Page 296 - CITS - Dress Making - TT - 2024

DRESS MAKING - CITS

Lesson 46-50 (8) : Spreading & Material Handling

Objectives

At the end of this lesson you shall be able to
• know the importance of Spreading in garment Industry
• understand the various methods and forms of spreading as per the fabric types
• identify different types of lay used in fabric spreading
• gain practical knowledge about material handling.

Spreading and Material Handling

Spreading:
Spreading is the process of unwinding large rolls of fabric onto long, wide tables in preparation for cutting each
piece of garment. Generally, the spreading process can be done manually or by computer controlled machines.
It is a preparatory operation for cutting .Marker paper is laid on top of the fabric layers. The number of layers of
fabric is depends on the number of garments desired and the fabric thickness. Spreading can be done by hand
or machine. Depending upon the fabric and cutting technology, up to 200 layers of fabric may be cut at one time.
Fabrics that are more difficult to handle are generally cut in thinner stacks.
Importance of Spreading
In mass production, it is difficult to cut each and every single piece for stitching process. For that, the fabrics
are arranged layer by layer, one above the other, the patterns are laid on it, and the outlines of the patterns are
marked by marking chalk and finally cut by using a cutting machine. This method is used to save the precious
time and used to follow the uniformity in all the cut components. Also, by this method, the fabric consumption per
garment is minimized and fabric waste is reduced a lot.

This process of arranging the fabric one above the other, layer by layer, is called as “Laying” or “Spreading”
Process. The arrangement of the fabric one above the other for mass cutting is called as “Lap”. The arrangement
of the patterns on the fabric lay is known as “Lay out” or “Pattern Layout”. The marked pattern layout on the fabric
lay is called as “Marker”. The length of the lay is known as “Lay length”.
Methods of Spreading:

Different types of methods and machines used in fabric spreading process. Basically, they can be classified in
three categories. They are:
(I) Manual Spreading method

(II) Spreading carriage method or Semi-automatic method
(III) Automatic Spreading Method
(I) Manual Spreading Method:
Procedure: Two person may be used for manual spreading unless the spread is very short. One person may
work each side of the table to keep the fabric flat, smooth and tension free.
Advantages:
• Easy working
• Low investment
• Suitable for small scale industries

Disadvantage:
• Speed limitation
• Skilled labor required
• Small roll size

• Chances for improper fabric edge alignment

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