[0001] The invention relates to a method of making a finished textile article from individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric as described in claim 1.
[0002] A loom is a device used to weave fabric. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold
threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of other threads. The threads
under tension, are called the warp and the threads being interweaved between the threads
of the warp are called the weft. The warp threads are normally the threads going in
the vertical direction and the weft threads are normally the threads going in horizontal
direction
[0003] The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function
is the same.
[0004] When textile objects are made, it is done by cutting a woven fabric into individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure which normally are sewn
together to form the finished textile object. Since the weaving with weft and warp
forms pieces of an essentially rectangular shape, while the individual pattern pieces
of woven fabric having the desired structure may have many other shapes, which cannot
be assembled to form the essentially rectangular shape, the cut-out of individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure from an essentially rectangular
piece of woven fabric in prior art technics will always result in having a waste of
woven fabric.
[0005] To minimize this waste, software is today being used to determine how the individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric, having the desired structure, should be cut out from
one or more pieces of woven fabric such that a minimal waste of woven fabric is achieved.
[0006] However, even computer aided optimization is not optimal, as there will still be
woven fabric between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure being cut out and this woven fabric will go to waste. Further, in the prior
art, the spaces between the individual pattern pieces of fabric having the desired
structure are woven with a density corresponding to the density of the individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure. The high quality and
thus high density of the discarded material also results in unnecessary losses.
[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide a method by which waste is reduced.
[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide an alternative solution.
[0009] This is achieved by programming the loom so that the loom weaves individual pattern
pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure, while at least some of the space
in between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
is woven with a different structure having a smaller density than the density of any
of the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structures and
subsequently cut out the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure from the woven fabric and creating the finished textile object by assembling
the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure. With the
invention it is thus realized that the spaces between the individual pattern pieces
of woven fabric having the desired structure can be woven so that they have a lower
density than the density of the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the
desired structure.
[0010] Since the fabric that is cut free is normally discarded, the invention will thus
cause less waste, as the fabric that is free-cut according to the invention simply
has a lower density than corresponding free-cut fabric in the known technique.
[0011] Ideally, the areas with pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
should be arranged (located) on the woven fabric pieces in such a way that all weft
threads and all warp threads pass through at least one pattern piece of woven fabric
having the desired structure. At the same time, all pattern pieces must be placed
in such a way that the total area of low density is minimized as much as possible.
This naturally causes the individual warp and weft threads to often pass through several
individual areas of low density (pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure). However, all the pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
on such a piece of woven fabric can be separated from each other in a simple manner.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the invention, the method comprises following step;
cutting off the selvedge (the border) of the one or more woven fabrics containing
the pattern pieces of woven fabric with the desired structure and further cutting
all the individual warp threads and/or all the weft threads that connect any pattern
piece of woven fabric with the desired structure to another pattern piece of woven
fabric with the desired structure, the cutting of the individual warp and weft threads
must (preferably) only be done once, and the cut shall be made between the pattern
pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure through which the individual weft
and warp threads pass.
[0013] When weaving, the edges of the woven fabric are usually formed by passing the horizontal
weft thread over or under an outermost warp thread, after which the direction is reversed,
and the weft thread is brought back on the opposite side of the outermost warp thread.
Thereby, the two threads will be "locked" to each other at the edges of the woven
fabric. By cutting the edges of the woven fabric, this lock is destroyed and thereby
all weft and warp threads can be untangled, regardless of whether they are connected
to pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure.
[0014] In an embodiment, all pattern pieces are placed on a woven fabric such that all the
weft and the warp threads are connected to at least one pattern piece of woven fabric
having the desired structure. If this first criterion is fulfilled and no weft thread
or warp thread is interconnecting any pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure, then all the pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
on said woven fabric will be released (by untangling) from each other by simply cutting
off the selvedge. However normally the woven fabric is made such that it contains
several pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure that are connected
directly (not via the edges) by warp and/or weft threads that pass through one pattern
piece of woven fabric having the desired structure and further through another pattern
piece of woven fabric having the desired structure. This connection may or may not
(In case the two pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure touch
each other) be through an area having smaller density. In case this second criterion
is fulfilled the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
may be released from each other by cutting all the individual warp and weft threads
that connect the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure,
the cutting shall be made between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having
the desired structure and provided that only the weft and warp threads that are connecting
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure are cut and further that
they are only cut once, the thereby cut weft and warp threads will still be connected
(attached) to a pattern piece of woven fabric having the desired structure. In this
embodiment, the actual separation of the pattern pieces of woven fabric having the
desired structure subsequently takes place by untangling these still connected weft
and warp threads. To facilitate untangling, these areas are therefore woven with a
loose structure and preferably with structure adapted such that the untangling can
be done by hand or machine power.
[0015] By assembling thus disconnected individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having
the desired structure so that they form the finished article of textile, the still
attached threads will protrude from the joints themselves and form fringes.
[0016] According to an embodiment of the invention, the areas/pieces between the pattern
pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure are woven with a density adapted
so that the wefts and warps in these pieces can be untangled, preferably by hand.
This - of course -also includes the scenario where the areas between the pattern pieces
of woven fabric having the desired structure are not woven at all.
[0017] However, experience with having completely non-woven areas between the pattern pieces
has shown that the weaving may become difficult as the areas of high density (the
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure) simply moves during the
weaving as the tensions that arise therein deform woven and/or the loose non-woven
areas. In an embodiment of the invention these disadvantages are remedied by weaving
the areas between the pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
with a density that is adapted so that these are not deformed excessively by the forces
(tensions/stress) that arise in the areas with high density (pattern pieces of woven
fabric having the desired structure), whereby both areas can be woven "simultaneously".
[0018] The actual adaptation of the densities so that the woven fabric is not deformed so
much that weaving becomes impossible and such that the weft treads and warp thread
can be untangled can be done by computer simulation or by carrying out tests where
the density (the structure of the weaving) in the areas outside the pattern pieces
of woven fabric having the desired structure ( ie the low density regions) are raised
and/or lowered until untangling is possible by hand or machine and the weaving of
the different density regions can take place simultaneously. The parameters found
in this way are then used in the subsequent weaving of several pieces of clothing.
[0019] In an embodiment of the invention, the finished textile object is formed by assembling
individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure that are cut
out from two or more pieces of woven fabric.
[0020] Most often one cannot make an entire finished article of textile from just a single
piece of woven fabric. There may also be preconditions, such as a desire/need for
having the finished article of textile to contain different materials and color, which
makes it impossible to make the finished article of textile from a single piece of
woven fabric having a given area. The need for clothing having areas possessing different
properties, as e.g. work clothing having reinforced areas, normally means that these
reinforced areas have to be woven with threads being different from the threads used
in other parts of the work clothing. This embodiment of the invention entails that
- at least - the above-mentioned examples of finished textile articles can be produced
with a reduced waste of material.
[0021] In one embodiment of the invention, the finished article of textile is made solely
of individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure, woven on
programmable looms that produce woven fabric made such that the individual pattern
pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure are woven with their desired structure,
while the space (s) between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the
desired structure is woven with a different structure having a smaller average density
than the average density of the individual pattern pieces of the woven fabric having
the desired structure.
[0022] Other embodiments of the invention are recited in dependent claims
[0023] An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the figures
where:
fig. 1 shows a woven fabric containing areas of different structures,
fig. 2 shows - magnified - a part of area A encircled in fig. 1,
fig. 3 shows an embodiment of a woven fabric,
fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a pair of trousers viewed from the front.
[0024] A loom is a device used to weave fabric. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold
threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of other threads. The threads
under tension, is called the warp and the threads being interweaved between the warp
is called the weft.
[0025] The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function
is the same and such a loom is well known to the skilled person. Accordingly, a loom
will not be explained in further details in this application.
[0026] When textile objects are made by use of prior art, it is done by cutting out pieces
from a woven fabric and these pieces are sewn together to form the finished textile
object. Since the weaving with weft and warp forms pieces of an essentially rectangular
shape, while the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
have many other shapes, these pieces cannot be assembled to form the essentially rectangular
shape. The cut out of individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure from an essentially rectangular piece of woven fabric will inevitably result
in having a waste of woven fabric.
[0027] Cutting these individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
of fabric from the finished woven fabric is not a trivial problem. If this is done
uncritically, for example by simply cutting out the individual pattern pieces of woven
fabric having the desired structure in random order and from random places on the
fabric, this will mean that large areas of obsolete size are left over when the individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure are cut out. These areas
are useless and are discarded in the prior art. However, the amount of discharged
material may be minimized. In practice, this is done (today) by computers calculating
how the individual pattern pieces of fabric should lie/be placed on the woven fabric
to achieve the least possible waste.
[0028] The placement of the individual pattern pieces, in order to minimize waste, is by
an embodiment of the invention made digitally. According to the invention, the incorporating
of a structure 4 with a lesser density (loosely weaved) in the design and applying
a specific cutting technique to production, the waste can be reduced even further.
[0029] Incorporating a loose weave structure in the design and applying a specific cutting
technique to production, may even eliminate the waste associated with separating the
pattern pieces having the desired structure
[0030] An example of how individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
could be placed on a woven fabric is shown in figure 1.
[0031] In fig. 1 is shown a woven fabric 1 containing areas of different structures 3, 4,
5. The white areas in figure 1 are individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having
the desired structure, which are to be joined together and thereby form a finished
piece of textile, or a part thereof.
[0032] The fabric 1 is made by use of a conventional programmable loom capable of weaving
a fabric containing areas of different structures. In the conventional technique,
all the areas to be used for the finished textile (the white areas) would be woven
with a density corresponding to the density of the area 4 between these individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure.
[0033] As seen in figure 2, this is not the case in the embodiment of the invention shown
here. The areas 4 between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the
desired structure 3, 2, 5 are woven with an average density lower than the average
density of the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
2, 3, 5 to be assembled to form part - or all - of a finished piece of textile.
[0034] In this embodiment, the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure are woven directly on the loom and the space 4 in between is woven with
a density lower than the density of the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric
having the desired structure. This results in a minimized waste, even if the loosely
woven areas are still discarded, the loss of fabric using the invention is less than
the loss using conventional techniques where the areas between the individual pattern
pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure are woven with a higher density,
viz. a density substantially equal to the density of the individual pattern pieces
of woven fabric having the desired structure.
[0035] If the spaces 4 are woven too loosely (to achieve minimum waste) the irregularly
loosely woven area (s) will lead to extreme unbalanced tension on the loom. Continuous
unbalanced tension will lead to multiple warp thread breakage resulting in a damaged
fabric and potentially damaging the loom itself. The density of the loose weave structure
in between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric needs to be loose enough
to be able to be taken apart in (after) the cutting process in an efficient way, and
tight enough to keep a balanced tension on the loom. The loose structures may in all
embodiments of the invention be woven such that the loose structures can be untangled
by hand or machine.
[0036] The density of the loosely woven structure in these areas has a direct link to the
material used. Its strength and thickness. A strong thick yarn would be able to operate
at a higher number of lifted warp thread than a thin delicate yarn. A silk yarn for
example, a cotton warp and weft made up of Nm 1/34 (50% recycled cotton, 50% virgin
cotton) operates at 20 warp threads lifted (in a warp count of 40 thread × 40 threads)
and 21 weft threads lifted. The warp movement dictates the tension on the loom.
[0037] In figure 3 is shown a woven fabric 1 where the individual pattern pieces of woven
fabric having a desired structure are woven directly on the woven fabric 1.The areas
between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric with the desired structure (the
black areas) 10, 11, 12 are relatively small in relation to the size of the individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric with the desired structure (the white areas). This
efficient utilization of the woven fabric 1 is achieved by means of computers that
have calculated how the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric with the desired
structure should be placed on the woven fabric 1. As can also be seen in Figure 3,
several of the areas between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric with the
desired structure are delimited areas.
[0038] Figure 4 shows a pair of trousers 50 made according to an embodiment of the invention.
The trousers are assembled from induvial pattern pieces. Fringes 30, 31 are protruding
in different places from the seams 33. These fringes are weft and warp threads originating
from the loose woven.
[0039] It is by the invention realized that relatively large areas of loosely woven fabric
between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
will tend to cause an uneven pull in the loom. This can have a negative impact on
the finished result. It may therefore be advantageous to vary the density in the loosely
woven areas depending on their relative size. Thus, in the example shown in Figure
3, weaving can be done with a looser structure in area 10 than in area 12. However,
even the largest "loose area" will be made with a density lower than the density of
the adjacent individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure.
[0040] It is further realized by the invention that in embodiments such as shown in figure
3 all the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having desired structure can be
cut out of the woven fabric 1 without any unwoven yarn being disconnected from the
individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure. By further
assembling the thus disconnected individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having
the desired structure so that they form the finished article of textile, the still
attached threads will protrude from the joints themselves and form fringes.
[0041] It is decorative, but also a direct outcome of the technique. In that way the technique
dictates the aesthetic of the finished textile object.
[0042] In an embodiment of the invention, the invention relates to a method of making a
finished article of textile having fringes. This method involves the steps of: weaving
a woven fabric where the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure are placed adjacent or separated by areas of (loosely woven) fabric having
a lower average density than the adjacent individual pattern pieces of woven fabric
having the desired structure, the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having
the desired structure further being placed on the fabric such that they can be released
from the woven fabric by cutting without releasing any yarn; cutting free the individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure without releasing any
yarn; assembling the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure such that they form the finished article (having fringes protruding from
the joints). The invention in this embodiment entails a production of finished articles
of textile with a very low waste of material and under ideal conditions even zero
waste production.
[0043] In an embodiment of the invention the finished textile is made of pieces of woven
fabric from two pieces of woven fabric. At least one of the woven fabrics being woven
such that individual pattern pieces of woven fabric are woven with their desired structure
while at least some of the space between these individual pattern pieces of woven
fabric is woven with a different structure having a smaller density than the density
of their neighboring individual pattern pieces of woven fabric woven with their desired
structure.
[0044] In an embodiment of the invention the finished piece of textile is made from individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric, woven such that the individual pattern pieces of woven
fabric are woven with their desired structure, while the space (s) between individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric is woven with a different structure having a smaller
density than the density of the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric.
1. A method of making a finished article of textile by assembling individual pattern
pieces of woven fabric having a desired structure, which individual pattern pieces
of woven fabric are made on a programmable loom capable of weaving a fabric containing
areas of different structures, which method comprises the following steps of:
• determine the shape of the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric to be assembled
to form the finished article of textile;
• determine how to place the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric on one or more
woven fabrics, such that the area(s) between the individual pattern pieces of woven
fabric is minimized and
• programming the loom so that the loom weaves the one or more woven fabrics containing
the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric woven with their desired structure,
the weaving being made such that at least some of the space between the individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric is woven with a different structure having a smaller
average density than the density of any of the individual pattern pieces of woven
fabric woven with their desired structure;
• cutting free the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having a desired structure;
• creating the finished article of textile by assembling the individual pattern pieces
of woven fabric woven with their desired structure.
2. A method according to claim 1 comprising the step of assembling individual pattern
pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure from two pieces of woven fabric,
at least one of the woven fabrics being woven such that individual pattern pieces
of woven fabric having the desired structure are woven with their desired structure
while at least some of the space between these individual pattern pieces of woven
fabric having the desired structure is woven with a different structure having a smaller
density than the density of their neighboring individual pattern pieces of woven fabric
having the desired structure.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, which method further comprises the step of:
• weaving the areas/pieces between the pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired
structure with a density adapted so that the wefts and warps in these areas can be
untangled, preferably by hand.
4. A method according to any of the claims 1-3, which method further comprises the step
of:
• cutting off the selvedge (border) of the fabric.
5. A method according to any of the claims 1-4, which method comprises the steps of:
cutting free the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure,
the cutting free being made by cutting all the individual warp threads and/or all
the individual weft threads that connect a pattern piece of woven fabric with the
desired structure to another pattern piece of woven fabric with the desired structure,
the cutting being made between the pattern pieces of woven fabric and the cutting
of the individual warp and weft threads must preferably only be done in one place
between the pieces of woven fabric with the desired structure and preferably only
between the pieces of woven fabric with the desired structure.
6. A method according to any of the claims 1-5, which method comprises the steps of:
cutting free the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure,
the cutting free being made by cutting all the individual warp threads and/or all
the individual weft threads that connect a pattern piece of woven fabric with the
desired structure to another pattern piece of woven fabric with the desired structure,
the cutting being made between the pattern pieces of woven fabric and the cutting
of the individual warp and weft threads is only done in one place between the pieces
of woven fabric with the desired structure and preferably only between the pieces
of woven fabric with the desired structure.
7. A method according to any of the claims 1-6, which method comprises the steps of:
cutting free the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure,
the cutting free being made by cutting all the individual warp threads and/or all
the individual weft threads that connect a pattern piece of woven fabric with the
desired structure to another pattern piece of woven fabric with the desired structure,
the cutting being made between the pattern pieces of woven fabric and the cutting
of the individual warp and weft threads is only done in one place between the pieces
of woven fabric with the desired structure and only between the pieces of woven fabric
with the desired structure.
8. A method according to any of the claims 1-7, which method comprises the steps assembling
the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure so that
they form the finished article of textile and such that thereto still attached warp
and/or weft threads are protruding from the joints themselves and form fringes.
9. A method according to any of the claims 1-8, which method comprises the steps assembling
the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure so that
they form the finished article of textile and such that thereto still attached warp
and/or weft threads are protruding from the joints themselves and form fringes on
the side that is the outside of the finished article of garment when a user uses the
garment
10. A method according to any of the claims 1-9 comprising the step of making the finished
article of textile by exclusively using individual pattern pieces of woven fabric
having the desired structure woven on programmable looms that produce fabric (s) made
such that the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure
are woven and the space (s) between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric
having the desired structure is woven with a different structure having a smaller
density than the density of the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the
desired structure.
11. A method according to any of the claims 1-10 comprising the step of assembling individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure by sewing.
12. A method according to any of the claims 1-11 comprising the step of assembling individual
pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure by gluing.
13. A method according to any of the claims 1-12 comprising the step of assembling all
the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric having the desired structure by sewing.
14. A method according to any of the claims 1-13 comprising the step of: determine how
to place the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric on a multi-density fabric,
such that the area(s) between the individual pattern pieces of woven fabric is minimized
and such that each least 90% -99.9 % of the weft threads and/or warp threads are connected
to at least one individual pattern piece of woven fabric.