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ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified International Journal of and Innovative (IJEIT) Volume 2, Issue 7, January 2013 Study on Improving the Production Rate by Rapier in Industry Aby Chummar, Soni Kuriakose, George Mathew

the company. It is mainly manufactured by the looms. Abstract— In India the is growing very fast. Conventional shuttle looms are mainly used during the Most of the earlier established textile industries are using process in the industry. All these shuttle looms are conventional shuttle looms for the production of the cloth. But the too old. In these present conventional shuttle looms, it is advancement in the technology made the textile industry more competitive. The effective usage of the new methods of the necessary to pass a shuttle weighing around half a kilogram weaving technology, which is more energy efficient, makes the through the warp to insert a length of weft which production more economical. It is found out that the usage of the weighs only few grams. The shuttle has to be accelerated conventional looms badly affects the cloth production. This study rapidly at the starting of picking cycle and also to be focuses on identifying the problems associated with the low decelerated, stopped abruptly at the opposite end. This production by the shuttle and suggesting suitable methods process creates heavy noise and shock and consumes by which these problems can be reduced. considerable energy. Beat-up is done by slay motion which

again weighs a few hundred kilograms. The wear life of the Index Terms—Greige Fabric Picks, , Shuttle Loom. picker and checking mechanism is also limited due to heavy shocks. The small weft package in the shuttle requires I. INTRODUCTION frequent replenishments and for each loom stoppage there is a possibility of one defect. Due to the defects in the looms the The science of predates recorded history. rate of production was reduced. Low speed of the loom is also Archaeologists have found evidence that man has fabricated a reason for the low production rate of the . The low coarse cloth from various for at least 20,000 years and speed of the machine increases the operating time there by intricate textiles have been found in tombs in Egypt and Asia increasing the consumption of electrical energy. So during that have been dated to several thousand years before Christ. the present global scenario of energy conservation, Many of the processes which were developed in ancient times alternatives for the conventional methods have to be are still used in remote areas of the world today [1]. However, identified. with the advent of the Industrial Age, rapid developments in Table I: Factors Affecting Low Production Rate and Their machinery and techniques have Percentage advanced the science of textiles more in the past one hundred years than in all of previous history [1]. Today's sophisticated CAD/CAM controlled result in high-speed, low-cost and large-volume textile production [1]. Looms are Factor Seconds affected Percentage the important machines used for cloth production. The (s) (%) different looms used for the production of the cloth are shuttle looms, rapier looms, jet looms, etc. The power looms are used for weaving terry towels and bed sheets. Techniques used for Speed 170 68 the production process in the industry are Warping, , Beam Drawing, Weaving, Cutting, Un-winding, and checking Yarn 39 15.6 in warehouse, Folding, Recounting, Grading and sorting, Bailing or packing [1]. The main energy forms used in a Break down 22.5 9 textile industry are grid electricity, wood, and small quantity of coal [5]. The electricity is used for power looms, machines, winding machines, warping machines and lighting. Man 11 4.4 Wood is used as fuel for boilers, thermic fluid heaters, and chulhas for hot water generation. Environment 5.64 2.2

II. PROBLEM DISCRIPTION A study on a garment industry was carried out in a leading Total 250 100 garment manufacturing company in Kerala. The study mainly focused on 382 shuttle looms. Over the years, the company was involved in production of garments and Greige fabric. Greige fabric is one of the critical products manufactured in

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ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) Volume 2, Issue 7, January 2013

Fig 1: Fish Bone Diagram For Low Production Rate

Fig 2: Pareto Chart For Low Production Rate When a problem occurs in a system, its causes should be III. METHODOLOGY identified for the problem to be fixed. Ishikawa Cause and In the study picks generated by randomly selected shuttle Effect (CE) diagrams are popular tools to investigate and looms are analyzed. Each machine was observed for 600 identify numerous different causes of a problem. A Cause and seconds. The time taken for generating picks and the time Effect (CE) diagram can be used as a guideline to allocate during the stoppage of the loom is also noted. The noted time resources and make necessary investments to fix the problem is classified into operating time and no operating time. In the [4]. The percentage by which each Factor affects the low operating time it was identified that the picks generated by production rate is shown in the Pareto chart in fig 2. the looms are lower than the ideal pick rate which is calculated using (1). The main causes for the low pick rate are identified by plotting the cause and effect diagram in fig 1.

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ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) Volume 2, Issue 7, January 2013 Table II: Average Ideal Pick Rate for 1 Month

Ideal pick Ideal pick Ideal pick rate for SI No Month Days Total time rate for 1 rate R 382 looms hour

1 Jan 31 40920 5728800 2188401600 8400 2 Feb 29 38280 5359200 2047214400 8400 3 Mar 31 40920 5728800 2188401600 8400 4 Apr 30 39600 5544000 2117808000 8400 5 May 31 40920 5728800 2188401600 8400 6 Jun 30 39600 5544000 2117808000 8400 7 July 31 40920 5728800 2188401600 8400 Total 15036436800 58800 Average 2148062400 8400

Table III: Average Actual Pick Rate

SI no Month Actual pick Actual production time(hours)

1 Jan 1142819000 187623.55

2 Feb 1031957000 172153.13

3 Mar 1176865000 192250.03

4 Apr 1027278000 186235.92

5 May 1195498000 188752.3

6 Jun 1212026000 189237.23

7 July 1365925000 196576.11

Total 8152368000 1312828.27

Average 1164624000 187547

changes in their production strategy by identifying the major IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION types losses and by suggesting necessary remedies for Table V shows the distribution of cost for the production of reducing it. 1 meter of cloth in the textile industry and it is also Actual rate of production represented in the pie chart in fig 6. Yarn is important raw The production rate of the looms is analyzed by the picks material used for the production of the greige fabric. The generated by the looms. Ideally a pick is obtained by the loom company cannot compromise the quality of the yarn used. The when the shuttle moves from one beating arm to another. The actual picks generated by the machine for 7 months are cost of yarn depends on the international market conditions. obtained from the company log book and it is shown in the Thus it is difficult to reduce cost f fyarn. Thus for reducing the cost production the industry itself have to make necessary Table IV: Energy Consumption of Machines Energy SI Machine consumption/hr no (units) 1 Cimcco 382

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ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) Volume 2, Issue 7, January 2013 2 Sulzer loom 48.4 3 Sizing,cooking,storage,boiler 47.94 4 Pirn winding 22.2 6 Humidification plant 21 5 Warping machine 17.45 7 Bailing 15 8 Cone winding machine 3 9 Folding machine 2.2 Total 559.19

Table III. The Actual Production Time For Generating The calculation of the ideal pick rate is shown in the Table II. 1164624000 Picks By 382 Shuttles Looms Also Shown In The There is a noticeable difference between the ideal picks and Table III. the actual picks generated. Ideal rate of production Ideal pick rate is the number of picks that the machine is Ideal pick rate for 1 s = (8400/3600) = 2.33 capable of when the loom operates with full efficiency. The ideal pick rate is calculated by using (1). The Time for 1 pick motion = 1/ 2.33= 0.43 s speed of the machine is 140 rpm and the working hours per day are considered as 22 days. Ideal pick rate=speed × time (1)

Fig 4: Pareto Chart for Energy Consumption

Ideally for making 1164624000 picks the machine requires Table V: Factors Affecting Production Cost of 1 Meter of Cloth 139108 hours. But actually it takes 187547hours. This is due

Si no Factor Cost % to various losses arising from different regions of production.

Thus the machine non-operating time is 48439 hours. The

1 Yarn 40 non-operating time is the time where the machine stops its

production due to yarn breakage, pirn changing, machine

2 Energy 32 failures etc. Thus the total production rate of the machines is

reduced. The reasons for low production rate are shown in the

3 Employ 18 fish bone diagram in figure 1. The details about the factors affecting low production rate and its percentage are shown in 4 Others 10 table I. Fig 2, the pareto chart shows that the low speed of the machine is the major factor affecting for the low production

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ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) Volume 2, Issue 7, January 2013 rate of the machine. Because of the low speed of the machine smooth transition of even highly fancy like the required production rate cannot be attained. The low and slub. The rapier loom is upgrade from shuttle-looms to speed of machine will increase the total production time the world of modern weaving system and shuttle-less followed by increase in cost of production. Out of the 600 weaving. Rapier looms has been designed to replace the old seconds analyzed in different machines selected randomly, shuttle looms without any major changes to the existing approximately 250 seconds are nonproductive time, and the infrastructure [2][3][5][7]. The Immediate benefits of remaining are productive time and the factors affecting the selecting rapier looms are [2][3][7] production of machine is shown in Table I. Due to the  No need for new buildings or any new infrastructure. movement of the shuttle in the loom, smooth sequence of  Could fit in place of your current shuttle-looms. weaving is disturbed which affects the maximum running  Configured specially keeping in mind the skills of speed and hence machine production. The pareto chart for the power-loom operators. energy consumption is shown in the fig 4. A 1HP motor is  No special training required for loom operators. used for driving the shuttle looms. It is found out from the fig  Immediate reduction of man-power and laborers. 4 that cimcco power loom consumes 66% of total energy  20% subsidy under Technology Up gradation Fund consumption of the industry. The low speed of the machine is Scheme (TUFS) on certified looms. due to the age of the machines, working condition of the machines, and the increased weight of the shuttle in the machines. Because of the low speed of the machine the consumption of energy by the machine increases. The electrical energy consumption for the different machines in the industry is shown in the Table V. It is found that the energy consumed by the shuttle loom is higher than any other machine in the industry. The reduced speed of the machine will increase the time of production and the lead time of the product is also increased. So to maintain increased production the speed of the machines has to be increased. To increase the speed of the machine, an improved way of production has to be followed. This improvement can be attained by the replacement of the conventional shuttle looms by the “Rapier looms”. Proposed energy efficient equipment (Rapier looms) Description of equipment The rapier looms offer unparalleled versatility when it Fig 5: Cost of Factors Affecting Production of 1 Meter of Cloth comes to yarns. From the finest counts of to the thickest in % Industrial yarns and can handle anything thrown at its negative rapier head. The soft-pick gear system enables

Fig 6: Reduction in the operating time Speed So the time for 1 pick by the rapier loom can be reduced to The normal speed of the conventional power looms is 0.27 seconds from that of the conventional shuttle looms. around 140 RPM, where as in rapier looms, the speeds up to Improvement in production rate 220 RPM (actual), this machine gives up to 3 times more The average picks generated by the conventional shuttle productivity than the conventional power looms. looms are 1164624000. For producing this much amount of Pick rate of rapier loom picks the ideal time taken by the shuttle looms are 139108 hrs. The speed of the rapier looms is 220 RPM. Thus the ideal The time for obtaining 1164624000 picks by the rapier looms pick rate of 1 rapier loom can be obtained using (1) as 13200. is approximately 87247 Hrs. Thus by rapier loom the machine

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ISSN: 2277-3754 ISO 9001:2008 Certified International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) Volume 2, Issue 7, January 2013 operating time can be reduced to 51761 Hrs. Thus from the fig AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY 6 it is clear that 37% reduction in the total operating time is obtained. When comparing with the shuttle loom 57.5% more Aby Chummar, Post Graduation Student, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, pick is obtained by the rapier loom. Kerala. Cost savings In Kerala the cost of one unit of electrical energy = 4 Soni Kuriakose, Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,  Energy consumed by 382 shuttle looms (1 hp motor) Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, Kerala.

per hour = 382 kWh George Mathew, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,  For the conventional looms total cost of energy Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, Kerala. consumed = 212557024  Total energy consumed by the rapier looms = 33366554 kWh  The total cost of energy consumed by rapier looms = 133466216 Thus by the rapier looms cost saving of 79090808 can be obtained in one month from the electrical saving itself.

V. CONCLUSION To exist in a competitive world of industries, producing products at a low price with good quality is necessary. Accepting new technology, the production cost can be reduced, at the same time the rate of production can be increased. This study identified the problem of high energy consumption of electricity by the usage of shuttle looms in a garment industry. It suggested a remedy of replacing the aged shuttle looms with the automatic rapier looms for increasing the rate of production, thereby reducing the time of operation of machine and reducing the total lead time in production. Thus cost of production can be reduced. By rectifying other reasons noted in the cause and effect diagram in Fig1 production rate can be again improved. Further studies on the rapier looms can be helpful for the multi color weft insertion which will increase the variety of product according to the fluctuation market conditions.

REFERENCES [1] Ryuta Kamiya, Bryan A. Cheeseman, Peter Popper, Tsu-Wei Chou, “Some recent advances in the fabrication and design of three-dimensional textile performs: a review” Composites Science and Technology 60, 33-47, 2000. [2] Dr.V.M.Patil1, P.D.Bhanawat, “Techno-economics & advances of shuttle-less weaving technology”, IJSID, 2012, 2 (1), 77-89. [3] Subhankar Maity, Kunal Singha, Mrinal Singha, “Recent Developments in Rapier Weaving Machines in Textiles”, American Journal of Systems Science 2012 ;( 7-16). [4] R. Ufuk Bilsel, Dennis K.J. Lin, “Ishikawa Cause and Effect Diagrams Using capture Recapture Techniques,” Quality Technology & Quantitative Management Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 137-152, 2012. [5] A. N. M. Masudur Rahman & Md. Ruhul Amin, Efficiency analysis in rapier loom (2000). [6] Bill Carreira –“Lean manufacturing that works”. [7] Bureau of Energy Efficiency, “Detailed Project Report on Auto Loom/Rapier Loom” (2000).

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