturing
process is changing with the advent of online technologies and
digital fabric printing which offers an affordable means to produce
printed material on-site in the same production facility that cuts
and sews the finished product. However, digital fabric printers are
still set up to output rolled imaged fabric and the rolls must be
manually removed from the printer and physically moved to the
spreading or feeding device just ahead of the cutter regardless of
where they were produced. The prior known systems also require
printing of a partial or complete roll of material in a given
pattern without knowledge of, or reliance on, the final shape of
the parts to be cut. This naturally leads to wasted material which
has been printed in a given pattern in excess of the material
needed.
[0013] Therefore, a more integrated and efficient manufacturing
process is needed to turn a customer's desired garment design into
a finished garment. The efficiency of the manufacturing process can
be significantly improved if the output from a garment printer can
be automatically and continuously accumulated, aligned, and
directed into a cutting machine without requiring manual
intervention. This will not only speed up the overall process but
also allow material printing and cutting of any shape or size on
demand and without requiring an entire roll to be printed before
the cutting process can be initiated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The present invention provides a flexible material transport
system (hereinafter referred to as the "Garment System") for
continuous printing and cutting of material. The present invention
Garment System eliminates the ordinarily intermediate step of
rolling material following the printing, fixing, or heating
process, and then manually inputting the material into a separate
feeding or spreading device and cutting machine to align and cut
the material. The invention also includes the continued tracking of
information about the garment made from the initial roll to print
to the finished garment. The invention thus comprises a system and
method for directly feeding printed material into a cutter while
ensuring that the material is both properly aligned and provided
with the proper tension to enter the cutter at the proper rate.
Instead of a traditional winder to roll material following the
printing process, the present invention comprises a web path and
traction drive roll to provide the same tension and material
transport through the printer as if winding, but with the benefit
of passing the material web directly to the downstream cutter,
while ensuring that production data is tracked and not lost along
the way.
[0015] The Garment System preferably comprises a printing machine,
a material web transporter connected at a first end to the printing
machine, a material accumulator connected at a first end to a
second end of the material web transporter, and a cutting machine
connected to a second end of the material accumulator, wherein the
material accumulator is configured to feed printed fabric from the
material web transporter into the cutting machine, and wherein the
material web transporter comprises a plurality of rollers
configured to control movement of the fabric from the printing
machine to the material accumulator and onto the cutting machine.
The system can also comprise a heater and/or an image scanner, as
well as various sensors to track information and report it back to
a central data storage.
[0016] The Garment System may incorporate a material web
transporter and material accumulator to manage and compensate for
different web speeds between the printing and cutting processes.
The Garment System may feature several fixed rollers and movable
rollers, together providing a complex material path from the
printer to the cutter. Preferably, one or more of the rollers in
the accumulator is configured to move, preferably vertically while
remaining horizontally constant with respect to the other rollers,
to buffer and keep constant tension on the material so that the
tension at which the material leaves the printer matches the
tension at which it enters the cutter. This will ensure that the
material remains uniformly aligned and tensioned while moving
through the printing and cutting process. Buffering the material to
maintain speed and tension of the material also ensures that the
material does not bunch up at the cutter and also does not pull
successive material through the printer and adversely impact the
printing process. At least one of the movable rollers can comprise
a dancer bar which uses its own weight to tension material is it
either flops down or pulls up, depending on the discrepancy in
speeds, and can be hinged on one end. Preferably, the rollers also
comprise a high-friction material to improve traction of the
material along the process. The dancer bar can also be
machine-controlled to maintain a desired tension throughout the
material transport process.
[0017] The Garment System therefore allows one or more pieces of
material to be printed, sized, and cut on demand directly from the
printer in a connected fashion, as it does not require an entire
roll of material or any portion of a roll to be printed before
being physically transferred to the cutter. In one embodiment of
the invention, a Garment System provides automated end-to-end
production of garments based upon customer preferences. In another
embodiment of the invention, a Garment System is provided that uses
machine vision to generate a cut file on the fly from the printer.
In another embodiment of the invention, a Garment System includes a
material web transporter between the printer and the cutter to
modulate speed differences between the two processes and to
maintain a pre-set tension for the fabric entering the cutting
machine.
[0018] In yet another embodiment, a system for continuous fabric
workflow is presented which comprises two or more of the flexible
material transport systems connected--physically and/or
electronically--to one another by a control system to create a
micro-factory of on-demand printing of different fabrics.
Information can be tracked along the workflow for local or
centralized reporting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The features and advantages of the invention are apparent
from the following description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a first half of the end-to-end garment
manufacturing in accordance with the invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a second half of the end-to-end garment
manufacturing in accordance with the invention;
[0022] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a garment printer and cutter in
a scan-to-cut operation;
[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates a garment printer and cutter with a
material accumulator located there-between;
[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates a traditional garment printer system;
[0025] FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment of flexible
material transport system in accordance with the present invention,
connecting a traditional printer system to a material accumulator
and cutter;
[0026] FIG. 7 illustrates the material transport path of the
flexible material transport system seen in FIG. 6;
[0027] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing the movement of material
through the flexible material transport system in accordance with
the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 9A-9C illustrate the material accumulator component of
the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 10 is an illustration of reversible dress that has been
printed on both sides of the fabric;
[0030] FIG. 11 is an illustration of a circular line configuration
of machine operators in accordance with the present invention;
and
[0031] FIG. 12 is an illustration of three circular line
configurations of machine operators matched to a single printer and
cutter combination in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] It will be appreciated that Garment System in accordance
with the preset invention facilitates efficient and comprehensive
end-to-end management of the garment manufacturing process. FIGS. 1
and 2 show such end-to-end garment manufacturing under the
direction of the present invention Garment System. As shown, a
customer may order a particular type of garment, defined below,
based on numerous options such as the category, silhouette, size,
color, and other details. Then the Garment System will coordinate
and monitor every facet of the manufacturing process, including
printing, cutting, sewing, and finishing. For avoidance of doubt,
the term "printing" shall include 3D printing.
[0033] As used herein, the term "garment" is used in its broadest
sense and is intended to include not only apparel but also to
include any flexible material. In the art, garment manufacturing
often utilizes weaving looms, knitting machines that produce plain
and printed fabrics, printers that print patterns, colors, and
other marks on fabric that may be used in manufacturing and
information tracking. Garment manufacturing also often utilizes
cutters that cut based on previously entered information.
[0034] In FIG. 3, a printer 20 is directly connected to a cutter
77, wherein a desired pattern is printed on fabric 10 and cut
directly, or with minimal delay, without the need to inventory,
locate, mount, feed, and calibrate a pre-printed material on to the
cutter. Such embodiment may utilize an image scanner 320 that scans
the printed pattern and directs the cutter 77 to cut based on the
contrast between the white background and a perimeter line drawn
around the printed pattern on the fabric. Such embodiment would
differ from traditional automated cutters, which scan for and cut
based on pre-established registration marks. Accordingly, the
preferred embodiment of this invention would thus be able to cut or
generate the cut file on the fly directly from the printer. The
preferred embodiment may alternatively utilize registration marks
and/or an overhead or carriage-mounted camera that accomplish such
scan-to-cut operation.
[0035] The printer 20 may print color, images, and/or patterns that
are incorporated into garment 10 based on its design and other
indicia that are used during the manufacturing process. For
example, the printer 20 may print QR or bar codes or color coding
on the fabric in areas that are not visibly incorporated into a
garment but are used by an online development environment of the
present invention Garment System to gather various information
about the garment and aid in the manufacturing process. For
example, the printer 20 may add orange tags on fabrics to indicate
that those parts are to be assembled together when scanned by
scanner 320 into the online development environment. The Garment
System may then direct such parts to be grouped together and
processed in an organized manner. Alternatively, the tags may be
used by machine operators or robots to deliver particular parts to
a specific destination. Printed notation indicia may be printed in
the non-visible areas of the garment part to stay with the garment
part throughout the manufacturing process.
[0036] A preferred embodiment of this invention would allow for
printing with printed fabric or material directly connected to a
computer controlled cutter 77 to enable a continuous workflow with
cutting directly following printing. In some instances, the cutter
may require sufficient length of fabric before complex or elongated
patterns can be cut. For example, cutting three hundred petals of
three-inch diameter flowers would require considerably longer time
to process than cutting a dress with large dimension panels. As
shown in FIG. 4, an embodiment may thus include an accumulator
between the printer 20 and cutter 77 that accumulates fabric. The
material web transporter may include a series of rollers that hang
the fabric exiting from the printer before entering the cutter. In
such a configuration, the accumulator functions as a buffer to
modulate any potential difference in speed between the printer and
cutter. It may be appreciated that the material web transporter of
the Garment System preferably measures the length of the fabric
from the printer and directs the cutter to begin cutting complex or
elongated patterns only when sufficient length of fabric is
accumulated in the accumulator. The Garment System may
alternatively direct the printer 20 and/or cutter 77 to proceed at
a faster or slower speed, so that the cutter and printer
combination can manufacture garment in a continuous manner or in a
planned throughput based on a factory and/or group sewing capacity
thus keeping in-process inventory to a minimum.
[0037] FIG. 5 shows a traditional garment printer Garment System 20
consisting of three parts: the printer, heater, and winder. As
shown, the printer accepts a supply roll of fabric and prints a
desired pattern. The heater heats the fabric and sets the inked
pattern. Then, the winder winds the fabric with the printed pattern
in a new roll, maintaining tension in the output from the
printer/heater. The winder typically includes a plurality of fixed
and movable rollers, resulting in a complex material path to ensure
a constant web tension. Such traditional printer requires the
output with the printed pattern to be rolled and arranged, before
it can be moved and fed into a garment cutter located
elsewhere.
[0038] In contrast, FIGS. 6, 7, and 9A-9C show a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, wherein a garment printer is
directly connected to a cutter so that material can seamlessly and
continuously move from printing to cutting without the manual
intervention or completing a roll of printed material and the added
intermediate step of repositioning the roll of material on the
cutter. As a result, a desired pattern is printed on fabric, in a
web of garment instead of a roll, and cut immediately or with
minimal delay in a continuous workflow. The material path of the
present invention can be seen in FIG. 6. It may be appreciated that
such system and/method obviates the need for additional storage,
labor and process time to move the roll from the printer and the
equipment to feed or spread the material into the cutter to manage
printer roller material output, saving both time and resources in
the garment manufacturing process.
[0039] As seen in the Figures, particularly FIGS. 6 and 8, the
present invention provides a flexible material transport system 15
which replaces a traditional winder of printer system 25 seen in
FIG. 5, that results in a completed roll of material (as seen in
FIG. 1), with a material web transporter 200 and material
accumulator 310 which feed the printed material directly into a
cutting machine 77. As seen in FIGS. 7-8, the material web
transporter 200 following the printing process may include a series
of rollers 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260 that hang, control, and
move the fabric exiting the printer 20 through to the material
accumulator 310 and the cutter 77. It will be appreciated that the
set of rollers of the material web transporter seen in FIG. 7
connect the printer 20 seen in FIG. 6 and the material accumulator
310 as seen in FIGS. 9A-9C. It is envisioned that in another
embodiment, the material web transporter 200 may be combined with
the material accumulator 310 into a single unit, such that the
material accumulator 310 connects to the printer 20 and the cutting
machine 77, and comprises the series of rollers 210, 220, 230, 240,
250, and 260.
[0040] Upon movement of the material through the material web
transporter 200, the material accumulator 310 acts as a buffer to
modulate any potential difference in speed between the printer and
cutter. It may be appreciated that the present invention measures
the length of the fabric from the printer and directs the cutter to
begin cutting complex or elongated patterns only when sufficient
length of fabric is accumulated in the accumulator. The present
invention may alternatively direct the printer and/or cutter to
proceed at a faster or slower speed, so that the cutter and printer
combination can manufacture garment in a continuous manner or in a
planned throughput based on a factory and/or group sewing capacity
thus keeping in-process inventory to a minimum. In an alternate
embodiment, the tension-maintaining function of the material
transport system is built into the accumulator eliminating the need
for two separate devices.
[0041] More specifically, the material web transporter 200
comprising a set of rollers 400, 410, 420, 430, 440 designed to
create traction for properly tensioned material path for the
material transport from printer to cutter. It is envisioned that
any number of rollers can be provided in the material web
transporter 200 and the embodiment seen in FIGS. 5A-5C is
non-limiting. Preferably, one or more of the rollers 400, 410, 420,
430, 440 is configured to move vertically, while preferably
remaining at a constant horizontal distance from the other rollers,
to control the material movement at the output side of the printer.
The plurality of rollers work together with at least one of the
plurality of rollers capable of moving along with the speed,
weight, and tension of the material. One or more of the rollers
400, 410, 420, 430, 440 can comprise a dancer bar which uses its
own weight to tension material, and can be machine-controlled to
maintain a desired tension of the fabric before entering the cutter
77. Alternatively, tension can be maintained passively through
gravity by allowing a lower tube to drop as material is fed into
the accumulator or opposing rollers may be actively separated under
motor control. As material 10 comes faster off of the printer than
it heads into the cutter, excess material will be stored in the
accumulator. Conversely, if the material is entering the cutter
faster than it leaves the printer, the material will be released
from its stored position in the accumulator and held at a constant
tension to prevent it from being pulled by the cutter out of the
printer and impacting the printing process. Counterweights may be
included for adjusting the dancer bar in the case of an active
controlled accumulator. Of course, it is envisioned that the one or
more movable rollers can be configured to move in any and all
directions and be hinged on a roller joint to allow free
movement.
[0042] The accumulator 310 acts as a buffer between the printer 20
and the cutter 77 by providing a means to hold and accumulate
material 10 after the printing process and before cutting is
initiated, given that printing may be continuous while cutting is
done periodically (e.g., once enough material has been printed).
The accumulator 310 can also compensate for the rate of speed at
which material 10 comes off the printer 20 and the rate at which it
enters the cutter 77. More specifically, the accumulator 310 is
designed to prevent the cutter 77 from advancing without sufficient
material 10 available from the printer 20, eliminating the
possibility that the cutter 77 pulls material 10 directly from the
printer 20 at a rate higher than that which the printer 20 is
capable of printing, thereby causing an undesired spike in tension.
The accumulator 310 communications physically and electronically
with the material web transporter 200 to move the moveable
roller(s) and pass the material 10 there-through until a sufficient
amount of material is ready for passage to the cutter 77. The
accumulator 310 can also sense the length of material accumulated
to signal the printer 20 to slow down or stop in the case where the
cutting function vs. printing is too greatly mismatched due to
complex cutting geometries or in case of a tool change. This
ensures that the material 10 is available and both properly aligned
and provided with the proper tension to enter the cutter 77 at the
proper rate so that the material does not bunch up at the cutter 77
and does not pull the successive material through the printer 20
and ruin the printing process. The accumulator 310 also allows
on-demand cutting separate from the connected printer for material
either previously printed and removed from the printer, or printed
on another printer. This eliminates unnecessary printing if printed
material already exists, and allows for on-demand cutting and
on-demand sewing, irrespective of where or if the material was
printed.
[0043] As seen in FIG. 8, the printer is directly connected to a
cutter, wherein a desired pattern is printed on fabric and cut
immediately, or with minimal delay. Such embodiment may utilize a
heater 300 to set the ink pattern on the fabric, and/or an image
scanner 320 that scans the printed pattern and directs the cutter
to cut based on the contrast between the white background and a
perimeter line surrounding the printed pattern on the fabric. Such
embodiment would differ from traditional garment cutters, which
scan for and cut based on pre-established registration marks.
Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of this invention would thus
be able to cut or generate the cut file on the fly directly from
the printer. The preferred embodiment may alternatively utilize
registration marks and/or an overhead camera that accomplish such
scan-to-cut operation.
[0044] In this way, the intermediate manual input step of moving a
roll of printed material onto a cutting machine, and re-aligning
the same, is eliminated, as the present invention Garment System
allows the material to continue along the printing process and
directly into the cutter, maintaining tension and proper alignment
throughout the entire roll of material.
[0045] In one embodiment, a printer and a cutter may be paired to
manufacture a garment from multiple fabrics. As an example, a
garment may call for a body of one fabric and another type of
fabric for the sleeves. Alternatively, panels within a dress may be
made of different types of fabrics. A preferred embodiment of this
invention would utilize multiple printers and cutters to
manufacture a garment, with each printer and cutter combination
responsible for each type of fabric. Alternatively, a single cutter
may service multiple cutters. The present invention Garment System
can connect all components of the manufacturing process and steer
orders or components between micro factories based on workload,
geographical preference, material locale, equipment loading, or the
like. The latter arrangement would be especially beneficial in a
high volume manufacturing process, as printers may require
calibration each time a different material is switched out and they
print on different types of fabrics. Accordingly, the latter
arrangement would save the time that may be spent to switch out
each fabric and calibrate the printer. The Garment System may then
gather data in relation to the manufacturing process and coordinate
different aspects. For example, the Garment System may direct cut
garments and garment parts from different types of fabrics to be
sent to a processing station with the use of QR or bar codes noted
above. Additionally, it may detect a back log of uncut fabric and
coordinate a cutter to work faster or with less delay.
[0046] In yet another embodiment, multiple printers, each
responsible for a different type of fabric, may be connected to a
single cutter. The Garment System may coordinate which fabric from
which printer is processed through the cutter in a preferred order,
in order to maximize the speed of the manufacturing process.
Information along the process will be tracked and made available
for local or centralized reporting and additional data processing.
As shown in FIG. 10 10, printers may print on both sides of the
fabric, to manufacture a reversible garment 90. The Garment System
may direct the printer and/or machine operators to arrange for
double sided printing and other potential changes to the cutter, if
necessary.
[0047] In yet a further embodiment, the Garment System is
configured connect multiple individual print-to-cut subsystems,
each responsible for a specific fabric printing and cutting.
Multiple individual print-to-cut subsystems can be connected, both
physically and electronically, and controlled by a control system
on a computer or mobile device with processor, to allow for
instructions to be transmitted between sub-systems for moving
fabric from a printer of a first sub-system to a cutter of a second
sub-system when needed, or to instruct new printing and cutting of
a particular amount of material in a first sub-system based on an
existing printed and cut amount of corresponding and complementary
material from a second sub-system to complete a requested order.
The control system can include automated instructions for operating
each of the continuous print-to-cut sub-systems, and can be run
through manual input with on-demand instructions when a change to
the process is needed, as set forth in the example above.
[0048] In addition to garments and garment parts that are printed
and cut, the Garment System may track and coordinate processing of
garments that are not printed. For example, there may be linings or
other elements that are provided from other sources in
manufacturing. Such garments may carry sewn or stamped tags that
the online development environment of the Garment System may track
and, for example, be put in the cutter without first going through
the printer. The Garment System can digitally monitor the use of
such garments and garment parts in manufacturing, the same way it
tracks garments out of the printer and cutter arrangement discussed
above.
[0049] Additionally, the Garment System may direct printing of
garments without any need for cutting. With the advent of 3D
printing, it is now possible to print garments, filament by
filament, in the form of a desired apparel or part of apparel. The
Garment System may even allow direct connection between the design
program and the printer, so that a designers can request printing
of their CAD designs at the manufacturing site without any
intermediary.
[0050] As the Garment System monitors the overall cutting and
printing processes, it may also monitor components of printer
and/or cutter for workflow and utilization. For example, the
Garment System may receive various data from a cutter, such as
temperatures, pressures, forces, and angles. If the Garment System
detects too much vibration or unusual increase in temperature, it
may direct the cutter to take necessary actions, such as reduce the
rate of cutting, or provide alerts. It may be appreciated that such
detection and alert may preempt any actual interruption in
manufacturing. For example, a call to replace or perform
preventative maintenance on a motor would minimize downtime that
may result from an actually broken motor. Additional communication
may include the Garment System communicating with an e-commerce or
other electronic system to dispatch spare parts and/or consumables
required by machines that are part of the Garment System.
[0051] The Garment System may be operated from a local computer
and/or server at a manufacturing site, or preferably operated with
the use of cloud computing and artificial intelligence ("AI")
technology. In the latter arrangement, the Garment System may not
only collect data along the manufacturing process and provide
directions, but also apply machine learning to optimize the
manufacturing process and/or make recommendations to consumers,
designers, and manufacturers along the supply chain. For example,
the Digital Garment System may determine an efficient manner of
manufacturing a dress from a specific type of fabric. Then, it can
make recommendations for future dress manufacturing, such as what
types of print-to-cut arrangement work efficiently, what supplies
are available, how to reroute production if necessary, and how much
cost could be attached to types of garments and manufacturing
processes. The Garment System may also be used to learn and provide
information that are not directly utilized in manufacturing. For
example, the Digital Garment System may determine from the
genealogy of garments that have been previously manufactured what
kind of sustainability information is attached to the type of
fabric, what causes allergies and other issues, and where and when
the garment was created. The Garment System may even suggest new
designs and manufacturing options based on certain consumer trends
for the manufacturer or recommend certain style for a particular
consumer based on previous orders.
[0052] It should be noted that the input device for the Garment
System of the present invention is not particularly limited, and
may utilize voice and/or image recognition. As an example, the
Garment System may steer a consumer to a particular design or brand
based on images the consumer provides, prior order history, or
other related metadata pertaining to the specific customer. In yet
another embodiment, the Garment System may operate in a hybrid
configuration of local and cloud, such as Edge Computing. In such
configuration, the Garment System may be stored and operated from a
local computer, which synchronizes with central data server or
cloud at a predetermined frequency.
[0053] It may be appreciated that the Garment System could be
utilized to monitor and optimize productivities of multiple
manufacturing sites. As an example, the Garment System may detect
that printers and cutters at one manufacturing site are not
manufacturing garments at an optimized rate. This may include
multiple cutters or manufacturing equipment from different
suppliers and in different regions that are all linked into a
"production system" as part of a multi-sided marketplace. While the
Garment System makes or recommends appropriate changes, it can also
arrange for switching to a different manufacturing site within the
next day or even instantaneously. Additionally, the Garment System
may acknowledge that a particular cutter is down for maintenance
and send the work to a different machine or a different
manufacturing site temporarily. Benefits of such flexible
optimization would grow as more and more manufacturing sites are
managed by the Garment System and as order volume increases. For
example, the Garment System responsible for dozens of manufacturing
sites and millions of orders coming in everyday may direct
manufacturing to a site with greater capacity or supplies or to a
site that is closest to the end consumer. The Garment System may
offer such arrangement as a purchasable option to the end consumer,
who is willing to pay additional costs to have her work finished
ahead of schedule at a manufacturing site that is available.
[0054] It bears repeating that the Garment System may track the
garment genealogy with the use of printed information, such as QR
or bar codes or color coding. Such markers can be printed on the
parts of the fabric that does not become a garment, such as the
edge of or margin the garment, or printed with invisible means such
as UV reflective paint. The printer may print the date and location
of printing, the name of the end customer, manufacturing
instructions, and any other information that may be used by the
Garment System to track the garment's genealogy. The Garment System
may also be used to provide ongoing updates to end customers of the
garment about the state and genealogy of their order and garment
throughout the process.
[0055] It may be appreciated that the aforementioned printers and
cutters can be arranged so that the cut garments and garment parts
can be processed by machine operators or robots in an efficient
manner, such as a circular line configuration as shown in FIG. 11.
The machine operators or robots, for example, could fuse garments
and garment parts by sewing using multiple machines in the circular
line, which could use stand-up tables such as sewing tables offered
by SoftWear Automation, at http://softwearautomation.com/ (last
viewed Aug. 27, 2019). Workflow can go forward and backward, or
across the circle if necessary, with minimal travel time. The key
to maximizing efficiency in the circular line is that the operator
or robot can move forward with a single garment in the circle to
the next required machine to complete the operation sequence of
that garment until blocked by another operator/robot already
utilizing that machine. At that point the operator/robot can leave
the garment at the next machine required for another operator/robot
to assume the work and will move to another location in the circle
to an available machine that has a garment that is the most
complete in its required operation sequence. It is possible that
the manufacturing process may be complete or still in progress
(e.g., the fabric has been printed and cut but still requires
sewing). The purpose here is to ensure the least amount of
work-in-process in the circle line path at any given time. If there
isn't a garment in the circle requiring completion, the
operator/robot can collect the printed and cut fabric and begin
sewing a new garment from the cut parts. Multiple circular lines
can be matched to a single printer-cutter combination as shown in
FIG. 12. It may be appreciated that printed and cut garments are
delivered to each circular lines by the machine operators or by
robots under the control of the Garment System, which then can
distribute garments to an appropriate and available circle line
process for sewing and completion. For example, the combination of
three circular lines seen in FIG. 12 combine to produce 357 dresses
per day (119 per circular line)--which can be made from six or
seven 50-yard rolls of fabric--by utilizing the system set forth in
FIG. 11 by which an operator or robot can move forward with a
single garment in the circle to the next required machine to
complete the operation sequence of that garment until blocked by
another operator/robot already utilizing that machine, and then
move on to another location in the circle line for an available
machine. This ensures continuous operation without delays. With the
organization and efficiency provided by the Garment System
discussed above, the machine operators would require minimal time
to finish the manufacturing process.
[0056] While the invention has been described with reference to
exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in
the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope
of the invention. In addition, many modifications will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art to adapt a particular
teaching of the invention without departing from the essential
scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be
limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode
contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the
invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of
the appended claims.
* * * * *
References