What is Automatic Marker Making?
Marker making is an important step in garment manufacturing that ensures fabric is used efficiently, reducing waste and cost. In modern garment manufacturing process, automatic marker making process is essential for saving fabric, time, and reducing manual errors.
Automatic marker making is the computerized process of arranging pattern pieces on fabric in a way that maximizes material efficiency and minimizes waste especially with the use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems. It replaces manual methods, making garment production faster and more accurate.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the automatic marker making process.
Automatic Marker Making Process Step by Step
The use of automation in marker making greatly improves both speed and quality. Here’s how:
- Markers are created on a computer screen in decreased sizes.
- Additional actions reduce the requirements of the work process.
- Markers can be created automatically using overnight processing.
Modern nesting software allows pattern pieces to be arranged on a digital fabric layout. This layout matches the actual width of the fabric. This process may be performed automatically or semi-automatically. Markers are created for all the materials used in production of the style: face fabric, lining, interlining, and other auxiliary materials. These markers may be saved for later use in the cutting process or modified to create new markers.
During the marker making process, pattern pieces can be copied, rotated, duplicated, flipped, displayed, split, etc. while remaining in the correct orientation to the thread direction or fabric grain. Depending on the qualities of the fabric being used, a particular size of buffer is placed between the pattern pieces.
The following actions may be used when working with pattern pieces during the automatic marker making process:
- A controlled slide: the operator indicates the direction, and the system automatically positions the pattern piece next to another pattern piece or marker edge.
- Turning a pattern piece to its next position by rotating through 45, 90, or 180 degrees
- Folding a pattern piece at its central line or reopening a folded piece.
- Splitting a pattern piece by dividing along a previously fixed and digitized line.
- Creating a buffer to add leeway around a previously set up pattern piece.
The following actions can be performed during the automatic marker making process:
- The creation and manipulation of bundles to create groups of pattern pieces making up one complete garment or item;
- The creation of a block of fusible components in a face fabric marker and copying it to a interlining marker;
- Copying the piece placement of a similar marker to a current marker;
- Moving a group of pieces within a marker;
- Combining markers and attaching one marker to another;
- Turning a whole marker (and all the pieces in it) horizontally about its x-axis and vertically about its y-axis;
- Creating a vertical, horizontal, or manual line through the marker;
- Measuring the distance between two points on the marker;
- Matching pattern pieces on a fabric with stripes, plaid lines, or motifs;
- Generating a splice and placing splice indications on the marker;
- Others.
You may also like: Marker Planning in Garment Industry
Benefits of Automatic Marker Making
The benefits of automatic marker making in garment manufacturing include:
- Saves time and labour compared to manual marking methods.
- Reduces fabric waste through more efficient layouts.
- Increases marker efficiency for better cost control.
- Ensures consistency and accuracy, especially for large-scale garment production.
Conclusion
Automatic marker making improves productivity, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability in apparel manufacturing, making it an indispensable technology for modern garment production. It revolutionizes garment production by optimizing fabric usage and speeding up the process.
