ALPS – Vision based laser cutting for patterned fabrics

Challenge

The major goal of ALPS is a machine vision system that alleviates fixing and positioning requirements of highly deformable and patterned fabrics and enables cutting without any prior marking. The overall aims are to decrease cost and complexity of the fixing system, to increase cutting performance and overall throughput for all relevant batch sizes, while ensuring high system usability and reliability.

Benefit

The ALPS approach removes the need to produce cutting dies for the production of clothes. It aims at a machine vision-based cutting system capable of instantly producing different pieces by a simple design and transfer procedure.

Vision guidance greatly reduces positioning requirements for deformable fabrics of variable thread thickness. ALPS will demonstrate the capability of machine vision to cope with fabric deformation, thread thickness and lace positioning and guide the laser beam while controlling laser parameters. This will extend the current machine market to a new breed of machines for flexible and individualised manufacturing. Textile industry as the user will have the opportunity to adopt laser cutting for deformable decorated fabrics at virtually no extra cost. Increased productivity, improved production rate and enhanced quality control are accompanied by waste reduction and the ability to offer individualised products at competitive cost, even at a batch size of one.

 

Project:
LASHARE

Enterprises:

Sector
Textiles

Keywords
Laser