Alternative Methods of Joining Materials

Problems regarding Sewing

Traditional sewing takes time to produce a garment sewn with
needle and thread.
The needle and thread produces perforated seams that can allow
harmful gases or fumes to pass through a seam.
The appearance left by the stitches to form a seam can give off
an unattractive appearance no matter how much effort went into
producing a decorative seam with attractive stitches. It gives off
an imperfect appearance which doesnt have a fully smooth
surface on the seam.

Alternative Methods of Joining:

- Fusing
- Welding and Adhesives
- Moulding

Welding and Adhesives

- Fusing involves attachment of interlining to ferment parts
over an area that may be large in case of a jacket front or
small in the case of a reinforcing tape, collar, cuff etc.
Whatever the situation, the fused part, in the course of
normal wear and tear, isnt subjected to any forces that
would tend to pull it apart.

- Garments seams can be joined by means of welding or

sticking the seam. A large proportion of the seams used in
garment construction are superimposed seams and if made
using the proper sewing thread and stitch type, the seam
would be strong enough for a particular fabric and garment
end use.
- When this type of seam is joined with any kind of adhesive
or some method of melting a thermoplastic fiber fabric and
bonding the material together, the seam may pull apart
easily, unless it is substantial and possibly ugly.
The effect
is similar to the undoing of the hook and loop fastening
(Velcro) or peeling of adhesive tape from a roll.
- Situation in which a welded or stuck seam works well is in
the lapped seam but in most materials this poses a problem
with raw edges. Velcro fastenings on a garment or on
footwear shows how strong it is against a shearing force and
the same applies to a long seam which is bonded together.
However more complicated lapped seams sewn by using
folders cannot be constructed easily for any other method of
joining.
- Further properties of these sealed or adhesive seams also
cause problems. These seams are less flexible and
extensible than sewn seams. Both these problems cause
the seam to break down during use. If a seam is joined
incorrectly, it is impossible to alter it.
-

While stitching is, in most cases, simple to undo and re-sew,

seams joined by other methods are easily damaged if
attempted to be separated.

There are however scopes for using these methods of joining.

Areas of use include:-

Welding decorative motifs to garments.

Sealing of the edges of sewn garment parts and other
garment components to prevent fraying and avoid the
need for additional sewing at the edges.
Forming vents, buttonholes and eyelets.
Producing close-fitting performance garments
(sportswear and underwear)
Waterproofing previously sewn seams made from
waterproof materials.
Attaching garment parts using adhesives where
subsequent stitching like topstitching will prevent parts
from peeling apart.

Adhesive:
Adhesive in this case refers to a substance that is initially a sticky
viscous fluid that can flow over a material and then hardens/
solidifies to form a bond. Process of hardening involves a
polymerization or cross-linking reaction to be carried out by
control over time, heat or light to initiate the reaction. For
instance, heat activated adhesives are co-polymers that melt,
flow and polymerize/ harden at higher temperatures.
They involve thermoplastic tapes and films for joining fabrics. If
theyre melted by adding heat energy, caused to flow and then
cooled, that is welding.
If, however, there is a chemical change within the material used
as the tape or film, that is adhesive bonding.
Welding and adhesives have some similarities in the problems
which arise in the construction of seams using them.
The number of garment construction methods that make use of
adhesives for seams is limited. The main growth area in tapes or
films, where there is a substantial overlap with welding
technologies.
Applications:
- Use of an adhesive thread that can be sewn into the edge
neatening of a hem as one of the looper threads. When the
hem is pressed up to the correct position, the thread melts
and holds it in place without sewing.

Obvious restriction here is the problem of alteration of the

garment length. Another use of adhesives is in seams that
will take no strain and are subsequently top-stitched.
Patch pockets can be attached to garments by means of
adhesive around the edge, the top corners being forced
subsequently with a sewn bar tack. Yoke seams can be
similarly attached using an adhesive and topstitched
afterwards.
Another use involves the purpose of waterproofing.
Welding Types:
- Hot Air Welding
- Hot Wedge Welding
- Ultrasonic Welding
- Dielectric Welding
Welding
A process in garment manufacture involving the joining of two
fabrics using thermoplastic material. However the heat is not
applied externally as in the normal case of fusing interlinings. The
heat must be focused on the thermoplastic material.
Ways of achieving this:- Radio Frequency Welding ( or Dielectric Welding)An alternating electric field is applied to two shaped
electrodes between which are the materials to be seamed.
- Hot Air WeldingHot air is directed to the join-lime between the fabric plies,
and a roller applies pressure to facilitate flow of the material.

- Hot Wedge Welding:Two shaped heater jaws are brought together, between
which are the materials to be seam.
- Ultrasonic WeldingThe seam assembly is placed under a metal head which is
vibrated by ultrasonic frequencies. This creates a melt and the
pressure of the head ensures flow.

In all cases, welding melts a thermoplastic material, allows the

melt to flow into the fabrics to be joined, and then cooling secures
the bond. If the fabrics are themselves thermoplastic, there is a
decision to be made as to whether the welding melts these fabrics
or whether another material, of lower melting temperature, is
introduced. This other film may be a separate film or it may be a
coating on the back of one or both the fabrics being joined.

Hot Wedge Welding

Two jaws are shaped to follow the seam line and mounted so
that they can be brought together. The jaws are heated and
the materials to be seamed are sandwiched between them.
The heat melts the thermoplastic material and because the
assembly is held under pressure, the melt flows and forms
the join.

Hot Air Welding

A method of joining or sealing seams on garments made
from materials rendered waterproof by means of a coating of
PVC on one side of a textile material.
When joining, the tape is fed into the seam and melted by
hot air. The seam then passes between a roller that ensures
the melt flows before cooling and then creates the bond via.
hardening.
Equipment involves using a shaped or perforated nozzle to
deliver hot air to heat one or both of the fabric surfaces
before they are pressed between rollers. These rollers apply
pressure and complete the weld between the two surfaces.
This method makes use of a device consisting of a resistance
heater, a blower and a temperature controller to blow hot air
between the fabrics. The hot air wedges and nozzles are
typically 10- 40mm wide.
Same equipment can be used for applying sealing tape to a
stitched seam. A tape feed is added to deliver tape into the
rollers over the previously stitched seam. Hot air stream is

directed to heat the lower surface of the tape before it

enters the rollers. Tapes in the range of 10- 25mm.
Air nozzle and rollers are specified to be at least 3mm wider
than the tape to ensure effective sealing.
A sewn seam with water impermeable materials; When
sealing such a seam, the subassembly is fed is fed through a
hot air welding machine and a tape is applied to the line of
stitching.
Seams may become bulky and inflexible compared with the
rest of the material of the garment.

Radio frequency welding (or Dielectric Welding)

Some polymeric materials are known as polar, meaning they are
responsive to the presence of an alternating electric field. Each
polymer has a north and south pole and can behave like a tiny
magnet. In the presence of a suitable electric field, polymers
experience stresses and internal energy dissipation leads to
heating until the polymer melts.
Suitable polar materials are PVC and Polyurethane, both of which
can either be coated or inserted as a film between plies.
The electrodes for creating the electric field are performed to the
contour of the seam. They are also used to apply pressure on the
assemble so that the melt flows correctly.
In the UK, permitted frequency is 27.12 MHz.
Due to health and safety issues, these machines must be
regularly monitored located in order to minimize hazards.

Since the electrodes are performed to follow the seam line, these
are significant set-up issues for this joining technology!
Its not easy to combine dielectric welding with a requirement for
flexibility in manufacturing.
Assembly to be joined is Two-Dimensional.
Welding time: a few seconds.

Applications of Dielectric Welding

- Blood bags
- Blood separation systems
- Urinary drainage, colostomy and enema bags
- in vitro feeding bags
- Pulsating air and water beds (for pressure relief in
preventing sores)
- Stretcher, bed covers and pads (including vacuum
mattresses for immobilizing patients during transport)
- Oxygen tents
Non medical applications: Radiation Suits
Survival Suits (Naval personnel)
Industrial gloves
Rainwear
Lifejackets

 Inflatable boats
Tents
Tarpaulins
Conveyor belts
Gel and Foam-filled inserts for shoes
Slippers

Ultrasonic Welding
If two hard materials are pressed together and one is vibrating
against the other, energy is generated at the point of contact. If
plies of thermoplastic materials are places between the points of
vibration, heat energy will be generated internally in the materials
where they touch;
If the dissipation of energy is sufficient, the materials will melt
and can be pressed together so that a bond is formed. A device
that changed an input of electric current into mechanical
vibrations is knows as a transducer and this is whats used to
generate the heat,
If speed of vibration is below 18,000 cycles per second, audible
sound will be produced. But this could be painful and even
dangerous to work with. So for welding clothing materials,

frequencies in the ultrasonic region of approximately 20,000

cycles per second are used.
In ultrasonic welding of clothing materials, vibrations are
developed in the transducer are transferred to a horn and the
heat is generated between this vibrating horn and a stationary
anvil. Fabric plies are places between the horn and the anvil and
the horn, in addition to vibrating, maintains the required pressure
to from a weld once the surfaces to be joined have been melted.
Horns can vary in size up to a maximum of (25cm x 4cm) if
rectangular. 9cm Dia if round.
Amount of head generated depends on the amplitude of
vibrations, frequency, pressure between the two surfaces and the
length of time they are allowed to continue vibrating in contact.
Amplitude is pre-set for a particular application, depending on the
materials to be welded and the type of operation, i.e. joining,
edge finishing etc.
Pressure is adjusted by experiment and time is around 2 seconds.
Horn and anvil remain cold to touch at all times.
Materials to be welded must be at least 65% thermoplastic,
although there is scope for welding fibers made of natural fibers if
a plastic film is inserted between the plies being sealed together.
Both modes of welding (plunge and continuous) can be used to
join two virgin fabrics without coatings or interlayers. In this case,
fabrics are melted through their full thickness. Alternatively,
ultrasonic energy can be used to melt either a coating or a hot
melt adhesive film interlayer.
Typical uses involve application of motifs to garments, the cutting
and sealing to length of ribbons and straps and the shaping of
small garment parts that could otherwise be too costly and time
consuming to sew,

Motifs much be designed to be attached by the welding process

and have suitable threads woven into the back of them. Ribbons
and sewn straps made of suitable materials can be
simultaneously cut to length and heat sealed at the ends to
prevent fraying.
Advantages of USW:
- Short welding times
- High welding speeds ( >30m/min )
- Consistent and clean performance
- Minimal thermal damage to fibers
- Low cost and energy consumption
- Impermeable seams created
- Edges are sealed and there are no stitch holes
- A fusible films can be melted at the joint interface providing
a seal without affecting the fabric layers.

Disadvantages of USW:
- All parameters have to be carefully and precisely controlled
for successful welding.
- Vibrations can affect the sensitive components
- When plunge welding is used (non continuous), maximum
size of the component is limited to 250mm. This size is
further reduced when using materials that require even
higher energy for welding.

Moulding
A thermofoaming process that compresses a material into a
desired shape under high temperature for a certain amount of
time.
For moulding, a fabric needs to contain at least 65%
thermoplastic fibers.
The fabric is first fit in the mould and then heat is applied. When
the fabric begins to soften, the heat is released and the fabric
becomes as per the shape of the mould at room temperature.
Applications:-

- Bra cup construction.

Todays seamless bra cup construction involves fabrics being
laminated with a polyurethane foam sheet before
undergoing the moulding process.
Moulded bras are easier to fit, producing fewer bulges and
wrinkles.
Eliminating rigid irritating seams is also an advantage.
Seamless bras have smooth configuration under outer
garments.