News > 4 Tips for Better Cutting Room Table’s Productivity

Cutting room tables have become one of the most important pieces of equipment at cutting room facilities during clothing or upholstery furniture manufacturing. For example the cost of fabric accounts could be even as high as 70 percent of the overall production cost of the clothing. Since the manufacturers have no control about the cost of this fabric, they can only focus on reducing the amount of fabric used. To gain a competitive advantage and raise profits, a factory must use fabric wisely.

The quality of the final product directly depends on whether the drawing was clearly executed and whether the pattern was cut correctly. Therefore, the furniture and clothing factories try to find a place not only for the machine or overlock, but also for the cutting surface. Some cutting room tables are built with bottom shelves for storage, with air blowing to facilitate material moving or with a space to accommodate a sewing machine.

Key features:

- The table is constructed of closed steel profiles for long-term durability and stability.

- The tabletop is made of 25 mm thick laminated white MDF.

- The tabletop is finished on the outside with aluminum angles, and the tabletop's inner links are made of white PVC.

- The underside of each tabletop connection is supported by a profile.

- The levelling of the table may be adjusted using swivel feet.

- At any time, tables can be quickly expanded.

- Tables can be equipped with special brake-equipped castors (optional).

- Air cushion (optional SK-3/AIR) can be added to the table.

- Tables of any size can be produced.

- Table can be supplied with a bottom shelf (optional).

- Standard width of table: 1.83 m or 2.07 m (72.0" or 78.7").

- Standard lengths are: 2.8 m, 3.9 m, 7.2 m, 8.3 m, 22.96 ft, 26.24 ft, 29.52 ft, 32.8 ft, 36.08 ft, 39.37 ft, etc.

4 Tips For Better Cutting Room Tables Productivity

1. Preparation of a good Cut Plan

Cut plans should be prepared based on various constraints offered for the ease of operations to improve material utilization. These limits are often imposed by the consumer, such as:

● Table length, 

● Maximum / minimum number of garments to be placed in the marker, 

● Garments allowed to be cut only in pairs, Maximum / minimum number of plies to be put in the lays, 

● Extra pieces allowed to be cut over the target quantity.

Making a manual cut plan that adheres to the above constraints is a time-consuming process. It's much more boring when you're dealing with thousands of orders on a regular basis. Furthermore, manual processes are vulnerable to human error and have a lower level of accuracy when it comes to producing good results.

2. Preparation of relevant patterns and markers, and cutting on the floor

Following the fabric inspection process, the cutting department starts fabric preparation. The cutting department will advise the pattern maker (CAD department) on what shrinkage to use for which size range (depending on the cut-plan and fabric grouping).

These instructions can be given by summarising all fabric roll details, such as distance, shrinkage families, range, and, sometimes, shades. This prevents the development of redundant patterns.

The individual who is laying the fabric on the cutting floor must have access to the same details. This will assist the department in keeping track of cutting activities and minimising errors in order to achieve the desired performance and reach regular goals.

3. Selection of a cutting knife

Many types of specialized knives for manual fabric cutting are used on cutting tables. Among them are:

- Vertical knives

- Round knives

- Polygonal knives

- Ultrasonic knives

Vertical knives are the most commonly used knife in the cutting room. Depending on the amount of fabric overlap, appropriate knife heights are used. These are the most universal knives used to cut any type of fabric and operate on the principle of rapid vibration on the up-down axis of the blade.

Round knives are used in lower runs of more expensive types of fabrics, where the risk of damaging the edge of the fabric by vibrations of a standard cutting knife should be minimized. As a result, the edge of the fabric has less tendency to fray.

Polygon knives work in a similar way to round knives, but they are used for harder materials, e.g. hard felt, eco leather and leather. Usually only a single layer of material is cut.

Ultrasonic knives are used in materials that contain more than 50% of artificial components. These devices work by vibrating the cutting head at the ultrasonic frequency, which enables maximum quality of the cutting line. What's more, ultrasonic knives melt the edge of the fabric, thanks to which it does not lose threads, and the final product is of very high quality. Ultrasonic knives are most often used in the production of window blinds, but are also used in other industries.

4. End-bit utilisation

The fabric rolls, like the markers, come in a variety of lengths. As a result, every fabric roll appears to produce at least one end-bit, resulting in waste (an end-bit is a fabric piece smaller than the lay length, left after roll completion). To minimise waste, it's critical to make good use of the end-bits.

To make effective use of these end-bits, they must be grouped by length and markers rendered accordingly. Although the concept appears basic, it can become complicated during execution. 

With hundreds of rolls and thousands of markers, the number of potential combinations is limitless, making it difficult to find the perfect match. Cutting room table gives efficiency to your business and increases your business growth!

You can also read our read our recently published blog:

How To Use Pneumatic Lift Tables For Upholstery Appropriately?