TWI Uses Laser Welding to 'Sew' Clothing  

Description And Advantages

TWI uses laser welding to 'Sew' clothing. TWI recently conducted a feasibility study for Nigel Cabourn, a clothing manufacturer in Newcastle, England, to assess the potential for using a laser welding process to manufacture garments. 

In the project, TWI was asked to weld together a shirt, which included putting in buttonholes, pleats in the seams and a collar. The shirt was produced using a low-power diode laser welding process called ClearWeld  which included putting in buttonholes, pleats in the seams and a collar. The shirt was produced using a low-power diode laser welding process called ClearWeldt, which uses an almost colorless infrared absorbing medium developed by GENTEX Corp.  

"The results of the study were very encouraging and we now plan further research to test this new concept," Nick Sellars of Nigel Cabourn told Connect, a TWI publication. "It opens up a whole range of possibilities in garment design." 

The study produced the following results:  

• Seams were made with little marking of the fabric. 
• Joints can be made through an upper layer, without visibly affecting that layer. 
• Often, seam designs similar to those for stitched seams may be used. 
• Only subtle differences exist between the appearance of welded and stitched seams.

Source:  American Welding Society