Jet Sew Technologies, Inc.

Robert J Sheets

Tadeusz A Olewicz

Ernst Schramayr

Andrew T Colerick

A highly efficient, simplified method and apparatus for joining knitted shirt sleeves to shoulder openings of knitted shirt bodies. A knitted sleeve section, oriented outside-out, is engaged by a limited shoulder edge margin only by guide rollers, which can be separated to apply a very limited, controlled circumferential tension to the mounted sleeve section. A knitted shirt body, oriented inside-out, is positioned with a shoulder edge margin directly surrounding the shoulder edge margin of the sleeve section, and also maintained under light tension. A retractable support is positioned underneath the free portion of the sleeve section during loading of the shirt body. The two fabric sections are arranged to be controllably advanced in unison by the guide rollers on which they are supported while a sewing operation is performed. Immediately in advance of the sewing station, the respective shoulder margins are separated by an intervening plate and are individually engaged by active edge guide devices operating in response to a novel arrangement of individual fabric edge positioning sensors for the respective shoulder margins. Immediately in advance of the active edge guides, decurler devices are provided to flatten and extend the edges of the shoulder margins, assuring that the subsequent edge alignment and sewing operations can be accomplished with a high level of accuracy and reliability.

Method and apparatus for attaching sleeves to shirt bodies

A method and apparatus for sewing sleeve sections to a knitted shirt body. The sleeve sections are provided with a right-side-out orientation and are engaged and supported for sewing by a limited edge margin. A shirt body, supplied in an inside-out orientation, is applied over a previously loaded sleeve section, and is also engaged by only a limited edge margin at the sleeve opening, with the shoulder margin of the shirt body closely surrounding and approximately aligned with the edge margin of the sleeve section. The two components are placed under limited tension to equalize the respective circumference dimensions and are controllably advanced while a shoulder seam is sewn. The respective edges are guided and aligned as they approach the sewing position. A pair of opposed fixtures and sewing heads are provided at each sewing station, so that both sleeve sections and both sides of the shirt body can be loaded in preparation for sewing. Sewing then can proceed at each side sequentially or simultaneously, depending upon configuration of the sewing heads. In a two-station installation, sewing can take place at one station while the operator loads a shirt body and sleeve sections into a second station. Exceptionally high rates of production can be achieved with relatively simplified and economical equipment installations. The system is adaptable for both long-sleeved and short-sleeved shirts.

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Utica, NY, United States of America

Robert J Sheets