Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. is a professional underwear sourcing & supply-chain management company based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster of south-east China. Founded by Will Lin, who has worked in the apparel trade since 2004, the company has been exporting since 2009 and was incorporated in Xiamen in 2013. It runs its own liaison office in Jinjiang and works with a network of BSCI & OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified partner factories to serve retailers and brands across Europe, the US and Australia.
Traditional sewing threads are disappearing from underwear, replaced by precise glue-dot application technology and laser cutting processes. This transformation is quietly reshaping comfort and aesthetic standards in intimate apparel.
At the 2025 Shenzhen International Brand Underwear Fair (SIUF), the “AI Digital Cutting Center” exhibited by Dr. Light attracted numerous industry experts. The intelligent PUR seamless glue-dot system and laser cutting technology became focal points, offering innovative solutions for processing highly elastic fabrics.
Not just women’s underwear, but men’s boxers and women’s briefs are also being revitalized through this technological revolution. Through precise glue-dot application and laser cutting technology, manufacturers can create seamless, restriction-free intimate wear that significantly enhances wearing comfort and aesthetics.
01 Limitations of Traditional Techniques: The Dilemma of Sewing Threads
Underwear manufacturing has long relied on traditional sewing techniques, which often struggle with highly elastic fabrics. Sewing threads can cause fabric deformation, edge fraying, and create friction and discomfort during wear.
Particularly for elastic materials, traditional die cutting has significant limitations. Custom dies are expensive and only suitable for fixed patterns—design changes require new molds, making them uneconomical for small batch orders and customized production.
Manual cutting also struggles to ensure precision: “Hand cutting relies on worker experience, easily resulting in size deviations, especially for complex curves.”
These problems have persisted in the underwear industry until the emergence of glue-dot application and laser cutting technologies provided breakthrough solutions.
02 Glue-Dot Application Technology: The Revolution of Seamless Connection
Glue-dot technology is fundamentally changing underwear manufacturing processes. Advanced precision position control glue-dot machines achieve “high-resolution projection alignment” and “control of glue penetration volume,” ensuring consistent high-quality standards for every product.
This technology uses PUR (Polyurethane Reactive Hot Melt Adhesive) material, characterized by “high adhesion strength + precise alignment + full-edge contour coverage.” Compared to traditional sewing, glue-dot technology creates seamless connections that completely eliminate internal friction and discomfort.
The intelligent PUR seamless glue-dot system also incorporates AI vision guidance technology, achieving an automated and intelligent glue application process that significantly improves production efficiency and precision.
03 Laser Cutting Technology: Precise and Invisible Edges
Laser cutting technology brings new possibilities to edge processing in underwear. “Laser cutting is non-contact, can replicate CAD designs, and is particularly suitable for intricate patterns.”
This technology offers six advantages over traditional cutting methods: high cutting precision (error ≤0.1mm), pattern switching with one click without dies, non-contact cutting preventing fabric deformation, automated integration reducing labor dependency, reduced waste improving utilization, and multi-functional processing capabilities.
Particularly important for elastic fabrics is that “laser applies no physical pressure, doesn’t stretch elastic materials (like knitted fabrics, spandex), resulting in smoother edges.”
Laser cutting also achieves an “automatic ‘edge-locking’ function. Traditional die cutting or hot knife processing easily causes edge fraying, yellowing, and hardening, while laser cutting creates small, precise seams with automatic ‘edge-locking’.”
04 Innovation in Men’s Boxers: Comfort and Support Combined
Men’s boxers benefit significantly from these new technologies. Boxers produced with glue-dot technology no longer have internal seams, eliminating friction and discomfort in the thigh area.
Laser cutting technology eliminates the need for traditional elastic bands at waist and leg openings, achieving natural fit through precise cutting and avoiding pressure marks. This process is particularly suitable for business professionals and sports enthusiasts, providing necessary support without restriction.
The new processes also expand design possibilities, allowing manufacturers to more easily create different zones and support areas, meeting male consumers’ dual demands for functionality and comfort.
05 Transformation of Women’s Briefs: Seamless and Aesthetic
Women’s briefs have undergone similar technological innovation. Glue-dot technology enables completely seamless designs, with no visible panty lines even under the most form-fitting clothing.
Laser cutting makes brief edges more refined and smooth: “Cutting any fabric instantly melts and solidifies the edge, achieving automatic ‘edge-locking’.” This not only enhances aesthetics but also prevents edge fraying.
Design elements like New Chinese-style embossed patterns combined with glue-dot and laser technology create female intimate wear that is both beautiful and comfortable. These products use “New Chinese-style embossed cloud-soft yarn, smooth to the touch with a low-key luxurious sheen.”
06 Enhanced Production Efficiency: Making Small-Batch Customization Possible
Glue-dot and laser cutting technologies not only improve product quality but also significantly enhance production efficiency. These technologies “greatly increase production efficiency, reduce material waste, and provide broader creative space for underwear design.”
Traditional cutting layout relies on manual calculation, with low nesting rates leading to increased waste material. Intelligent nesting software can optimize layouts, “saving 5%~15% material costs.”
More importantly, these technologies make small-batch customized production economically feasible. The feature of “no dies needed, pattern switching with one click” is particularly suitable for small-batch, multi-variety production. Manufacturers can quickly respond to market trends and reduce inventory pressure.
07 Health and Environmental Advantages: Sustainable Production Methods
Glue-dot application and laser cutting technologies also offer significant health and environmental benefits. Traditional printing and dyeing methods produce large amounts of wastewater and other pollutants, while laser processing is more environmentally friendly.
UV laser marking machines “use non-contact UV cold processing, produce no wastewater, and are safe and environmentally friendly.” CO2 three-axis dynamic laser marking machines also “require no additives, producing only small amounts of smoke dust that is immediately captured by dust purifiers.”
For consumers, seamless underwear created by glue-dot technology reduces skin friction and irritation, particularly friendly for people with sensitive skin. Some products also incorporate antibacterial technology, such as “mulberry silk 10A antibacterial extended crotch” for health protection.
08 Market Response and Consumer Acceptance
The market response to underwear products made with these new technologies has been positive. Consumers increasingly value comfort and health features in intimate wear and are willing to pay a premium for technological innovation.
In 2025, the underwear industry performed exceptionally well in segmented markets, particularly showing that “the elder care economy drives broad prospects in the nursing underwear market.” This demonstrates strong market demand for functional underwear.
Underwear products made with glue-dot and laser cutting technology perfectly meet consumer demand for “dignity + efficiency” dual solutions. These products balance aesthetics and functionality, providing a technological pathway for traditional underwear companies to enter high-end markets.
09 Future Outlook: The Future of Intelligent Underwear Manufacturing
Glue-dot application and laser cutting technologies will continue to evolve, bringing more possibilities to underwear manufacturing. Dr. Light stated it will “increase R&D investment, promoting wider application of laser technology, AI technology, and automation technology in underwear manufacturing.”
The future may see fully automated underwear production lines requiring almost no human intervention from design to finished product. Three-dimensional five-axis cutting systems can precisely process complex-shaped materials, meeting market demand for personalized, customized underwear.
As technology costs decrease, these advanced manufacturing processes will gradually spread from high-end products to mass markets, allowing more consumers to enjoy the comfort brought by technological innovation.
Glue-dot application and laser cutting technologies are reshaping the underwear manufacturing industry. At the 2025 Shenzhen International Brand Underwear Fair, the intelligent PUR seamless glue-dot system with AI vision guidance technology became an industry focus.
These technologies solve long-standing production challenges in underwear manufacturing, enabling companies to efficiently produce products that combine comfort, aesthetics, and functionality. For foreign trade companies, keeping up with these technological trends and paying attention to segmented market demands will be key success factors in exploring the global underwear market.
Cured adhesive can also be applied as a full-width tape rather than as printed dots, which changes both the specification and the failure modes: laser-cut bonded construction sets out what a tape-bonded edge requires.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
| Supplier | Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China. |
|---|---|
| Process | Glue-dot lamination plus laser cutting, replacing edge stitching |
| Finish | Flat, seamless edge — no stitched seam at the edge |
| Laser cutting effect | Sealed edge that does not fray |
| Constraint 1 | Fabric compatibility — not every knit bonds reliably |
| Constraint 2 | Wash durability of the bond |
| Highest-stress point | The leg opening |
| Reported material saving | 5–15% via intelligent nesting |
| Customisation effect | Reduces some sewing setup cost, making small batches more practical |
| Care instruction | Must reflect the adhesive, since heat and some detergents affect it |
| Specification basis | Bond strength and wash test, not the technique name |
Buyer checklist
- Confirm the fabric bonds reliably before specifying the process — compatibility is the first constraint.
- Ask for a wash test on the bonded construction covering the first ten cycles.
- Check the leg opening specifically, since it is the highest-stress point on a bonded garment.
- Confirm the bond strength figure rather than accepting the technique name as a specification.
- Ask what the adhesive is and whether the health and environmental claims are documented.
- Check the care instruction reflects the bond, not only the fibre.
- Ask how the bonded edge behaves after repeated wear rather than only after washing.
- Confirm the reported nesting saving applies to your marker and fabric width, not to a standard case.
- Check whether a bonded failure can be repaired or whether it scraps the garment.
- Approve on a bonded production sample that has been worn and washed.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.)
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.