ADHESIVE SEAM AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ITS MANUFACTURE

摘要

A garment seam (15) is formed between two fabric panels (10, 12) by abutting the edges of at least two panels (10, 12) and placing a strip of material (14) carrying adhesive (16) on the abutted edges to form the seam (15) . The fabric panels have opposing major surfaces, the edges of the fabric panels being minor surfaces. The strip of material (14) is applied on at least one major surface of the abutted fabric panels (10, 12) , but is optionally applied to both major surfaces of the abutted fabric panels (10, 12) . The strip of material (14) is preferably thinner than the fabric panels (10, 12) . In some embodiments, the adhesive (16) is a thermosetting adhesive that is applied on the strip of material (14) in liquid form. A seam (15) manufactured according to the present invention is less detectable through clothing than conventional multi-ply seams. Also the adhesive seam enables the manufacturer to tailor the garment to provide support or shape in a particular area (i.e. the area of the seam) in addition to providing the desirable smooth appearance. For example, when used in a brassiere (bra) cup (130), the seam allows the garment to be designed to provide optimal comfort, shape and support to the wearer .