A spread may consist of a single ply or multiple plies. The height of a lay-up or spread is limited by fabric characteristics, size of the order to be cut, cutting method, and the vertical capacity of the spreader. The number of plies in a spread may range from 1 to 300.
1. Fabric Spreading Construction
A spreading is the manner in which fabric plies are laid out for cutting. Fabric lay can be categorized according to spreading construction and spreading mode
Forms of Spreading
There are different forms of spreading that can be created as:
i. Straight lay
The commonest form of spread in balk production is one where all the plies of fabric are the same length, underling the complete marker plan. Although this plan can contain the parts of only one garment style, usually in different size, interlock together in most economical manner.
ii. Stepped lay
An alternative type of lay is the stepped lay in which a series of separate, usually single size markers are positioned on top of varying number of plies. Spreading a stepped lay may take less time than the alternative of mixed size lays, and this shorter time may be crucial if the sewing room is to be fed with cut parts on time.
iii. Splice
Unlike straight and stepped lay splice is the process of overlapping the cut ends of two separate pieces of fabrics so that spreading can be continuous. Splicing is necessary as one roll of fabric is finished and a new roll is taken into use. Also during spreading, there may be some objectionable fabric faults, which make the product unsalable or substandard. These faults are removed by cutting the lay at the fault point and incorporating splicing position into marker plans.
The spreading mode is determined by the fabric characteristics, quality standards of the firm, and available equipment. Two fabric characteristics that determine the spreading mode are;
i. Direction of fabric face
ii. Direction of fabric nap
i. Direction of Face to Face
The fabric face may be positioned in two ways:
a) Face- to-face (F/F)
Face-to-face (F/F) spreading may be continuous as the spreader moves up and down the table. This is the fastest method of spreading, the least costly, and generally results in the lowest quality. With this method of spreading, the face is up on one ply and down on the next ply as the spreader goes back and forth. Often symmetric, non-directional fabrics are spread continuously, which places alternate plies face to face or back to back. Quality is affected because the operator is only able to monitor the fabric face half the time.
b) Facing-one-way (F/O/W)
F/O/W spreads, face up or down, are more time-consuming and expensive because fabric must be cut at each end of the spread and the new end repositioned. If a rotating turntable is used to turn the fabric roll 180 degrees at the end of each ply, the fabric can be spread from both ends of the table without a wasted trip. F/O/W spreading may be done with the fabric face up or face down. When the fabric faces up, the operator is able to monitor the face for flaws and imperfections as the fabric is being unrolled. This is particularly helpful when spreading prints. Pile fabrics, corduroy and velvet, are often spread face down; other high-quality fabrics are spread face up.
A second consideration in selecting the spreading mode relates to the direction of the fabric nap. Placement of the nap may be-
a) Nap- one-way (N/O/W)
Asymmetric and directional fabrics must have the nap running the same direction, nap-one- way (N/O/W). This spreading mode is the most time-consuming to lay-up, but it generally produces the best quality. N/O/W fabrics may be spread F/F and F/O/W. If napped fabrics are to be positioned F/F, the fabric must be cut and the role turned at the end of each ply so the nap will lay in the same direction on facing plies. This is suitable for directional fabrics and to pair garment parts for the sewing operation. This is sometimes referred to as pair spreading.
b) Nap-up-and-down (N/U/D)
Symmetric, non-directional fabrics allow flexibility for spreading. These fabrics can be spread with the nap running both up and down the spread. This spreading mode is called nap-up-and-down (N/U/D). This type of fabric may be spread face-to-face or face- one-way with the nap running up and down.
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