Apparatus for preparing a fabric for seaming

Abstract

An integrated cutter for preparing the edges of a fabric for seaming includes a hooked needle which oscillates vertically in a guide bushing located close to the plane of the fabric between a retracted position where the head of the needle is not exposed and an extended position in which the needle penetrates the fabric. The needle head is shaped so that when it moves upwardly it pushes between a pair of yarns in one direction until the hook is above a yarn in the other direction. The needle hook includes a transverse groove shaped so that when it moves downwardly it captures this yarn. The needle is a close fit within the guide bushing, to ensure cooperation between cutting edges at the lateral ends of the transverse groove and at the periphery of the hole at the top end of the guide bushing around the needle, so that a short length of the trapped yarn is severed cleanly as the cooperating cutting edges at each side of the hook and at the top end of the guide bushing pass each other when the needle moves downwardly. A carrier moves the device laterally a preset distance, and the cycle is repeated to cut another section of yarn. Since the integrated cutter of this invention does not rely on friction within the fabric to hold the yarn as it is cut, distortion of the adjacent area of the fabric is minimised.