Disclosed are methods and apparatus for cleaning a substrate, such as a fabric material, involving the application of optical energy to the substrate, typically in the form of a beam of light, where the energy of the beam causes removal of the contaminant from substrate, such as from the fibres of a fabric material. The cleaning may occur via any mechanism, including one or more of, alone or in any combination, ablation, melting, heating or reaction with the substrate or contaminant or agent introduced to aid in the cleaning. The optical energy is typically applied to a selected area of the substrate (e.g., as a beam), and the substrate and beam or optical energy source moved relative to one another so as to clean a larger area of the substrate, either by moving the substrate or the beam, or both. Movement of the beam with respect to the substrate can be attained through a beam scanning mechanism or through movement of the optical source itself.

The invention relates to a method for introducing a defined weakening line by means of material removal on a cover material (20) which has a visible side (22) and a rear side (21) opposite the visible side (22), in which a pulsed laser beam (31) from a laser (30) is aimed at the rear side (21) of the cover material (20) and is guided along a path (50) and at least one observation unit (11) for monitoring the weakening process is provided underneath the visible side (22) of the cover material (20), wherein a second laser beam (61) from a second laser (60) is coupled into the beam path of the first laser beam (31), wherein the first pulsed laser beam (31) is used to produce the weakening line, and the radiation from the second laser beam (61) that emerges on the visible side (22) is detected by the at least one observation unit (11).

A fabric cutting system and/or method can include a mandrel having a body and first and second legs, a chuck, the chuck configured to receive either one of the legs or body to rotatingly support the mandrel. The mandrel can be rotated and the fabric mounted on the mandrel can be cut about the leg at a location beyond the end of the other leg. One of the legs can include a leg extension removable from a leg base that when removed allows the other leg to be cut beyond the end of the leg base. The fabric can be cut with a cutting laser, which may be a multi-axis laser, and/or have low power.

Mat (1) for mounting a pollution control element in a housing, comprising inorganic fibre material. At an edge surface (20) of the mat a plurality of fibres (30) are heat fused to form fusion volumes (90). The average number of fusion volumes per square millimetre of the edge surface is at least 100, and at least 80% of the fusion volumes have a projected size of between 10 m and 100 m.

Software and lasers are used in finishing apparel to produce a desired wear pattern or other design. A technique includes determining a fabric's response to a laser, capturing an initial image of a wear pattern on a garment, and processing the initial image to obtain a working image in grayscale. The working image is further processed to obtain a difference image by comparing each pixel relative to a dark reference. The difference image is converted to a laser values image by using the previously determined fabric response to the laser.

A method for assembling cable wrapping tapes. From an adhesive tape parent roll, strip-like adhesive tapes (11), each having two cut edges (12a) on the sides, are produced from a textile material which has an adhesive coating (12) on one side, by cutting in the drawing direction of the parent roll. The cutting is performed using an ultrasound-excited cutting tool (1) and wherein the cutting is performed using a cooled cutting tool (1). An adhesive tape (11), having a strip-like textile carrier material (13) and an adhesive coating (12) applied to one side and two cut edges (12a) on the sides. The cut edges (12a) are created by ultrasound cutting, and the textile carrier material (13) of the carrier is fused to its cut edges (12a). No adhesive coating (12) exists on the cut edges (12a); which are free of lint and threads.

A method of scribing abrasion aesthetics, patterns, images, serial numbers, ply markings and/or other information, such as sizing or care information, on fabric such as denim, before or during the fabric cutting process is provided. The method comprises loading the panel abrasion software, pattern marker software, and fabric scribing software; placing the fabric on a flat surface under at least one laser; laser scribing ply numbers, serial labels, fabric markers, and panel abrasions on the fabric; cutting the fabric into fabric lengths; spreading the pre-abraded and pre-marked fabric lengths on top of each other to create multiple plies in precise alignment; cutting shaped panels along the lines of the pattern marker with a conventional knife, laser, or other appropriate cutting tool; and stacking the abraded, labeled and shaped panels robotically or manually for sewing.

Systems and methods are described for managing articles. The systems and methods described herein may comprise an example method for manufacturing an article. The systems and methods provides an end-to-end manufacturing value chain as a closed system and feedback loop.

A cloth positioner for continuous processing according to this invention includes a processing base, an alignment plate provided on the processing base, and at least one figure position abutment pin piece. The processing base includes a plurality of thru holes. The alignment plate includes at least one pin piece slot matching with the figure position abutment pin piece, a plurality of air pressure vents, and at least one laser cutting line groove. With the figure position abutment pin piece that is provided for fixing a cloth onto the pin piece slot, the cloth is positioned on the cloth positioner for continuous processing.

A method for laser engraving on clothing and to a corresponding machine. Using an image, a laser burns, for each pixel, a corresponding point on the clothing, with a laser energy level that is a function of the pixel value. This function has a first zone with a first average gradient and a second zone with a second average gradient. The first zone corresponds to laser energy values less than the second zone, the absolute value of the second average gradient being greater than the absolute value of the first average gradient. The laser engraving machine comprises a laser source, means for conducting the laser on specific points of the clothing, means for controlling the energy supplied by the laser, and control means configured to carry out the method.