Introduction to Textiles
What is Textile?
The word ''textile'' originally applied only to woven fabrics, now generally applied to fibers, yarns, or fabrics or products made offers, yarns or fabrics. The term textile originates from the latin verb texere to weave but, as the Textile Institute's Terms and Definitions Glossary explains, it is now ''a general term applied to any manufacture from fibers, filaments or yarns characterized by flexibility, fineness and high ratio of Length to thickness''
Normally, textile is a woven fabric; now applied generally to any one of the following:
1. Staple fibers and filaments suitable for conversion to or use as yarns, or for the preparation of woven, knit, or nonwoven fabrics.
2. Yarns made from natural or manufactured fibers.
3. Fabrics and other manufactured products made from fibers as defined above and from yarns.
4. Garments and other articles fabricated from fibers, yarns, or fabrics when the products retain the characteristic flexibility and drape of the original fabrics.
Textile is a very widely used term which includes:
1. All kinds of fibers (e.g: Cotton, Jute, Wool, Polyester, Viscose etc.)
2. All kinds of Process (e.g: Spinning, Weaving, Knitting, Dyeing, Printing, Finishing etc.)
3. All kinds of machineries (e.g: Spinning machineries, Weaving machineries, Knitting machineries, Dyeing machineries, Testing machineries etc.)
4. To convert textile fiber into finished or end use products(e.g: Garments, Technical textiles, Geo textiles, Medical textiles, E-textiles etc.)
Flow Chart of Textile Processing:
The History of Textiles
The oldest example of textiles yet identified by archaeologists is at the Dzudzuana Cave in the former Soviet state of Georgia. There, a handful of flax fibers was discovered that had been twisted, cut and even dyed a range of colors. The fibers were radiocarbon-dated to between 30,000-36,000 years ago.
¨ Natural plant and animal fibres have provided the raw materials to meet our fibre needs.
¨ The first composite material known was made with clay and straw to build walls in Egypt 3,000 years ago.
¨ Many of the ancient plant fibres are no longer in use. Fibres such as jute, sisal, coir and kapok only started to be imported into Europe from the nineteenth century.
¨ Hemp and linen are amongst the oldest plants used for fabric products. Hemp was cultivated in China in 2,800 BC.
¨ Cotton has been produced in India for millennia and was introduced into Europe in the 1300s.
¨ Some of the more recently introduced natural plant fibres reflect their origins and distribution.
¨ A textile was originally a woven fabric but the terms textile and the plural textile are now also applied to fibers, filaments and yarn natural and manufactured and most products for which these are a principal Raw Materials.
¨ Descriptive of textiles as defined in above and of raw materials, process, machinery, buildings, craft, technology, personnel used in and the organizations and activities connected with their manufacture.
¨ Textile raw materials are materials that can be converted into yarn and fabrics of any nature or character.
¨ Fibers have been defined by the Textile Institute as “Units of matter characterized by flexibility, fineness” usually fibers are several thousand times longer than they are thick.
Textile raw material
*A textile was originally a woven fabric but the terms textile and the plural textile are now also applied to fibers, filaments and yarn natural and manufactured and most products for which these are a principal Raw Materials.
*Descriptive of textiles as defined in (1) above and of raw materials, process, machinery, buildings, craft, technology, personnel used in and the organizations and activities connected with their manufacture.
*Textile raw materials are materials that can be converted into yarn and fabrics of any nature or character.
*Fibers have been defined by the Textile Institute as “Units of matter characterized by flexibility, fineness” usually fibers are several thousand times longer than they are thick.
Require Properties of Fibers
# Dimensional and Physical Characteristics:
*Length → Stable 15 mm to 150 mm
*Fineness → Length width ratio is at least 1000:1
*Cross sectional shape
*Crimp
*Density
# Mechanical Properties:
*Strength → Tenacity, P.S.I.
*Elasticity → Recovery percentage
*Extensibility → Breaking extension
*Rigidity → Stiffness
# Chemical Properties:
*Solubility in aqueous and organic solvents. Useful properties of another kind desired in a textile
*fiber are indicated below→
*Behavior towards dyes
*Ability to moisture absorption
*Resistance to deteriorating influence, including
*Light → Particular Sunlight
*Thermal stability
*Resistance to bacteria, mildew, moths and various destructive insects
*Wet and damp condition
*Abrasion and wear
*Corrosive chemicals
Classification of Textile Fibers
1. Vegetable Origin
*Bast Fibers → (Jute, Flax, Hemp, Kenaf, Ramie etc)
*Leaf Fibers → (Sisal, Manila, Etc)
*Seed and Fruit Fibers → (Cotton, Coir, Etc)
2. Animal Origin
*Wool and hair fibers
*Silk and other filaments
3. Mineral Origin (Asbestos)
Man-Made Fibers
*Natural Polymer Based
*Synthetic Polymer Based
Step wise Garments Manufacturing Sequence
1. Design/ Sketch:
For the production of knit garments, or woven garments a sketch of a particular garment including its design features is essential to produce on paper so that after manufacturing of that garment could be verified or checked whether could be done manually or with the help of computer.
2. Pattern Design:
Hard paper copy of each component of the garment of exact dimension of each component is called pattern. The patterns also include seam allowance, trimming allowance, dirts, and pleats, ease allowance, any special design etc affairs. Pattern design could also be done manually or with the help of computer.
3. Sample Making:
The patterns are used to cut the fabric. Then the garment components in fabric form are used to sew/assemble the garment. Sample garment manufacturing is to be done by a very efficient and technically sound person.
4. Production Pattern:
The patterns of the approved sample garment are used for making production pattern. During production pattern making, sometimes it may be necessary to modify patterns design if buyer or appropriate authority suggests any minor modification.
5. Grading:
Normally for large scale garments production of any style needs different sizes to produce from a set of particular size of patterns, the patterns of different sizes are produced by using grade rule which is called grading.
6. Marker Making:
All the pattern pieces for all the required sizes are arranged n the paper in such a way so that maximum number of garments could be produced with minimum fabric wastag4e. Markers are made for 6, 12, 18, 24 etc. pieces. Marker is also useful to estimate fabric consumption calculations.
7. Spreading:
It is the process of arranging fabrics on the spreading table as per length and width of the marker in stack form. Normally height of the lay/fabric is limited upto maximum six inches high. But 4 inch to 5 inch height of the lay is safe.
8. Fabric Cutting:
On the fabric lay/spread the marker paper is placed carefully and accurately, and pinned with the fabric to avoid unwanted movement or displacement of the marker paper. Normally straight knife cutting machine is used to cut out the garment component as per exact dimension of each patterns in stack form, care must be taken to avoid cutting defects.
9. Sorting/ Bundling:
After cutting the entire fabric lay, all the garments components in stack form is shorted out as per size and color. To avoid mistake in sorting, it is better to use code number on each pattern.
10. Sewing or Assembling:
It is the most important department/ section of a garment manufacturing industry. Sewing machines of different types are arranged as a vertical line to assemble the garments. Sequence of types of sewing machine arrangement depends on sequence of assembling operations. Number of sewing machine per line varies from 20 nos to 60 nos depending on the style of the ga4rmnet to be produce. Production pr line pr hour also varies from 100 to 150 pieces depending on specific circumstances. Number of sewing machine arrangement per line may be upto 60 depending on design and out put quantity of garment.
11. Inspection:
Each and every garment after sewing passes through the inspection table/ point, where the garments are thoroughly and carefully checked to detect/find any defect if present in the garment. The defects may be for example variation of measurement, sewing defect, fabric defects, spots etc. if the defect is possible to overcome, then the garment is sent to the respective person for correction. If the defect is not correctional, then the garment is separated as wastage.
12. Pressing/ Finishing:
After passing through the inspection table, each garment is normally ironed/ pressed to remove unwanted crease and to improve the smoothness, so that the garments looks nice to the customer. Folding of the garment is also done here for poly packing of the garments as per required dimension.
13. Final Inspection:
It is the last stage of inspection f the manufactured garments on behalf of the garment manufacturing organization, to detect any defective garments before packing.
14. Packing:
After final inspection, the garments are poly-packed, dozen-wise, color wise, size ratio wise, bundled and packed in the cartoon. The cartoon is marked with important information in printed form which is seen from outside the cartoon easily.
15. Dispatch:
The cartoons of the manufactured garments are delivered or placed in the despatch department or finished product godown, from where the garments lot is delivered for shipment.
