A mathematical model for predicting fabric loss during spreading

Fabric loss is a major contribution to material utilization. Minimizing fabric loss during spreading can reduce the total production costs for garment manufacturing. A traditional method of predicting the fabric loss during spreading is mainly based on the experience of domain experts or the historical data of production orders. Such method is subjective, not systematic and non‐repeatable. In this paper, assuming the spreading process is handled in a controlled manner and there are no flaws on the fabrics being spread, a mathematical model is constructed for predicting the total fabric loss in the spreading process. The total fabric loss includes the internal wastage (i.e. marker fallout), and the external wastage (including end loss, width loss, and splice loss). Other parameters such as marker length, number of splice lines, remnant, and roll length of fabric are also included in the model.