Furnitureweld - The laser welding of textile seams in the furniture industry

In This Series

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Fabrics are joined using a wide variety of techniques. Recent developments in the fields of materials technology and lasers now allow the potential of laser welding - called Clearweld® - to be used for joining fabrics in the furniture industry.

The Furnitureweld project was carried out by FIRA in partnership with TWI to assess the potential for the Clearweld process in the furniture industry.

The main objectives of this project were:

  • To review current practice for use and joining of fabrics in the furniture industry and to identify suitable fabrics and seam types for use in the remainder of the project
  • To assess the feasibility of seam welding fabrics, and implementation of a test programme using welded seams
  • The production of furniture demonstrators



Contents:

  • Introduction
  • Objectives
  • Survey of current practice
  • Materials
  • Equipment
  • Fabric welding trials
  • Demonstrator components
  • Impact on sustainability
  • Conclusions
  • Recommendations
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