Automated Cutting and Sewing for Industry 4.0 at ITMA 2019
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Special Issue: ITMA, 2019 Automated Cutting and Sewing for Industry 4.0 at ITMA 2019 Minyoung Suh Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University Raleigh, NC, USA Introduction an apparel product is manufactured. Raw An apparel product is one of the material takes 50-70% of the total product consumer goods that have a large number of cost (Vilumsone-Nemes, 2018b), but a fragmented supply chains. It starts from fiber compromise in quality and quantity of fabrics selection, proceeds to yarn and fabric is not under consideration since it directly production, and ends up with apparel influences the quality of a final product. manufacturing. In many cases, there are Instead, the viable solution to reduce the several additional industries involved in the fabric cost is to realize the most efficient processes to finish the final product that marker through accurate and precise cutting. produce trimming, finding, embroidery, On the other hand, sewing is known to take leather and many other fashion accessories. 35-40% of the total cost (Gries & Lutz, Apparel manufacturing is labor- 2018). Sewn product manufacturers have intensive and has been accomplished by lowered the labor cost down through global highly-skilled manual operations using supply chain management over the past traditional materials and equipment. The decades by locating their production facilities major operations are categorized into three in developing countries. However, this groups; pre-production, production and post- business strategy became difficult to production (Nayak & Padhye, 2018). Pre- maintain due to recent changes in global production processes focus on the labor market. There are urgent needs to find preparation of necessary materials and alternative solutions to overcome this. Hence, services, and include line planning, sample to provide a high-quality product at an development and approvals, sourcing, and affordable price, it is necessary that the production scheduling. During the cutting and sewing processes are automated production, fabrics are spread, cut, bundled, by the advanced machinery. and sewn. Several post-production tasks are Automation improves productivity as followed to get sewn products ready for well as the quality of fashion products by consumers such as pressing, inspection, minimizing human intervention and folding, packaging, etc. Apparel production preventing potential human mistakes during still relies on manual practices much as it was manufacturing. Automated systems can be a few hundred years ago (Burns, Mullet, & achieved by embedding a new system or Bryant, 2011). technique between or within the existing Cutting and sewing are unique iconic electronic devices (Nayak & Padhye, 2018). tasks in apparel manufacturing, which are The examples of the new system or technique highly labor dependent and therefore include mechanized fabric handling, expensive. According to Burns, Mullet, and computerized techniques, automatic sewing Bryant (2011), fabric purchase and cut-and- machine and robots. They assist smooth sew labor are the two largest expenses when automatic transitions of workpieces between Article Designation: Special Issue 1 JTATM ITMA, 2019 processes or during a process. Several stages by a control unit. In modern cutting devices, of apparel manufacturing can benefit from cutting tables are equipped with a vacuum the application of automated systems. system to hold the material down and Focusing on the technological enhance cutting accuracy during the cutting innovations presented in the recent textile process. Porous materials, such as most of machinery tradeshow ITMA 2019, this textiles, have to be cut with an impermeable article demonstrates the advanced state of plastic cover because of this. According to automation in apparel manufacturing. There Vilumsone-Nemes (2018a), suction blowers were six sub-sections established under the are the component that consumes the most garment making system. Those were product power in cutter operations. development equipment; shrinking, fusing, Various cutting technologies are and cutting; sewing; sewing supplies and available for a cutting device, such as consumable; product finishing. Cutting and computer-controlled knife, laser, water jet, sewing are the major areas of observations, plasma, or ultrasound. Knife cutters are and multiple examples of automated suitable for multi-ply cutting of heavy textile equipment are reported to highlight key materials and have been most widely adopted features of technical innovations in cutting by textile product manufacturers and sewing automation. (Vilumsone-Nemes, 2018a). The knife cutting head is equipped with multiple Automation in cutting cutting tools: knives, notch tools, drill With an increasing demand of mass punches, and markers to meet diverse cutting production, the cutting room in an apparel and marking demands. Laser cutters are the manufacturing facility has been constantly second most methods in textile cutting and automated by several inventions of new frequently adopted for single-ply cutting. It machinery. Spreading machine carried a roll can create anti-fray edges on thermoplastic of fabric over the table and drastically materials which are most of synthetic fibers reduced the human workforce. Introduced in including polyester and nylon. Diverse the early 1900s, die cutters increased cutting treatment effects are attainable, such as efficiency and quality dramatically as well. cutting, kiss cutting, and marking, through With the appearance of numerically controlled laser intensity. The choice of controlled (NC) machine in 1940s and 1950s, cutting method depends on the properties of continuous cutting became possible. This led materials as well as the complexity of to a greater flexibility in production as well required contours to be cut. as more economic use of material. Later on, The most important consideration in digital technology created computer the configuration of automated cutting numerically controlled (CNC) machine and system is whether a single ply or multiple other supporting tools such as CAD/CAM plies of fabrics would be cut. Single-ply programs. This steady and persistent effort cutting enables continuous processes and made the cutting room evolved into the most eliminates the presence of spreader since the advanced department in the apparel fabric can be fed to the cutting area directly manufacturing industry (Vilumsone-Nemes, from a roll. A conveyorized cutting table is 2018b). used for increased productivity, where the Most systems in automated cutting cutting continues with the advance of the have a similar configuration, where a cutting cutting surface. With the moving surface, an device is housed in a carriage that is attached extra-large component exceeding the length to a crossbar over the cutting table. The of cutting table is possible to be cut in this carriage moves along the crossbar across the configuration. width of the cutting table, while the crossbar When multiple stacks of a fabric are moves along the length of the table. These spread to cut, stronger cutting power is movements let the cutting device travel over required, of course, than single-ply cutting. the cutting area, and are managed precisely An oscillating knife maximizes the cutting Article Designation: Special Issue 2 JTATM ITMA, 2019 capability by moving up and down as the the existing cutting technology. The major knife advances. The depth of oscillating fields of new developments observed at stroke ranges from 5mm to 200mm ITMA 2019 could be summarized into three (Vilumsone-Nemes, 2018a) and needs to be aspects; productivity, versatility, and pattern engineered according to the cutting matching capability. conditions. Serkin Tekstil introduced the To enhance productivity, some intelligent knife which oscillates not only up automated cutters are equipped with an and down, but also from side to side. This additional cutting device and crossbar, which additional motion of the knife is helpful to cut performs synchronized and simultaneous pieces accurately across the thick stacks of cutting. According to Kuris multiple textile layers. Due to the oscillating Spezialmaschinen GmbH (2010), dual motions of the knife, the surface of cutting cutting heads can save up to 40% of cutting tables must be loose enough to support the time. Another example of increased movement. In case of multi-ply cutting with efficiency is the implementation of an an oscillating knife, the surface of a cutting automatic labeler, and this system was table is made of bristles, which is typically a presented by Morgan Technica and Serkon static flatbed table. This static cutting Tekstil at ITMA 2019. Labelers are configuration ensures higher cutting incorporated into cutters to ease human accuracy than conveyorized surfaces. mistakes and confusions during unloading Since Gerber Technology introduced processes followed after cutting. The the first fully automated cutting system in stickers, of different dimensions according to 1960s, automated cutting market has been the needs, are thermally printed and placed in matured and become much competitive over the middle of each cut piece (Figure 1). This the several past decades. The main areas of makes the necessary information including current innovation are related to elaborated bar codes immediately visible on the cut sub-functions or supplementary assistance to pieces. (a) (b Figure 1. Automatic labelers by Morgan Technica (a) and Serkon Tekstil (b) Aiming at the versatile use of a single the carrier