GB2231340A - Garment sleeve pressing, shoulder pressing, nipping and draping - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for sleeve pressing includes, in addition to an adjustable (expansible) two part sleeve from (1/2), an adjustable shoulder support (27, 28), in which respect adjustment means (14, 53) for the sleeve form are linked with adjustment means (14, 30) for the shoulder support so that the latter automatically expands in proportion to the expansion of the sleeve form. The sleeve form comprises a fixed front section (1) and a movable rear section (2), preferably pivotally attached thereto, and the shoulder support similarly preferably comprises a pivotal rear section 28. Also provided are mobile pressing plates (20, 21) for pressing material against the sleeve form (1/2) and means for supply of steam, air, vacuum to a garment mounted on the machine. Other optional features include an adjustable pressing head assembly (31a, 31b, fig 9) for mating with the shoulder support (27/28) and/or an adjustable nip assembly (36, 37, figs 7, 8) for armhole pressing. <IMAGE>

Description

MACHINES FOR GARMENT SLEEVE PRESSING, SHOULDER PRESSING AND NIPPING AND DRAPING OPERATIONS This invention relates to machines for garment sleeve pressing and/or shoulder pressing and/or nipping and draping operations.

In the garment industry the sleeves, armhole area and shoulders of jackets and similar garments are finished pressed on various forms of steam pressing machines.

The simplest methods of pressing these areas are the methods still used by many manufacturers, namely inserting a pad inside the sleeve and then steaming, pressing and finally cooling the sleeve on a large utility type pressing machine. The armhole creasing and front and rear draping of the sleeve (known in the trade as nipping and draping) are finished on a small utility shaped pressing machine, and the shoulder areas of the garment on a small shaped shoulder pressing machine.

These are probably the most flexible methods of completing the named areas, but they tend to be slow and require a skilled operator. Nevertheless many garment manufacturers still utilise these methods as they can produce high quality if performed by a skilled operator.

To avoid the requirement for skilled operators, machinery manufacturers have for a number of years been marketing machines to perform these operations automatically, where the operator needs only to position the garment in place on the machine, and the machine, usually controlled by a micro processor, completes the pressing operations automatically with the garment supported in the natural vertical position. The number of pressing operations varies from machine to machine, but the general thinking is that once the garment has been positioned to allow the sleeve pressing and the nipping and draping operations to take place, the shoulder areas of the garment can be pressed at the same time. These existing machines are known as "combination machines" as they press the sleeve, armhole, shoulder and also nip and drape the garment sleeve, in one operation.The machines currently commercially available are too numerous to describe, but suffice to say they attempt to press a number of areas at the same time with mixed success.

The main drawback with these existing systems is that the machine has to be made to suit the smallest garment to be pressed (otherwise the smallest garment could not be loaded over the sleeve) so when a larger garment is presented to the machine, it tends to be a compromise. If the machine is made to the middle size garment, then the smaller garments tend to distort as they are such a tight fit, and the larger garments are still a compromise as certain areas of the machine are too small to support the garment properly.

The problem area is usually not the sleeve, as the sleeve form can be made to expand, but the shoulder form with the nipping plate mounted directly underneath it and over which the shoulder area and armhole of the garment is loaded and then pressed. These are fixed shapes that cannot be expanded.

It can be appreciated that if the sleeve form expands and the shoulder form is fixed, then the shoulder area of the garment on larger sizes tends to become unsupported as it is drawn away from the fixed shoulder form.

At this point the construction and method of pressing a garment on an existing combination machine will be described in more detail.

Such a combination machine presses one half of the garment at a time, so the unit consists of two sections, one for the right hand side of the garment and one for the left hand side.

Each section consists of a fixed shoulder shape with an adjustable sleeve form attached. A mating head assembly can be brought down and into contact with the fixed shoulder area (for pressing the shoulder) and two plates can be moved into position to sandwich the arm assembly to enable the sleeve to be pressed. A small pressing plate mounted under the shoulder shape and in line with the armhole area can be brought into position with the armhole to press the armhole seams.

The sleeve form is usually made in two halfs, the front half being fixed and the rear half being adjustable outwards and away from the fixed front area to give the sizing capability for varying sizes of sleeves. In some cases the rear arm area is no more than a flexible spring support which follows and tensions the rear half of the sleeve. On other machines however the rear half is solidly constructed and pivoted outwards. One disadvantage of the solid construction is that it will not conform to different shaped sleeves and has to be tailor made to a manufacturers range.

The garment is loaded onto the machine by drawing the sleeve onto the arm form and positioning the shoulder area onto the shoulder shape. (The garment is now hanging in its natural vertical position). The operator then brings the shoulder head down onto the shoulder to sandwich the shoulder in place.

With the shoulder located, the sleeve is then accurately positioned, and the sleeve form expanded to hold the sleeve in tension. The nipping plate is then moved into position inside the garment armhole to sandwich the armhole against the inside of the sleeve form and thus press it. With these areas now positioned and held, the pressing cycle commences. Two pressing plates are moved into position from the rear of the sleeve to sandwich the sleeve and apply pressure.

Steam, air blowing and vacuum are then used to press the various areas of the garment and dry it. Whilst the automatic cycle is taking place on one half of the garment, the operator is loading the other side of another garment on the other half of the machine.

The object of the present invention is to overcome, at least to a significant extent, the existing problems associated with machines such as the aforesaid combination machine, namely the inaccurate fitting of different size garments, by developing a method of pressing all or only some of the previously named areas of a garment while giving total support to the shoulder area of the garment through a complete size range.

According to the invention, a machine for garment sleeve pressing, comprises a shoulder support, an adjustable (expansible) sleeve form comprising a fixed front section and a movable rear section, mobile pressing plates for pressing material against the sleeve form, and means for supplying steam, air and suction to areas of a garment mounted on the machine, characterised in that the shoulder support is adjustable and adjustment means for the sleeve form and the shoulder support are linked so that the shoulder support automatically expands in proportion to the expansion of the sleeve form.

Thus, the support for the shoulder area of the garment is adapted in size, as appropriate, to the size of the garment sleeve. Support for the entire shoulder area is ensured, and consequently the entire area can be correctly pressed and finished.

In a practical embodiment the shoulder support may conveniently comprise a front section and a rear section, with the rear section adjustable in conjunction with the rear section of the sleeve form.

Where the shoulder support does comprise front and rear sections, the rear section may conveniently be pivotally adjustable relative to the front section, which is preferably stationary.

In a preferred practical embodiment of the machine, the rear section of the sleeve form is preferably pivotally adjustable relative to the fixed front section thereof. Moreover, this pivotal connection is advantageously achieved by way of an intermediate member, which is pivotally attached to the front section and to which the rear section is connected. The adjustment of the rear section can then be effected most conveniently by pivoting of the intermediate member by an actuator, such as a pneumatic or hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement.

In one particular embodiment the rear section of the sleeve form is rigidly constructed and provided with an auxiliary adjustable rear edge strip. In this case the rear section is pivotally connected to the intermediate member and is preferably additionally connected thereto by resilient biassing means (e.g. a spring) which acts in opposition to the actuator to return the rear section to its normal retracted position.

In another embodiment, which is possibly more favourable, as constructionally simpler, the rear section of the sleeve form is itself constituted by a resilient strip, which is adjustable relative to the front section by being mounted on a wire or spring connected between the intermediate member and a pivot on the front section.

Hitherto, the invention has only been outlined in respect of a machine which has a facility for sleeve pressing. As is conventional, such a machine may also include a facility for shoulder pressing by having a mating head assembly adapted to be brought down onto the shoulder support to press material therebetween.

In a development of the invention, when applied to such a machine the said mating head assembly for the shoulder region is also automatically adjustable to fit to the shoulder support. This ensures effective pressing of shoulder areas of different sizes.

The aforesaid automatic adjustment may be accomplished in a constructionally simple manner by the mating head assembly comprising two sections joined by a hinge and by a resilient connection which biases the hinged sections into a normal open disposition, at least one of the sections pivoting relative to the other, against the aforesaid bias, upon contact with the shoulder support so that the surface of the head assembly adapts to the contour of the shoulder support.

As an alternative to the resilient connection (which may consists of a spring) a double acting air cylinder may act across the hinge connection between the two sections of the mating head so as positively to pivot the sections to their open or closed or partially closed positions.

In either case a flexible membrane preferably extends across that surface of the hinged sections of the head assembly which, in use, face towards the shoulder support and is secured only at or near its edges to mutually remote parts of the hinged sections, the extent of the membrane between its secured regions being less than the extent of the underlying surface of the hinged sections. The tensioning of the membrane as the mating head contacts the shoulder support and closes therearound, brings further pressure to bear thereon, and also ensure a smooth surface and even pressure.

In a full combination machine, in addition to the described facilities for sleeve pressing and shoulder pressing, a facility for nipping and draping operations is also provided in the form of a nipping plate mounted below the shoulder support and operative to press material in the region below an armhole into contact with the inside of the sleeve form. Alternatively, a machine might be provided with only sleeve pressing and nipping facilities, omitting the shoulder pressing means.

In a development of the invention when applied to such a machine the nipping plate is also adjustable in size, to allow armhole pressing to be performed throughout the garment size range. This is conveniently achieved by the nipping plate being formed of two parts, which are pivotally connected, but always overlap each other to some degree, to provide an entire pressing surface for the full size range. In this respect, the rear section is pivotally adjustable relative to the front section, which is only movable to and fro in a direction substantially perpendicular to its plane.

Advantageously, so that the size of the nipping plate is co-ordinated to the garment size, the rear section of the nipping plate is adjustable in conjunction with the rear section of the sleeve form and/or the shoulder support.

In a further, particularly advantageous development the intermediate member, referred to previously as part of the adjustable sleeve form, takes the form of an auxiliary nip plate, which is located at the inside of the sleeve form and against which the conventionally positioned nipping plate can act to press the armhole region of the garment.

Overall, a preferred practical embodiment of the machine of the invention will include two sleeve form/shoulder support units mounted back to back, i.e.

with the rear section of the respective sleeve forms facing towards each other, and a single pair of pressing plates mounted therebetween on a carriage which is capable of moving to and fro so that the pressing plates can be positioned to press material selectively, preferably alternately, against the sleeve form of one unit, then the sleeve form of the other unit.

This contrasts with previously known machine arrangements, and obviates the need for two separate pairs of pressing plates, one for each sleeve form.

By reversing the existing arrangement of mounting the sleeve forms, and mounting them back to back, i.e.

with the rear sleeve form sections facing each other, a single head assembly comprising of two press plates (outer and inner) operating between the two arms can be used rather than two complete assemblies operating from outside the respective arms. Obviously this represents a considerable saving in manufacturing costs, also results in a more compact machine.

The invention may be better understood from the following detailed description of specific practical embodiments in accordance with the invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1A is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the construction and mounting of a front section of a sleeve form of an exemplary machine; Fig. 1B is a side view of the rear section of the sleeve form to be connected to the front section of Fig.

1A, Fig. 1C is a cross-section of the front section (Fig. 1A); Fig. 1D is a cross-section of the rear section (Fig. 1B); Figs. 2A, B, and C are diagrammatic sketches of the three separated components of the sleeve form; Figs. 2D, E and F are diagrammatic sketches showing the three components connected together and the sleeve form in closed, half open and fully open dispositions, respectively; Fig. 3A is a perspective view of the three components in Fig. 2 fitted together; Fig. 3B is an exploded view of the same three sleeve form components; Fig. 3C is an enlarged perspective view showing the intermediate pivot plate and its actuator; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the sleeve form and shoulder support and the sleeve pressing heads mounted on a carriage for movement into operative position;; Fig. 5A is a diagrammatic perspective view of the shoulder support of this machine; Fig. 5B is an end view of the same, showing its means of adjustment; Fig. 6A is a perspective view showing the mating head assembly relative to the shoulder support; Fig. 6B is a side view of same showing the mating head in both its upper position and its lower, operative position; Fig. 7A is a schematic front view showing relative position of a nipping plate inside a garment loaded onto the machine; Figs. 7B and C show the two sections of the nipping plate in rest position and expanded condition, respectively; Fig. 8A is a perspective view showing the front half of the nip assembly of this machine; Fig. 8B is a perspective view showing the rear half of the same nip assembly; and Fig. 9 is a reduced scale perspective view of the entire machine, which incorporates the previously illustrated component parts.

Fig. lOA is a diagrammatic perspective view showing an alternative construction of the sleeve form; Fig. lOB is a cross-section of the alternative sleeve form; Figs. llA B, C, and D are diagrammatic sketches of the four separated components of the alternative sleeve form.

Figs. liE, F, and G are diagrammatic sketches showing the four components connected together and the sleeve form in closed, half-open and fully open dispositions, respectively; Fig. 12A is a perspective view of the four components shown in Fig. 11A fitted together; Fig. 12B is an exploded view of the same four components; Fig. 12C is an enlarged perspective view showing the intermediate pivot plate and its actuator in this alternative version of sleeve form; Fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative form of nip assembly; Fig. 14A is an enlarged perspective view of the same nip assembly from the other side; Figs. 14B, C, and D show diagrammatically the parts of the nip assembly in closed, partially expanded and fully expanded conditions, respectively.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view illustrating another modified form of nip assembly; and Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic side view of relevant parts of the nip assembly shown in Fig. 15.

Referring firstly to Fig. 9, this particular exemplary machine comprises a base 50 and an upstanding support frame 52 on which are mounted two units, i.e.

two pressing form assemblies, which are arranged side by side, but at a spacing from each other. Each such unit comprises an adjustable shoulder support 27/28 and mating pressing head 31 a/b, an adjustable sleeve form 1/2, and an adjustable nipping plate (not shown in Fig.

9). The pressing heads 31a/b are mounted on respective arms 32 which are pivotally connected to the frame 52.

Two pressing heads 20, 21, which are intended to cooperate with the sleeve forms 1/2 are mounted on a carriage 22, which is slidable along a rail 52 on the machine base 50. The outer head 20 is mounted on a linkage which is pivotally connected to the carriage.

Clearly, the pressing heads 20, 21 are movable, by means of the carriage 22 for pressing sleeves of garments on the one then the other of the form assemblies.

The construction and operation of the invididual parts of one unit or form assembly will now be described, it being understood that the other unit is substantially identical in all respects.

With reference to Figs. 1 to 3, the sleeve form or arm assembly for pressing garment sleeves comprises a front section 1 which is fixed, and a rear section 2 which is adjustable by movement away from and towards the front section 1. Both sections are hollow and perforated. The front section 1 is heated by an internal steam coil 3 and a steam spray pipe 4 is provided adjacent to this to enable live steam to be injected into the sleeve. The front section 1 is fixed to a main central support pipe 5 through which the pipes 3 and 4 extend. The pipe 5 is in turn attached to an upright support stanchion 6 from the machine base. This attachment is by means of U clamps 7 which enable the pipe 5 and thus the entire arm assembly 1/2 to be pivoted to produce the correct pitch of the sleeve on the finished garment.The front section 1 comprises two shaped plates, la/lb (Fig. 1C) (one inside la and one outside lb relative to the assembly or the garment sleeve), between which the heater coil 3 and the spray pipe 4 are sandwiched. The plates are held together by screws 9 and spacers 8. Both plates are perforated and covered with a rubber or felt cover 10 to allow steam and air to pass through them.

In use, steam is passed into the sleeve form 1/2 via the spray pipe 4 and air is injected into the sleeve form by a venturi valve 11 mounted in the end of the support pipe 5.

The rear arm section 2 is constructed and covered in the same manner as the front section 1 but due to its smaller size a heater coil is not normally fitted, sufficient heat transfer being achieved from the adjacent front section 1. To avoid the drawbacks of a fixed shape, which might unfavourably distort or incompletely press some sleeve shapes, the outer edge of the rear section 2 is provided by a strip of resilient material, such as silicon foam rubber 12, which is sandwiched between the outer 2b and inner plates 2a. By adjusting the rubber 12 in or out of the sandwich, the rear sleeve form shape can be easily adjusted to suit various sleeve shapes.

The rear section 2 is expanded outwards (relative to the front section 1) by pivoting relative to an inner (auxiliary) nip plate 13 (see Figs. 2 and 3) which in turn is rotatably mounted on a fixed shaft 55 of the front section 1 by means of a boss 53 and is caused to rotate by an actuator in the form of an air cylinder 14.

As the nip plate 13 is rotated outwards the rear form section 2 which is connected thereto at the end of a lateral extension 57, moves outwards and also pivots about its point of connection 56 on the nip plate 13. A tension spring 15 mounted between the nip plate 13 and rear sleeve form 2 ensures that sufficient outward tension is produced to allow the garment sleeve to be accurately tensioned down its full length.

A simple guide arrangement in the form of a laterally finger 16 on the rear section 2 slidably extending through an eyelet 58 on the front section at the bottom of the arm assembly ensures that both sections 1/2 are held in the correct plane at all times (see Fig. 2D to F).

To avoid production of a gap as the rear section 2 moves outwards, two finely perforated "floating" plates 17/18, one on the outside of the arm (17) and one on the inside of the arm (18) are held in position inside an outer sleeve envelope 19 which covers the complete assembly. The sleeve envelope 19 is manufactured from a stretch fabric which allows for the expansion of the arm assembly.

As shown in Fig. 4, for the actual sleeve pressing and draping operation, two pressing heads 20/21 mounted on a carriage arrangement 22 are moved into position by an air cylinder 26 to sandwich the arm assembly 1/2 between them. The closing action of the heads 20/21 when in position is achieved by a linkage arrangement 23 operated by a further air cylinder 24. Each head 20/21 is constructed as a chamber casing, heated by a steam coil 25, perforated on its pressing surface, and having the facility of steam spray, vacuum and air blowing.

As shown in Fig. 5, the shoulder support comprises two arcuate halfs 27/28. Each half is a shaped chamber perforated on its outer surface, and heated by a respective steam coil 42/43. Steam spray and vacuum are also connected into each chamber, but not shown here.

The front half 27 is secured to the front sleeve section 1 and supported at its rear off the main central support pipe 5. The rear half 28 is pivotally connected to the front half 27 by a hinge 29 and is pivoted outwards by the action of the same expansion cylinder 14 which brings about rear arm expansion via a linkage 30.

Thus the rear shoulder support section 28 moves simultaneously with the rotation of the nip plate 13 and the movement of the rear sleeve section 2 and in proportion to the movement of the latter.

As the shoulder support 27/28 has a heated pressing surface it is covered by foam rubber and a cover 31.

The shoulder area of the garment is pressed by bringing a mating surface of a head 31a/b, which is similarly hinged and comprising two heated chambers 31a/31b into contact with the shoulder support 27/28 thus sandwiching the shoulder area therebetween. The head 31a/b also has the facility of steam spray, vacuum and air blowing. The head assembly can either be mounted on a pivoted arm assembly (as shown in Fig. 9) with a cylinder to move it into position, or directly onto the end of a pneumatic/hydraulic cylinder rod 32, as indicated in Fig. 6. The head is held open to its biggest size by a spring 33 when in the up position.By fitting a material cover 34 over the surface of the shape and only securing it at each side, and ensuring that the cover is slightly smaller than the length of the closed mating surface, as the head is brought into contact with the garment shoulder, the cover 34 draws the rear shape 31b against the garment thus applying pressure by wrapping itself around the shoulder area.

This action also eliminates stretching the shoulder and allows a greater depth of shoulder to be pressed.

With reference to Figs. 7 and 8, the armhole pressing operation is performed by sandwiching the garment armhole 35 between the inner sleeve la/2a area and nip plate 13 and two separate nipping plate parts 36/37.

A fixed size nipping plate (as is conventional) would only correctly press the armhole of the smallest size of garment for which the sleeve form is designed.

To enable it to be enlarged and adapted to correctly press larger sizes, the nipping plate consists of two overlapping halfs 37, 38. The front half 36 is mounted on a guide 39 which is slidably attached to the main support pipe 5 (which is fixed), and is moved to and fro by a cylinder 38. In use, the front part 36, with steam chamber fitted to it, is moved into position by the air cylinder 38 to sandwich the front half of the jacket arm hole and thus press it with steam and vacuum from the chamber.

The rear part 37, with its steam chamber, is also mounted on a guide 41, but that guide 41 is slidably connected to the inner nip plate boss 53 so that as the sleeve assembly is expanded the rear plate 37 also rotates proportionally. To and fro pressing motion of the rear nipping plate part 37 is achieved by a further air cylinder 40. To achieve a solid pressing surface in the centre area through the complete size range, the rear plate 37 overlaps the front plate 36 in the central area, as already mentioned.

Referring again to Fig. 9, now that the working of the individual components has been explained, it will be appreciated that in operation of the machine, the garment (jacket or coat or shirt) is loaded onto one of the units by drawing the sleeve onto the arm form 1/2 and positioning the shoulder area onto the shoulder support 27/28. The garment is now hanging in its natural vertical position. The operator positions the sleeve and then by remote control of cylinder 14 expands the sleeve form 1/2 which also expands the shoulder support 27/28 and nipping plate 36/37. Next the shoulder head 31 is brought down onto the shoulder to sandwich the shoulder in place.

With the shoulder thus located, the sleeve is then finally accurately positioned on the expanded sleeve form 1/2. The nipping plate parts 36/37 are then moved into position inside the garment armhole by means of cylinders 38 and 40 to sandwich the armhole against the inside of the sleeve form and thus press it. With all the relevant areas now positioned and held, the pressing cycle commences. The two pressing plates 20,21 are moved into position from the rear of the sleeve to sandwich the sleeve and apply pressure. Steam, air blowing and vacuum are then used to press the various areas of the garment and dry it. Whilst the automatic cycle is taking place on one half of the garment, the operator can load the other side of another garment on the other half (other unit) of the machine.

Alternative versions of the sleeve form and the nipping assembly, which have, in practice, been found constructionally simpler and hence more favourable are shown in Figs. 10 to 14. The same reference numerals have been used for components which are the same as in the preceding illustrated embodiments and Figs. 10 to 12 in particular correspond closely to Figs. 1 to 3. Only the points of difference will be described in detail.

In the modified sleeve form shown in Figs. 10 to 12 the rear section 2 has been omitted, and the front section 1 increased in width by extension of the opposing plates la, lb. The resilient foam rubber edge strip 12 now constitutes the adjustable rear section.

It is mounted on a wire spring 65 and moves in between the plates la and lb. At the top the spring 65 is fixed to a mounting block 66 which is rigidly fixed onto the pivoting intermediate plate 13. The bottom of the spring 65 is looped then fixed to another block 67, but that one is pivoted between the plates la and lb at the bottom of the form (see Fig. 11E, F, G).

The sleeve form is expanded when the inner nip plate 13 is rotated about its pivot 55 by the air cylinder 14. Thus spring 65, attached to the plate 13 by the block 66, is shifted outwards and carries the hind arm strip 12 outwards to press against the garment.

As the spring 65 is shifted outwards it pulls on the bottom pivot block 67 causing it to pivot outwards to give uniform tension to the full length of the garment sleeve.

In the modified nipping assembly shown in Figs. 13 and 14 a single nip plate section 68 (effectively a front section), comprising perforated plate with steam chamber at the rear, is provided to cover most of the area required to be pressed and an auxiliary plate 69 (effectively a rear section) pivots off this to the rear. The latter is pivoted outwards by an attached rod 71 which is connected through a guide bush 72 to the movable rear shoulder section 28. A separate air cylinder to move the rear section is not required. Only a single air cylinder 70, mounted on the main support pipe 5, is provided to move the plate 68 forwards and backwards, and with it the plate 69 also.

In the variant illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16, the nip plate section 68 is pivotally mounted at the top (74), on the support pipe 5, and is swung down into its pressing position by means of an air cylinder 73, which is itself pivotally mounted further along the pipe 5.

Many other constructional variants are possible for all the component parts.

In particular, it should be mentioned in relation to the mating head assembly for shoulder pressing that the spring 33 in Fig. 6 can be replaced by a double acting cylinder operative to swing the sections 31a/b together or apart in a positive manner.

Moreover, it should be noted that some machines may lack the nipping facility and/or the shoulder pressing facility.

Claims (22)

1. A machine for garment sleeve pressing comprising a shoulder support, an adjustable (expansible) sleeve form comprising a fixed front section and a movable rear section, mobile pressing plates for pressing material against the sleeve form, and means for supplying steam, air and suction to areas of a garment mounted on the machine, characterised in that the shoulder support is adjustable and adjustment means for the sleeve form and the shoulder support are linked so that the shoulder support automatically expands in proportion to the expansion of the sleeve form.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shoulder support comprises a front section and a rear section, and the rear section is adjustable in conjunction with the rear section of the sleeve form.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein the rear section of the shoulder support is pivotally adjustable relative to the front section, which is stationary.

4. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the rear section of the sleeve form is pivotally adjustable relative to the fixed front section thereof.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein the front and rear sections of the sleeve form are pivotally connected by way of an intermediate member, which is pivotally attached to the front section and to which the rear section is connected.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5 wherein adjustment of the rear section is effected by pivoting of the intermediate member by an actuator.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein the actuator is a pneumatic or hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the rear section of the sleeve form is rigidly constructed and provided with an auxiliary adjustable rear edge strip.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the rear section of the sleeve form is pivotally connected to the intermediate member and is additionally connected to the intermediate member by resilient biassing means, which act in opposition to the actuator to return the rear section to its normal retracted position.

10. A machine as claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7 wherein the rear section of the sleeve form is itself constituted by a resilient strip, which is adjustable relative to the front section by being mounted on a wire or spring connected between the intermediate member and a pivot on the front section.

11. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim further including a mating head assembly adapted to be brought down onto the shoulder support to press material therebetween, said mating head assembly being automatically adjustable to fit to the shoulder support.

12. A machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein the mating head assembly comprises two sections joined by a hinge and by additional connection means operative to swing the sections to open and/or closed positions.

13. A machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein the additional connection means is a resilient connection which biases the hinged sections into a normal open disposition, at least one of the sections pivoting relative to the other, against the aforesaid bias, upon contact with the shoulder support so that the surface of the head assembly adapts to the contour of the shoulder support.

14. A machine as claimed in claim 12 or 13 wherein a flexible membrane extends across that surface of the hinged sections of the head assembly which, in use, face towards the shoulder support and is secured only at or near its edges to mutually remote parts of the hinged sections, the extent of the membrane between its secured regions being less than the extent of the underlying surface of the hinged sections.

15. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim further including a nipping plate mounted below the shoulder support and operative to press material in the region below an armhole into contact with the inside of the sleeve form.

16. A machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the nipping plate is also adjustable in size.

17. A machine as claimed in claim 16 wherein the nipping plate comprises a front section and a rear section which are pivotally connected but always overlap each other to some degree.

18. A machine as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein the nipping plate comprises a front section and a rear section and the rear section is adjustable in conjunction with the rear section of the sleeve form and/or the shoulder support.

19. A machine as claimed in claim 17 or 18 wherein the rear section of the nipping plate is pivotally adjustable relative to the front section, which is only movable to and fro in a direction substantially perpendicular to its plane.

20. A machine as claimed in claim 5 and in any of claims 15 to 19 wherein the intermediate member of the adjustable sleeve form takes the form of an auxiliary nip plate, which is located at the inside of the sleeve form and against which the nipping plate can act to press the armhole region of the garment.

21. A machine for garment sleeve pressing comprising two sleeve form/shoulder support units as claimed in any preceding claim mounted back to back, i.e. with the rear sections of the respective sleeve forms facing towards each other, and a single pair of pressing plates mounted therebetween on a carriage which is capable of moving to and fro so that the pressing plates can be positioned to press material selectively against the sleeve form of each unit.

22. A machine for garment sleeve pressing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by Figs. 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings, or as modified with reference to any of Fig.

12, Figs. 13 and 14, or Figs. 15 and 16.