1. Welding of Decorative Motifs to Garments
Thermoplastic threads are woven into the back of the motif
2. Sealing of the Sewn Edges to Prevent Fraying & Avoid Additional Sewing
Welding can also be used for cutting and sealing of edges of sewn garment parts to length of ribbons and straps. The shaping of small garment parts which would otherwise be costly and time-consuming to sew. Ribbons and sewn straps made of suitable materials can be simultaneously cut to length and heat sealed at the ends to prevent fraying. It is particularly useful where narrow straps or ties for a garment have been made by sewing through a folder since the ends are, in this case, very awkward to neaten. A neat, non-bulky end is achieved very rapidly by means of welding.
Another item which can usefully be cut to exactly the right dimensions and sealed at the same time is the hook and eye tape used as a fastening on bras. This is supplied as a continuous strip and cutting it into sections with scissors is inaccurate and leads to a costly neatening operation afterwards. In instances such as this where the garment part to be welded will be worn against the skin, care must be taken that the edge remains sufficiently soft that it will not cause discomfort.
3. Making Waterproof Seams/Garments using Waterproof Materials
Welding is also important as a method of waterproofing the seams on garments made from materials rendered waterproof by means of a coating of PVC on the outside of a textile material. A sewn seam in materials of this type would allow ingress of water between the layers of the material or through the needle holes, depending on the configuration of the seam. If the PVC surface layer can be welded after sewing, it will seal the PVC across the gaps.
4. Making Seams
One of the most common applications is to make seams or hems in medical disposable products. These include medical garments, wipes, face masks, etc. Pattern wheels can be changed to simulate a single row, double row or triple row of stitches.
Extra sealing and a neater appearance is seen when an edge cutter on the same pattern wheel is used to trim the edge as it is stitched. This feature also guarantees that the edge of the seam and the seam itself are perfectly parallel - a bonus quality feature at no extra labour cost.
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Source: Sonobond LaceMaster
5. Setting Cuffs and Sleeves
For attaching ribbed cuffs to wrists or pant legs, a special machine is available which stretches the cuff and sleeve fabric and rotates them about the pattern wheel causing them to join with a plain seam. Again, a variety of patterns is available and an edge cutter may be added to give a cut edge exactly parallel to the seam. The shape of off-the-arm machine uses a cylindrical arm with a rotary stitch wheel to make seams up the arm and off the arm. This unit is ideal for making side seams on sleeves and pant legs.
Adhesive seams and hems
There are two types of adhesive seams based on their different shapes applied into clothing:
1. Curable Adhesive Threadless Sewing
As shown in the diagram, it can be seen that the fabric is directed through a roll until a folding station from which the fabric is folded upon itself one or more times to define a longitudinal hem along the edge portion of the fabric. After the fabric is directed to an adhesive application station, where a bead of molten curable hot melt adhesive is applied (through an adhesion extrusion nozzle) along a simulated sewing or stitch path between the front and middle fabric layer forming a longitudinal hem. Then fabrics are guide to the pressure rolls to apply pressure to the hem to cause the bead of molten adhesive penetrate into the fibrous structure of the fabric layers. Finally the fabric is guided to a take up roll. The adhesively hemmed fabric can remain on roll for a time sufficient to allow adhesive bead to cure and to form a durable, yet flexible, seam securing the fabrics to one another.
2. Hot Melt Adhesive Tape
Hot melt adhesive tape has been very used in particular functional textiles such as tents, firefighter uniforms, chemical clothing, waterproof outdoor jackets, etc. It has also served in the aesthetical part of a garment. In order to create a adhesive tape for seaming, the thermoplastic adhesive film is cut to the required width and thickness. The tape is then applied onto the seam by using the "tape sealing machine". It is a fast, simple and reliable method for application of hot melt tapes to seal and produce waterproof seams such as protective clothing, uniforms, wetsuits, drysuits, etc. The machine consists of a pneumatically interchangeable Off-the-Arm and Cylinder Arm lower roller systems - the two arms can be interchangeable in a matter of seconds.
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As shown above, the edge bending machine for binding/welding textile tape band (or elastic) allows the lamination of elastic and tape just before its application making the application easier, allowing a higher finishing quality and drastically reducing the stock management. The lamination device could transfer one or two adhesive film strips from a paper support to an elastic with possibility to remove the paper in case the adhesive is already applied on the elastic. The machine also contains adaption for interchangeable lamination guide from 4 to 25mm. The wheel pressure and the temperature can also be adjusted.
Applications of Adhesives(Not lamination of fabrics)
1. Edge neatening of a hem
The adhesive thread is sewn into the edge neatening of a hem as one of the looper threads. When the hem is pressed up to the correct position, the thread melts and holds it in place without sewing. The obvious restriction here is the problem of alteration of the garment length. After cure is complete, the seam can only be reactivated at a softening temperature which is higher than the initial softening temperature of the adhesive, or cannot be reactivated at all without significant degradation or destruction of the adhesive seam. The advantage of this method is that it is almost universal because most fabrics can be joined and sealed, as long as the adhesive matches to the side of the fabric which should be taped.
An example of hemming pants and sleeves with adhesive
2. Seams taking no strain with subsequent topstitched
Another use of adhesives is in seams which will take no strain or which will subsequently be topstitched. Patch pockets can be attached to garments by means of a strip of adhesive around the edge, the top corners being reinforced subsequently with a sewn bar tack. Yoke seams can be similarly attached using an adhesive and topstitched afterwards.
An example of setting pockets with adhesive.
3. Waterproofing
The third use of adhesives does not relate to the construction of seams but is again a means of waterproofing them, in this case when the materials are waterproof by virtue of a coating on the inside rather than the outside. Many waterproof materials nowadays are made from a strong woven nylon with an inside coating of PTFE or other synthetic material, often of a type that gives breathability as well as waterproofing.
Aesthetically these materials are often superior to the PVC-coated materials and with good flexibility and handling properties they can easily be sewn with strong seams, either superimposed or lap felled. These are then rendered waterproof by the application of a sealing tape along the seam on the inside. The machine heats the tape to make it stick and then rolls it under pressure firmly into place along the seam.
Although these materials can be sewn more easily than the PVC-coated materials, the process of seam sealing adds greatly to the manufacturing cost of the garment and, as with the previously described garments, careful garment design is required to reduce the number of seams and control their shape.
The use of thermoplastic adhesive film for waterproofing can also be applied into tents, filters, footwear, fire & chemical protection, automotive, etc. Seam tape is used to seal the sewn seams in the floor and fly of the tent. Tents using seam tape include casual recreational, extreme and military. Most tent manufacturers use standard two or three layer seam tapes. In the case of automotive, seam tapes are used in the construction of seating, head and arm rests to prevent injected foam from passing through the stitch holes, and also used in air bags to restrict the passage of air through the stitch holes.
4. Wrinkle and Pucker Free Garment
Seam wrinkle and puckering is typically caused by thread shrinkage which occurs during laundering of a garment. During these laundering and drying cycles, the sewing thread typically undergoes a shrinkage. The thread shrinkage rate may be greater than that of the surrounding shirt material, which finally creates wrinkling at the seam joints. In order to overcome this problem, a bonding strip is inserted and/or sewn into the garment seams, heat and pressure are then applied.
Adhesive tapes can also be used in making the garment attractive, durable, by retaining its shape after repeatedly washing. A seam between the washable fabric and liner fabric is constructed by first sandwiching the washable fabric between the liner and the adhesive tape.
Pucker free collar seam
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Pucker free underarm seam
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Pucker free front panel
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pucker free sleeve placket
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Applications of bonding strips on wrinkle free shirt
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Washable blazer
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