Impressions - March 2015 - 32

One of the best reasons to consider adding

Because the fabric is laid down in

a laser embroidery machine is the ability to create
apparel with the retail look that has been made
popular by companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch,
Hollister, Aéropostale and American Eagle Outﬁtters.
Sample courtesy of Northeast Stitches & Ink, South
Glens Falls, N.Y. Photo by Henry Bernstein.

the hoop and does not have to be moved, it's
possible to do multiple layers in a production
friendly manner with an embroidery laser.

to create a wide range of different effects.
As an example of how the laser has
made this technique production friendly,
one fashion house had been creating intricately cut ﬂoral shapes manually. Thus,
it took the staff two to three days to complete one piece. This same type of design
now can be done in two to three hours
using an embroidery laser.
Intricate cutting also is being used in
the fashion world to create borders on the
bottoms of skirts. A reverse appliqué fabric is sewn on the inside and an intricate
pattern is cut through the skirt, revealing
the fabric underneath. Similarly, a neon
color may be used inside a black skirt with
an intricately cut pattern along the hem.
In leather skirts and pants, decorative edges are added that simply remain as holes
with no fabric underneath.
When doing intricate cutting, you want
to stick to fabrics that cut easily. A foolproof test of how easy a fabric cuts is to use
fabric shears. If the scissors cut through it
easily, so will the laser.

is used. Because it is lightly removing the
top layer of ﬁbers from a garment, it is
lightning fast to do.
One of the most popular uses of
etching is for performancewear. Screen
printing or embroidering on a moisturewicking garment interferes with the fabric's performance properties, but etching
does not.
Polyester ﬂeece is a fabric type that
etches extremely well, creating a slightly
darker area where the etching is done.

ETCHING
Of all the processes made possible with
a laser embroidery machine, etching is the
most proﬁtable. It requires no consumable. Neither fabric, thread nor stabilizer
32

Impressions | March 2015

An embroidery laser machine allows
for more intricate detail than is possible with
any other process.

Cotton twill and denim also work well,
as does leather. When shiny fabrics are
etched, it creates a matte look that can be
a nice contrast to the shiny fabric.
Etching is not limited to garments.
While a pair of slippers can be difﬁcult to
screen print or embroider, they can easily
be etched. There is no contact between
the slipper and the laser, so it will not get
damaged during the production process. It
can be a great way to decorate products
that don't lend themselves to other types
of embellishment.
These are just some of the main techniques currently being used with an embroidery laser. As the technology continues
to improve and grow, expect to see many
new innovations with this versatile equipment. If you want to be leading the pack
vs. following it, do your own research on
how this equipment can help catapult you
ahead of your competitors.
Ed Balady is president of BITO USA,
Deer Park, N.Y., a distributor of the Proel
line of embroidery and standalone lasers, as
well as Millennium digitizing software. He
also is co-owner of Proel TSI, the manufacturer of the Proel line. For more information
or to comment on this article, email him at
ebalady@bitousa.com or visit bitousa.com.
impressionsmag.com

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Impressions - March 2015

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