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In dressmaking and sewing, zippers are very important. Zippers are types of fasteners or closures widely used in joining two edges of fabric. They are also used for clothing, bags, luggage, sporting goods, and textiles.
A zipper is composed of two different strips of fabric tape. Each strip is attached to a piece from the two parts to be joined. It carries tens or even hundreds of specially designed plastic or metal teeth. Operated by hand, the slider moves along the teeth of the slide. Inside the slider, there is a Y-shaped channel that separates or joins the opposing rows of teeth.
Types of Zippers
There are different types of zippers which are categorized according to their uses. Below are some examples.
- Coil Zippers
| These are the most common types of zippers used worldwide. The slider of the zipper runs on two different coils on both sides. The teeth of these types of zippers are the coils. Additionally, there are two basic types of coils that are used. The first one has coils in a spiral form, normally with its cord running inside the coils. The second one is the ladder form called the Ruhrmann type. Coil zippers are generally made of polyester coils, hence called polyester zippers.
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- Invisible Zippers
The teeth of these types of zippers are placed behind the tape. The colour of the tape matches with the color of the garments. The zipper is virtually invisible, except the slider. These types are common in dresses and skirts and are mostly polyester.
- Metallic Zippers
These are the most classic types of zippers found in jeans today. Its teeth aren't coil but rather individual pieces of metal have been molded into shape before set on regular intervals on the zipper tape. Metal zippers can be made from aluminum, brass, or nickel, depending on the type of metal used in making the teeth. All the metal zippers are made basically from flat wire.
There are also some specialized metal zippers that are made from heavy duty pre-formed wires, usually brass. These types of metal zippers are mostly used in work-wear, high grade jeans wear, and others where high strength, durability, and the ability to withstand tough washing is required.
- Plastic-molded Zippers
These types are the same with the metal zippers but its teeth are plastic. These zippers can be manufactured in varied colors of plastic and commonly use polyacetal or polyethylene resin.
Plastic and nylon zippers
- Open-ended zippers
These zippers use a particular mechanism called a box and pin to securely lock in place the two sides of the zipper. These are mostly found in jackets.
- Closed-ended zippers
These are the types of zippers where both its ends are close. These are commonly used in baggage.
- Airtight / Watertight zippers
- Waterproof zipper on a diving dry suit. The exterior metal segments clamp the waterproof sheeting over the individual zipper teeth.
- Airtight zippers were first developed by NASA for making high-altitude pressure suits and later space suits, capable of retaining air pressure inside the suit in the vacuum of space.
- The airtight zipper is built like a standard toothed zipper, but with the zipper teeth wrapped in fabric-reinforced polyethylene sheeting. The sheeting is then crimped around each zipper tooth using a C-shaped metal clip. As the zipper is closed, the facing edges of the plastic sheeting are pressed together between the C-shaped clips, both above and below the zipper teeth.
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These variations are achieved by sewing one end of the zipper together, sewing both ends together, or allowing both ends of the zipper to come completely apart.
Functions of Zippers
- Zippers may increase or decrease the size of an opening to allow or restrict the passage of objects, as in the fly of trousers or in a pocket.
- Zippers may join or separate two ends or sides of a single garment, as in the front of a jacket, dress or skirt.
- Zippers may attach or detach a separable part of the garment to or from another, as in the conversion between trousers and shorts or the connection / disconnection of a hood and a coat.
- Zippers may decorate an item.
Components of zippers
The components of a zipper are:
- 1 - top tape extension
- 2 - top stop
- 3 - slider
- 4 - pull tab
- 5 - tape
- 6 - chain width
- 7 - bottom stop
- 8 - bottom tape extension
- 9 - single tape width
- 10 - insertion pin
- 11 - retainer box
- 12 - reinforcement film
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