A method for manufacturing of garments comprises the steps of obtaining a pattern of a garment, cutting at least one fabric according to the pattern into a plurality of fabric pieces, attaching the plurality of fabric pieces together to create an unfinished garment, and forming a final garment by pleating the unfinished garment. The pleating step creates at least one one-way pleated element and at least one two-way pleated element in the final garment. Pleats of the at least one one-way pleated element and pleats of the at least one two-way pleated element are created without securing the pleats in place.

A domestic compact article folding machine (10) configured for autonomous article folding has machine top and bottom ends (12, 14) and a uniform machine body portion which extends therebetween. The folding machine (10) includes an active loading system (20) located at the machine top end (12), at least five stacked conveyor layers (38) and an active unloading system (22) located at the machine bottom end (14). Outer dimensions of the folding machine (10) are equal or smaller than a domestic appliance for article treatment. The folding machine (10) is configured to fold the article at least once in a width of the article and at least once in a length thereof.

Systems and methods are described that provide for automated manufacturing of garments using cutting, folding tools and adhesive dispensers operating on continuous webs of fabric webs to manufacture garments in an efficient manner while improving quality and overcoming material handling issues resulting from the properties of fabrics.

A shirt folding apparatus, comprising a substantially rectangular upper mat, a substantially rectangular lower mat, a plurality of substantially rectangular plates, said plates are arranged in three columns each with three plates and three rows each with three plates, wherein the three columns are a Western Column, Center Column, and Eastern Column, wherein the three rows are a Northern Row, Center Row, and Southern Row, wherein the total surface area of said plates is much less than the surface area of either the upper or lower mats such that when laid out in rows and columns, a gap exists between the plates where the shirt folding apparatus can be folded, wherein said plurality of plates is laminated between said upper and lower mats using an adhesive, wherein said shirt folding apparatus is bounded by four edges that includes a Northern Edge, Eastern Edge, Southern Edge, and Western Edge, a plurality of grid elements, wherein a grid element is approximated by the local region of said shirt folding apparatus fully containing the nearest plate.

A clothing classification apparatus includes: a first roller; a second roller arranged to face the first roller; a driving device rotating the first and second rollers in different directions; sensors for sensing positions of clothes in each of the upper and lower areas of the first and second rollers; and a processor configured to control the driving device so that the clothes repeatedly move between the first and second rollers a predetermined number of times when the clothes are placed on the first and second rollers, and control the driving device to change the rotational directions of the first and second rollers when it is confirmed that the clothes pass through the upper or lower area on the basis of results of the sensing by the sensors.

Devices, systems, and methods for autonomously folding a deformable laundry article are described. A folding device includes a rotatable platform configured to receive the article. A clamp rod raises and lowers from a surface of the platform and slidably moves parallel to the surface. A clamp drive is configured to operate the clamp rod to clamp the article to the surface. A table drive rotates the platform such that the clamp rod aligns with a fold line for the deformable article. A movable sweep rod disposed parallel to the clamp rod raises and lowers from the surface of the rotatable platform, slidably moves parallel to the surface, slides under an unclamped portion of the article, lifts the unclamped portion above the clamp rod, passes the unclamped portion over the clamp rod, and lowers the free end to a resting position atop another portion of the article.

A device for autonomously folding a deformable article includes a rotatable platform configured to receive the deformable article and at least one movable elongation in operable communication with at least one elongation drive. The at least one movable elongation is configured to raise and lower from the surface of the rotatable platform, move parallel to the surface, and manipulate the deformable article to thereby fold the deformable article at one of the one or more fold lines. The device includes a table drive configured to rotate the rotatable platform about a central axis such that the at least one elongation aligns with one of the one or more fold lines, and at least one sensor configured to detect the deformable article position and orientation on the rotatable platform. A controller is in operable communication with the at least one elongation drive, the table drive, and the at least one sensor.

A compact, on-demand mask folding and welding system which reduces the size, cost, noise hazard and complexity of the folding and welding process used in the manufacture of medical and protective face masks is disclosed.

A folded article formed from a protective garment, and a method of folding a protective garment to prepare the garment for donning, expose sleeve openings of the garment for ease of donning. The protective garment is folded into a folded article that is configured to be grasped by an inner surface of the garment and prevent touching the outer surface of the garment during donning. Thus, the sterility of the protective garment can be maintained during donning. The protective garment may further include a hood and visor, and the folded article formed from the protective garment may have the same size and shape as the visor.

The invention relates to a method for continuously manufacturing elastic pants (28), wherein a flat web material (1, 16, 19) is continuously conveyed in a longitudinal direction (8) of the web material (1, 16, 19), is shaped into a closed tube (4), and is closed in the longitudinal direction (8). The closed tube (4) forms a first outer layer (9). Elastic threads (10) in the form of a tubular reinforcement are then wound around the first outer layer (9) in the conveying direction (8) in such a way that the elastic threads (10) are taut when the outer layer (9) has a convex shape. A second outer layer (15) is then continuously applied to the elastic threads (10) in the conveying direction (8) and is joined to the elastic threads (10) and/or the first outer layer (9). The first outer layer (9), the elastic threads (10) and the second outer layer (15) form an elastic pants web material (21). Further down in the conveying direction (8), the pants web material (21) is closed along a joining section (29) in regular intervals such that the joining section (29) forms two approximately equally large opening sections that lie opposite each other in the transverse direction. Further down in the conveying direction (8), the pants web material (21) is cut at a distance from the joining section (29) such that a pair of elastic pants (28) is formed.