A conveyor belt system having a belt in contact with an array of actuators that are functional to move the belt in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the belt. The belt actuators can be functional to move individually to form a desired topography of the belt. The conveyor belt system can, thereby, move a workpiece in three dimensions for improved manufacturing and/or warehousing.

A conveyor belt system having a belt in contact with an array of actuators that are functional to move the belt in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the belt. The belt actuators can be functional to move individually to form a desired topography of the belt. The conveyor belt system can, thereby, move a workpiece in three dimensions for improved manufacturing and/or warehousing.

A method for placing pieces intended to be cut automatically from a fabric having a pattern that repeats at a predetermined pitch, called pattern pitch, involves the steps of determining a list of pieces to be placed on the fabric, for at least one piece of the placement, calculating a contour to be placed around the piece, the contour having a variable margin in order to avoid an overlap between adjacent pieces, the margin being a function of a predefined rate of variation of the fabric and of at least one predetermined constraint of placement of the piece on the fabric, and developing a theoretical placement of the pieces on the fabric taking into account the contour to be placed of each piece.

Embodiments herein describe automated systems and methods to assemble a garment, such as a T-shirt. Some embodiments provide for systems and methods for transferring and manipulating fabrics and joining garment components during garment manufacturing in a way that is more suitable to automation. Some embodiments provide for garment manufacturing systems and methods that are reconfigurable to enable both mass production of customized garments and small batch processing with reduced human intervention.

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.

A method for gripping, moving and releasing a piece of cloth with a gripper that is initially placed with opposed, movable, coherent, flexible surface parts in contact with the piece of cloth, and the surface parts are moved with respect to each other and with respect to the gripper in a gripping action, in order to pinch and hold on to the piece of cloth. The gripper with the piece of cloth pinched between the surface parts is moved to a different location, wherein the surface parts move in a reverse direction in order to release the piece of cloth. While in contact with the piece of cloth, the opposed surface parts are moved along a path which brings the surface parts both closer to each other and moves them in a direction away from the piece of cloth.

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.

Various examples are provided related to attachment of bands such as, e.g., collar or neck bands, sleeve bands, wrist bands, waist bands and ankle bands, etc. to a garment opening. In one example, among others, a band can be attached to a garment by loading the band between rollers in a joining position, positioning an opening of a garment extending between control surface mandrels over the band, and attaching the band to the garment along the edge of the opening.

Various examples are provided related to attachment of bands such as, e.g., collar or neck bands, sleeve bands, wrist bands, waist bands and ankle bands, etc. to a garment opening. In one example, among others, a band can be attached to a garment by loading the band between rollers in a joining position, positioning an opening of a garment extending between control surface mandrels over the band, and attaching the band to the garment along the edge of the opening.

A method and tooling for manufacturing flexible articles of manufacture such as garments, bags, backpacks and accessories that require hemmed edges. The method and tooling are compatible for use in an automated system and simplify the hemming process by performing the hemming operation on a flat pattern of material before the pattern of material has been joined with other patterns of material to form a finished or intermediate three-dimensional workpiece. This facilitates the formation of the hem by allowing the hem to be formed on a flat material pattern on a flat surface, thereby facilitating the folding, creasing and affixing of the hem without the requirement of human dexterity and labor.