Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically stitching a material portion by moving the material portion over a sewing table relative to a sewing head. In particular, the present invention includes a structure, device, or other mechanism for reducing friction between the material portion and the sewing table, whereby the material portion is more easily movable over the sewing table. The present invention especially relates to the manufacture of mats having a non-skid backing which would otherwise be very difficult to move relative to a sewing head for sewing the mats.

Abstract: An automated apparatus and method for sealing an edge region of a planar material ply includes a central controller and at least one platform. The automated apparatus and method further employs a mechanism for picking a single planar material ply in addition to a mechanism for moving the single planar material ply to the platform. The automated apparatus and method includes a sealing device which seals the edge region of the planar material ply where the sealing device provides a fluid to a predetermined focused region within the edge region. The fluid substantially shrinks and melts strands in the focused region of the planar material ply.

Abstract: A weft straightener assembly for an automated weft straightener system. The weft straightener system includes proximity sensors, a power roller, and an idler roller rotating on a rotation axis. A biased woven textile planar material is fed to the weft straightener assembly where the assembly stretches the woven planar textile material in a predetermined direction to eliminate or substantially reduce any bias present in the woven planar material.

Abstract: A semi-automatic leg binding attachment system includes a pair of infeed guide plates leading towards and terminating in a pair of sew heads. To align the garment as it is fed into the sew heads, a combination of pneumatic garment aligners and active, mechanical garment aligners are provided. The pneumatic garment aligners preferably include fine and coarse pneumatic garment aligners attached to the infeed guide plates. A central material blower blows downwards towards the garment to eliminate folds and maintain garment tension against which the active, mechanical aligners pull. Easy operator access during garment loading is provided by devices which disengage the fine pneumatic aligners and the active, mechanical aligners away from the infeed guide plates. To load the garment, the operator lays the garment onto the infeed guide plates and places a leading edge of the garment below material present/foot drop sensors.

Abstract: An automatic unloading and stacking apparatus and method for automatic unloading and stacking tubular articles from a circular sewing system. The system includes a mechanism for clamping and removing sewn garments from a circular sewing station that does not interfere with an operator's ability to access the sewing station. Once removed from the sewing machine, the sewn garments are then stacked in a remote location allowing an operator to load the next garment to be sewn.

Abstract: A stitching clamp for an automatic sewing sewing machine. The stitching clamp has a flexible membrane defining a track for the presser foot of a sewing head to maintain the presser foot in a spaced relationship with respect to a workpiece as the workpiece is moved through a sewing head by the combination of at least one feed dog and a servocontrol. The stitching clamp further includes a label clamp for securely holding a label against a workpiece.

Abstract: A highly efficient, simplified method and apparatus for joining knitted shirt sleeves to shoulder openings of knitted shirt bodies. A knitted sleeve section, oriented outside-out, is engaged by a limited shoulder edge margin only by guide rollers, which can be separated to apply a very limited, controlled circumferential tension to the mounted sleeve section. A knitted shirt body, oriented inside-out, is positioned with a shoulder edge margin directly surrounding the shoulder edge margin of the sleeve section, and also maintained under light tension. A retractable support is positioned underneath the free portion of the sleeve section during loading of the shirt body. The two fabric sections are arranged to be controllably advanced in unison by the guide rollers on which they are supported while a sewing operation is performed.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring workpieces to a stack from an endless conveyor having a plurality of forward traveling flights in a defined path. The conveyor being composed of a series of flights spaced at intervals there along. Each flight being constructed for carrying one of the workpiece 3. The apparatus and method include using a stacking mechanism for supporting a stack of limp materials removed from the forward advancing flights positioned below the path of the traveling flights. The stacking mechanism works in combination with a holding mechanism which determines the position of the upper most ply in the stack. A transfer mechanism is used for removing each ply from a forward advancing flight of the conveyor for transfer to the stack supported by the stacking mechanism.

Abstract: An automated circular sewing machine system for attaching an elastic band to a tubular body of fabric or simply forming and sewing a hem thereon. The system includes, among other things, a sewing head which is located between a pair of elongated work holding roller assemblies which project outwardly on either side of the sewing head. The roller assemblies include a front or feed side roller assembly and a rear or drive and tensioning roller assembly. The front roller assembly is free wheeling and is fixed in position relative to the sewing head. The drive and tensioning roller assembly includes a movable drive and tensioning roller driven by a motor and consisting of a solid unitary member which is generally cylindrical with a rounded outer nose portion and an inner fabric support surface. The entire drive and tensioning roller assembly is pre-positioned by a laterally movable clamping plate assembly to a fixed position relative to the sewing head depending on the size of the tubular body being sewn.

Abstract: An automated circular sewing machine system for attaching an elastic band to a tubular body of fabric or forming and sewing a hem thereon without the elastic band. The system includes a sewing head which is located between a pair of elongated work holding roller assemblies which project outwardly on either side of the sewing head. The roller assemblies include a front or feed side rolling assembly and a rear or drive and tensioning roller assembly. The front roller assembly is free wheeling and is fixed in position relative to the sewing head while the rear roller assembly includes a motor driven drive and tensioning roller. The front roller assembly is a split roller assembly consisting of a pair of mutually aligned and free wheeling roller sections, with the outer section being preferably tapered, while the inner section is flanged for receiving and holding the elastic band in place thereon.

Abstract: A transfer mechanism for transferring a limp workpiece from a first conveyor traveling at a first speed to a second conveyor traveling at a second speed different from the first speed or running at the same speed, includes a sensor for initially sensing a leading edge of the workpiece and a controller for controlling inhibiting of the workpiece a predetermined time after detecting the leading edge of the workpiece. Further, the transfer mechanism includes a suction device for supplying air flow to create a pressure differential and transfer the sensed leading edge of the workpiece from the first conveyor to a transfer mechanism, with the transfer mechanism traveling at the second speed. The transfer mechanism thereafter conveys at least the leading edge of the limp workpiece to the second conveyer and clamps the leading edge of the limp workpiece between both the transfer mechanism and the second conveyor.

Abstract: An apparatus for high production assembly and sewing of tubular sleeve sections to shirt bodies. Tubular sleeve sections are loaded onto sleeve cones, preferably of cylindrical or frusto-conical form. The sleeve cones may be mounted for pivoting movement to facilitate manual loading. A retractable hollow body shell closes over the loaded sleeve cones, and a shirt body is loaded over the body shell and previously loaded sleeve sections. Load fixtures, comprising a body shell and a pair of sleeve cones, are mounted on a carrier, preferably a rotary turret, for advancement from one work station to another, for loading, sewing and unloading operations. For sewing, the load fixtures are bodily detachable from the carrier, and rotated about the axis of the sleeve cones, while the shoulder seams are sewn by a stationary sewing apparatus. Shirt bodies are loaded with an inside-out orientation for the sewing operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for high production assembly and sewing of tubular sleeve sections to shirt bodies. Tubular sleeve sections are loaded onto sleeve cones, preferably of cylindrical or frusto-conical form. The sleeve cones may be mounted for pivoting movement to facilitate manual loading. A retractable, hollow body shell closes over the loaded sleeve cones, and a shirt body is loaded over the body shell and previously loaded sleeve sections. Load fixtures, comprising a body shell and a pair of sleeve cones as described, are mounted on a carrier, preferably a rotary turret, for advancement from one work station to another, for loading, sewing and unloading operations. For sewing, the load fixtures are bodily detachable from the carrier, and rotated about the axis of the sleeve cones, while the shoulder seams are sewn by a stationary sewing apparatus.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sewing sleeve sections to a knitted shirt body. The sleeve sections are provided with a right-side-out orientation and are engaged and supported for sewing by a limited edge margin. A shirt body, supplied in an inside-out orientation, is applied over a previously loaded sleeve section, and is also engaged by only a limited edge margin at the sleeve opening, with the shoulder margin of the shirt body closely surrounding and approximately aligned with the edge margin of the sleeve section. The two components are placed under limited tension to equalize the respective circumference dimensions and are controllably advanced while a shoulder seam is sewn. The respective edges are guided and aligned as they approach the sewing position. A pair of opposed fixtures and sewing heads are provided at each sewing station, so that both sleeve sections and both sides of the shirt body can be loaded in preparation for sewing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for automating the sewing of tubular sleeve sections onto tubular shirt bodies, as in the manufacture of T-shirts. Shirt bodies and sleeve sections are applied over a generally cylindrical body form having portions aligned with the sleeve openings of the shirt body. In one version, the sleeve sections are applied inside-out and inner end first over opposed hollow sleeve cones. The areas of the shirt body surrounding the sleeve openings are engaged at spaced points by positioning devices, which independently position segments of the sleeve opening edges with respect to predetermined reference planes. Thereafter, tubular sleeve sections are applied axially over the body form, in surrounding relation to the shoulder areas of the shirt body. As segments of the sleeve inner edges approach the reference planes, individual segments are engaged and retained in position, until all portions of the sleeve edges are aligned with their respective reference plane.

Abstract: There is disclosed a computerized control system for stitching apparel parts in various stitching patterns according to individual designs or styles. The control system prevents mismatching the hardware components used to hold the apparel parts during stitching thereof and a selected computerized program which controls an individual stitching pattern. A program may not be selected unless a code identifying such program is found to match the code which identifies the hardware used for a particular style or design.

Abstract: An apparatus for affixing garment parts, such as pockets to a tubular knit garment body (for example, a T-shirt) which permits conversion of conventional pocket setting equipment, the apparatus providing means to convert the tubular body essentially into a flat undistorted .garment surface prior to and during the stitching operation; followed by subsequent restoration of the tubular garment body prior to stacking.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for automating the sewing of tubular sleeve sections onto tubular shirt bodies, as in the manufacture of T-shirts. Shirt bodies are applied over a generally cylindrical body form having portions aligned with the sleeve openings of the shirt body. The sleeve sections are applied inside-out and inner end first over opposed hollow sleeve cones. The body form, oriented horizontally for loading, is indexed to a sleeve inserting station, where it is re-oriented vertically. The areas of the shirt body surrounding the sleeve openings are engaged a spaced points by positioning devices, which independently position segments of the sleeve opening edges with respect to predetermined reference planes. Thereafter, tubular sleeve sections are applied axially over the body form, in surrounding relation to the shoulder areas of the shirt body.