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Gerber Technology Versatile Cutter - Special on Needlecraft Superior!

This Blog is going to be a little different to the other one’s I have submitted to
Needlecraft Superior as I will take you down a path of how the garments you buy
in a fashion parlour start from the beginning.
In the old days they were laid up by hand on long tables,by hand following a order
by material type and colour, hopefully the person laying it up used the right tension
and did not stretch it,the garment would end up the right size, then cut by a knife
going up and down,through the layers of fabric by hand, everything was okay, as long as the
person that graded the pattern and draw it up on paper did not make a mistake.
Also that the person cutting the lay’s cut on the right lines correctly.
Hopefully when the machinest sewed it up, all piece of the garment fitted together.

I worked for 30 years in the Rag Trade starting as a machines and working my way
through pattern grading by hand not a plotter, to a cutter.
Since the factories closing down one by one as it became uneconomical to
operate like this, they all closed down or went offshore.

Early in the 1990 things really started to change, all the imports of cheap clothes,
factories look for new way’s to make a profit and cope with all the rising wages.

Plotting Computer machines that draw the patterns on paper, and had a better
accuracy and less mistakes, but still there was need for more if the rag trade was
going to survive. Factories where closing down everywhere.
So Classic Fashions invested in this great gerber cutter imported from the USA.

Classic Fashions in New Plymouth New Zealand was a ladies outer garment clothing firm
purchased a GERBER CUTTER - Versatile Cutter Designed for Made-to-Order Manufacturing
Some of the features were that it cut up to 8 mm (0.3 in.) of compressed material.
it stored cutting setup files for quick retrieval to accelerate future cut jobs on a computer.
it had graphical operator interface and easy-to-use on-machine control panel on a computer
simplifies operator training and use, which I learned it was the start of me being a computer
addict.
Here is a photo of it and I was also operating it, it travels across the floor on tracks
like a train and moves from one table to the next.
Cuts by a laser beam, all kinds of fabric from the most delicates to the hardest of vinyl.

We had long tables which were set up with vacuum under them so when the layers of fabric were finished
laying up by hand, they were moved down the table to the Gerber cutter to be cut.
The Gerber cutter was operated by vacuum, that plastic was laid on top and the vacuum sucked
the material down under the plastic and held it very firm.
There would be a person at the head of the gerber cutter as the laid was being cut and take of
the peices of the garments as they where cut, bundle them up and of to the markers to sort out
and hang the piece on hangers, which would be ready for the machinest to sew up.

So this Gerber solutions for apparel and retail dramatically improve turn around times and
significantly reduce material waste and labour costs but the factories still when on closing
down until 16 march 2002 Classic Manufacturing, one of the last clothing factories to close down
in Taranaki NZ closed down..
If you would like to see more on this wonderful machine that cut down staff members,operating
hand cutters, and training of humans for hands cutters take a look at this website.

Compiled By Elsie Hagley, Urenui, New Zealand

http://www.gerbertechnology.com/default.asp?contentID=12

Gerber Cutter