FASTSEWN to Showcase Automated Sewing and Laser Cutting System at PRINTING United

See the FASTSEWN solution at PRINTING United Expo (Oct. 22-24 in Orlando, Florida) in the CutWorx booth (#848), where it will be demonstrated for the first time in the U.S.

The system showcases fully automatic sewing and laser cutting of SEG signage — including dispensing, sewing, and cutting the SEG keder in place, followed by cutting to shape. Using two rolls of textiles, the system will also demonstrate additional capabilities such as pillow graphics and security screens.

Solving “the last mile” problem in automated manufacturing with textiles

We used to discuss the last-mile problem with high-speed internet at home. After more than 30 years, we have finally made fiber available, reaching multi-gigabit speeds, into homes and offices worldwide. Likewise, we have had a similar last mile problem in bringing or growing textile-based manufactured products to markets in the West. From design, to print, to cut to size and shape, everything else is fully automated. However, the last mile — the sewing necessary to finish the product’s production — is hindered by insufficient automation, requiring much manual or semi-automatic sewing, or customized solutions requiring frames to hold pre-cut textile pieces. For those currently in this business, finding sufficient manual sewing personnel to just support current business, rather than to grow, is problematic. FASTSEWN solves this dilemma by allowing the same person who runs your current printers or cutters to oversee the FASTSEWN system’s operation.

FASTSEWN has solved this problem through its unique and patented/patent-pending Moving Cavity Technology (MCT). Using the same automation techniques that our founder, Steen B. Mikkelsen, began developing 25 years ago with the introduction of i-cut™ to automatically cut printed materials on flatbed cutters into deliverable shapes, FASTSEWN is now able to sew similar 2D patterns before laser cutting to shape. MCT allows this to be accomplished by supporting two aligned gantries, one above the textiles on the conveyor table and one below. In this way, the sewing head rides on the upper gantry moving in the bed, connected to the lower gantry holding the bobbin and hook. The moving cavity may move in the long direction, allowing sewing and cutting to be accomplished just as you now accomplish automated flatbed cutting. This integrated process significantly reduces the time it takes to pre-cut, move, reregister, then sew manually or semi-automatically, by up to 80% - with higher accuracy. Payback will be under a year in two-shift operations or faster, depending upon labor rates. Space limitations for growth are also minimized.

The current FASTSEWN market emphasis is on large-format printed textiles requiring the application of keder strips for use in SEG frames. This capability also now allows the fabrics to be more easily fitted into frames more contoured than just square or rectangular. Additional needs for such graphic printers - for pillow graphics, security signs, bags, and more - are also possible with this system. Due to the use of flatbed technology, no frames are required, and multiple projects may be handled sequentially from a single or double printed roll. Applicable to automotive, industrial, and home seating, airbags, industrial filters, and more are additional markets. However, due to the MCT’s capabilities to work with textiles or other materials from both top and bottom, other applications - including simplified roll-fed laser cutting, ultrasonic welding, and clean water waterjet solutions - are also being defined and developed.

The FASTSEWN team is led by Steen Mikkelsen, who has been responsible for significantly improving the production of printed graphics using flatbed cutters - first with i-cut™ in 2000, followed by the development of i-script to send cut files through the RIP to the cutter, and then with the development of the MCT laser cutters: the only flatbed cutters with the ability to laser cut, router cut, or knife cut - all three with conveying capability on a single large-format cutting table. Steen’s curious mind has now extended these capabilities to add sewing to such systems, allowing the sewing lines to be similarly defined.

Source: FASTSEWN

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Wide-format Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of Wide-format Impressions.