Unionwear Finds Success with Pathfinder

UpFront with Unionwear (Part 2)

Unionwear Finds Success with Pathfinder

By Dave Gardner, Editor/Publisher of The NEEDLE'S EYE

Pathfinder worked closely with Mitch Cahn and his team at Unionwear to determine the most suitable automatic cutting system specification. While Pathfinder offers 16 different models of automatic cutters, not all were the right fit for Unionwear.

Pathfinder first looked at Unionwear's applications and found that the widest fabric used was less than 71". Based on their knowledge of the materials in use, certain layered materials are too tough and cannot be cut 2". In test cutting, it was determined that an automatic machine did not require cutting layered fabrics greater than 2" thick when compressed under a vacuum. This, therefore, meant that the best-suited machine for Unionwear was the M5-180. (M = Multi-ply, 5 = 5 cm (2") – the maximum cutting height of compressed material, 180 = 180 cm (71") – the maximum cutting width). 

Pathfinder offers a huge variety of options to improve a cutting system's overall efficiency. Unionwear and Pathfinder agreed on these options:
• IKA (Ice Knife Air) – knife cooling by air to help reduce material fusing, controlled by PathCut (M-Series controller software).• OFD (Offload Display) – additional LCD mounted above offloading table assists the bundling operation.• OFP (Offload Printer) – automatic printing of piece identification to clearly identify each cut part further in the production process.• HDC (Head Cam™) – interactive camera visual display enhancing PathCut™ operational features. • AFP (Automatic Foot Pressure) – 2 pressure settings pre-set by pressure regulators.• PTW (PathWorks Integrated) – PathWorks Integrated CAD software module within PathCut. 

Easy loader conveyor table There is a huge benefit to adding conveyorized tables, making a cutting room system much more efficient. With this setup, once material has been placed inside the FabricPro spreader, the material doesn’t need to be touched again until it is taken from the offload conveyor of the Pathfinder cutter (see image below). 

Conveyorized tables versus static spreading tablesIf cutting 20 markers a day and each is 30' in length they are likely to be heavy and will need multiple people to drag them onto the cutter. Assume 4 people doing this each time requiring 1.5 minutes of their time. It does not seem like much, but it equates to a 40-hour working week of production labor each month (1.5 mts X 4 people = 6 mts X 20 markers/day = 120 mts/day X 5 days/week = 600 mts = 10 hrs/week X 4.3 weeks/mth = 43 hrs/mth labor savings). 

Also consider that when people drag material manually, it’s unlikely to be delivered perfectly aligned into the cutter. This means that the operator must check for alignment each time, perhaps flattening out any wrinkles that were created when dragging the material, again adding further delay. A conveyorized table, however, delivers perfectly spread material directly into the cutter with just the swipe of a finger on a touch screen at the M-Series cutter. Essentially with this Pathfinder setup a single person could run the entire system, obviously becoming more efficient using more people but cutting rooms have options should people be off work.

You might also notice that there are two cutting tables rather than a single belt. If it was one long belt then you can’t spread on a conveyor table that is moving, and every time the Pathfinder completes a cutting window, it will advance the material as the EasyLoader is in synchronization with it. The setup that Unionwear has is a dual table with 2 X 20' tables where they can spread on the rear table and then advance the material onto the table closest to the cutter. They can then turn off the rear table and prepare their next lay, while the first lay is being cut. Optionally, they choose to do a long spread across both tables.

The Pathfinder system included a fully automated fabric spreader that allows Unionwear to spread fabric either face-up or face-to-face. The FabricPro is a reliable and robust automated spreading solution for fabric rolls weighing up to 120 kgs (264 lbs). Spreading without tension and with perfect edge alignment.

Automatic Cutting vs Die Cutting
A few things to consider when comparing die cutting with CNC automated knife cutting: • New dies and the repairing of old dies can be very expensive and as you develop new products this would mean buying more new dies.• Automated knife cutting can provide significant advantages and greater flexibility when compared with die cutting.• Cost reduction by removing the need to make or repair expensive dies.• Material savings by eliminating gaps between shapes. Pathfinder can operate with a zero buffer between cut parts.• Optimized nesting algorithm is designed for maximum material yield.• Ability to cut directly from a fabric roll further improving material savings – nests/ markers are unlimited in length.• Cut quality.• Labor reduction.• We eliminate convex on the cut edge, particularly on soft materials.• Parts are extremely accurate.
Labor Reduction• Eliminate the requirement to have more than one operator.• Material doesn’t need to be cut from the roll prior to being fed into the machine.
Immediate Production• Parts can be digitized very quickly by taking a photo of existing patterns.• The digitized parts can be rapidly nested.• Cutting can begin almost immediately.• Compatible with any CAD system (cut directly from a .dxf file).
Small Runs • Easily perform small orders at a low setup cost.• This new potential to do small orders may turn into large orders.
 Operator Safety • Eliminate the need for staff to handle sharp heavy dies.Fabric Savings: for example, 15%This is mainly down to the fact that they were using dies before which requires larger spacing between pieces.  They also now spread longer and with more accuracy, saving fabric.  Can also use CAD software with auto-nesting which allows manufacturers to quickly create a marker/cut file by nesting parts much closer together providing huge fabric savings.
Labor SavingsPreviously manufacturers had to use to have several people in their fabric cutting room, whereas now one person can run the entire system. If they need to increase production by adding a second person, they will achieve this by becoming more efficient by keeping the cutting head moving for longer periods. The automatic knife cutter gives users the ability to punch holes during the cutting process. This used to be a completely separate operation, so has reduced material handling and they no longer need templates to mark hole positions.QualityAutomatic knife cutting allows users to cut notches very accurately, which helps the sewing team align parts. This can have a knock-on effect on quality, consistency, and productivity.
ContactChris Gilmartin, Operations & Sales Manager (North America)Pathfinder Cutting Technology5623 West 74th StreetIndianapolis, Indiana 46278 (USA)Telephone: +1-317-349-0002 Ext 40www.pathfindercut.com