Abstract
In this paper, we propose a robot end-effector for fabric folding of a
fabric part of a garment along a straight line. In the garment
production process, some of the edges of fabric parts of a garment need
to be folded before sewing. Conventional automated folding system has a
fixture designed for each folding fabric part and operation. The fixture
is not universal and needs to be redesigned when the shape of the folded
fabric part changes. In this paper, we consider performing fabric
folding without using a fixture. We propose a concept of a robot
end-effector for fabric folding of a fabric part along a straight fold
line and develop a prototype of an end-effector referred to as“ F-FOLD
”(Free-form FOLDing). Folding of the edge of a fabric part is achieved
by moving FFOLD along the desired straight fold line. Experimental
results illustrate how F-FOLD works to fold a fabric part along a
straight line.