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 The 5 'S' Process: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, Shitsuke
     
The 5S Process, or simply "5S", is a structured program to systematically achieve total organization, cleanliness, and standardization in the workplace. A well-organized workplace results in a safer, more efficient, and more productive operation.  It boosts the morale of the workers, promoting a sense of pride in their work and ownership of their responsibilities.

According to the Free Encyclopedia (Wikepedia) -
5S is the name of a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke. Transliterated or translated into English, they all start with the letter "S". The list describes how to organize a work space for efficiency and effectiveness by identifying and storing the items used, maintaining the area and items, and sustaining the new order. The decision-making process usually comes from a dialogue about standardization, which builds understanding among employees of how they should do the work.

"5S" was invented in Japan, and stands for five (5) Japanese words that start with the letter 'S': Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke.  Table 1 shows what these individual words mean. An equivalent set of five 'S' words in English have likewise been adopted by many, to preserve the "5S" acronym in English usage. These are: Sort, Set (in place), Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.  Some purists do not agree with these English words -
they argue that these words have lost the essence of the original 5 Japanese words.

The 5S practice is a technique used to establish and maintain quality environment in an organization. The name stands for five Japanese words: Seiri , Seiton, Seiso , Seiketsu and Shitsuke .  The English equivalent , their meanings and typical examples are shown in the following table:


Objectives of 5S
  • Promote Safety
  • Improve Work Flow
  • Better Product Quality
  • Reduce Inventory Waste
  • Give People Control of Their Workplace

Benefits of 5S   
  • Clean work place
  • Reduction in materials handling
  • Reduced lead time and cycle time
  • Reduced search time
  • Reduced changeover time
  • Decrease in flow distance
  • Increased floor space
  • Reduced equipment breakdowns
  • Improves workplace safety
  • Fewer hazards
  • Establishes standards for operating equipment and conducting processes Less spending on          replacing lost or damaged items
  • Less stress and tiredness
  • Improved morale and pride in the workplace
  • Greater self-esteem
  • Improvement of communication
  • Increase in productivity
  • Fast work
  • Improved appearance of the facility and expectation for compliance to maintain that condition
  • Better and constant quality of products, services
  • Training time reduced for new employees
  • Greater efficiency in achieving goals
  • Greater readiness for new tasks
  • Better impression on clients
  
Explanation of 5-S Process
                      
Seiri (Sort/Organization)     
The first step of the "5S" process, seiri, refers to the act of throwing away all unwanted, unnecessary, and unrelated materials in the workplace.  People involved in Seiri must not feel sorry about having to throw away things. The idea is to ensure that everything left in the workplace is related to work. Even the number of necessary items in the workplace must be kept to its absolute minimum. Because of seiri, simplification of tasks, effective use of space, and careful purchase of items follow.

Main Features of Seiri-
  • Remove unnecessary items and dispose of them properly
  • Make work easy by eliminating obstacles
  • Provide no chance of being disturbed with unnecessary items
  • Prevent accumulation of unnecessary items

 Organization is about separating the things which are necessary for the job from those that are not and keeping the number of the necessary once as low as possible and at a convenient location.
Stratification Management
The art of organization is in stratification management. It involves deciding how important something is and then reducing the non essential inventory. At the same time stratification management ensures that the essential things are close at hand for maximum efficiency. Thus the key to good stratification management is the ability to make these decisions about usage frequency and to ensure that things are in their proper places. It is just as important to have the things you do not need far from hand as it is to have the things you do close at hand. It is just as important to be able to throw out a broken or defective part as it is to be able to fix it. A summary of organizing things is shown in table below.



Differentiation between Need and Want
Many people do confuse between need and  want. Most of us have a colleague who has collected 60 trade magazines in his shelf over the last five years and claims that he wants to keep all of them for reference. If you ask him “Which of the 60 magazines do you need ?”, he would probably scratch his head and say “ I do not know what you are talking about .” However , if you formulate you question the following way: “Which of these 60 magazines have you not been touching over the last year?”, you should not be surprised to find that the answer is 50.
Most people tend to err in the beginning , on the conservative side of saving things ‘just in case’. But it is crucial that management make a decision. Is it needed? If not, get rid of it. If yes, how much of it is needed? Get rid of the rest. If something is borrowed , return it to its owner.



Seiton ( Shine/ Neatness)
Seiton, or orderliness, is all about efficiency.  This step consists of putting everything in an assigned place so that it can be accessed or retrieved quickly, as well as returned in that same place quickly.  If everyone has quick access to an item or materials, work flow becomes efficient, and the worker becomes productive.  The correct place, position, or holder for every tool, item, or material must be chosen carefully in relation to how the work will be performed and who will use them.  Every single item must be allocated its own place for safekeeping, and each location must be labeled for easy identification of what it's for. 

Main Features of Seiton-
  • Arrange necessary items in order so they can be easily picked for use
  •  Prevent loss and waste of time
  • Make it easy to find and pick up necessary items
  • Ensure first-come-first-serve basis
  • Make work flow smooth and easy
  • Can also be translated as "set in order"

Neatness is a study of efficiency. It is question of how quickly you can get the things you need and how quickly you can put them away. Just making an arbitrary decision on where things go is not going to make you any faster. Instead, you have to analyze why getting things out and putting them away takes so long. You have to study this for both the people using the things frequently and those who seldom use them. You have to devise a system that everyone can understand. There are four steps in achieving neatness:

Step1. Analyze the status quo
Start by analyzing how people get things out and put them away, and why it takes so long. This is especially important in workplaces where a lot of different tools and materials are used, because time spent getting things out and putting them away is time lost. For example , If a person gets something out or puts something out or puts something away 200 times a day and each time takes 30 seconds , you are talking about 100 minutes a day. If the average time could be reduced to 10 seconds , more than an hour could be saved.

Typical problems  in retrieving things are :

1.       Not knowing what things are called
2.       Not sure where things are kept.
3.       Storage site far away.
4.       Storage site scattered all around.
5.       Repeated trips
6.       Hard to find because many things are there.
7.       Not labeled.
8.       Not there, but not clear whether it is finished or somebody is using it.
9.       Unclear if spare parts exist (no ledger and nowhere to ask)
10.   One brought was defective.
11.   Hard to get out.
12.   Too big to carry.
13.   Need to set or assemble.
14.   Too heavy to carry.
15.   No gangway to transport.



Step 2.Decide where things belong.
The  second step is to decide where things belong. It often happens that an object can have two names: Its real name and what everybody call it. In such cases , make a decision  which one you are going to use and stick to it. It only confuses people to have two names for the same object. On the other hand, during stock-take , you may find out that there are many things that do not have a name. There may be times when two different things have the same name, even when there are minor differences between them. You should rectify all these problems as soon as possible.

Step 3 Decide how things should be put away.
The third step is to decide how things should be put away. This is critical to functional storage. For example, files and tools should be put away so that they are easy to find and easy to access. Storage has to be done with retrieval in mind.
Having a name for everything is not yet sufficient. Things must have a location, just like everybody would have a home. It is in fact quite amazing to send a letter through the world-wide mailing system. As long as you put on the right address, it will go to its destination, anywhere in the world.  The principle is very simple – there is a name on your letter and then there is a name on the location which matches with that on the letter. Therefore in doing your ‘neatness’ , it is imperative that every object should have both a name an a location.
In assigning storage space, designate not only the location, but even the shelf. Decide where things should be, and make sure that they are at their home. This is crucial. When the storage location is on the tool and the tool’s name is on the storage location, you know you are doing it right. The following procedures should be adhered to:

1.       Everything should have a name.
2.       A place for everything and everything in its place [PEEP] 
•         No more homeless items.
•         Even if someone is just using something temporarily, it should be clear where it is.
3.       Quick identification
•         Arrows and lamps
•         Frequent –use items to be retrieved easily
4.       Safe storage
•         Heavy things on the bottom
•         Heavy things on dollies
•         Benches and ladders
5.       Height considerations
•         Knee to shoulder height most convenient.



Step 4.Obey the put –away rules.
The last step is to obey the rules. This means always putting things back where they belong. It sounds simple, and it is as if you would be doing it. It is just doing it that is difficult. Whether or not this is done will determine whether or not organization and neatness succeeds. At the same time, inventory management is important to see that you do not run out of parts or products. In order to achieve this, the rules are:

1.       Out of stock
  • Decide on minimum stock level
  • Indicate that more are on order
2.       Somebody is using it
  • Have an indication of who is using it and when they will return it.
3.       Lost
  • Decide how many there should be
  • Draw a shadow outline indicating clearly what is missing

Seiso ( Set in order )        
Seiso, the third step in "5S", says that 'everyone is a janitor.'  Seiso consists of cleaning up the workplace and giving it a 'shine'.  Cleaning must be done by everyone in the organization, from operators to managers. It would be a good idea to have every area of the workplace assigned to a person or group of persons for cleaning. No area should be left uncleaned. Everyone should see the 'workplace' through the eyes of a visitor - always thinking if it is clean enough to make a good impression.

Features of Seiso
  • Clean your workplace completely
  • Use cleaning as inspection
  • Prevent machinery and equipment deterioration
  • Keep workplace safe and easy to work
  • Can also be translated as "sweep"


Everyone is a Janitor’—Cleaning should be done by everyone in the organization, from the managing director to the cleaner. This is why in Japan, they do not need street cleaners in residential areas. Every family is responsible for cleaning the pavement in front of their houses. Therefore, what they need are rubbish collectors. The Japanese believe that while they are doing cleaning, they are cleaning their minds, too.  If  you have done your annual cleaning at home before the New Year, you would probably have this feeling of freshness.

There are even companies that have taken steps towards putting little gardens in their workplace rest areas as hygiene has ramifications well beyond the factories and offices to the surrounding environment. The mottoes for cleaning are:

•        I will not get things dirty.
•        I will not spill.
•        I will not scatter things around.
•        I will clean things right away.
•        I will rewrite things that have got erased.
•        I will tape up things that have come down.
An orderly progression of cleaning in the factory environment by piece of equipment and by location will often identify causes of various problems in the production process, such as :
•         Dirty air – conditioning filters lead to defects in printing.
•         Filing in the conveyance chutes lead to scratching.
•         Scraps in the die leading to faulty pressings.
•         Things fall off the equipment and get into the products.
•         Things get dented or bent in conveyance.
•         Filings and other particles contaminate the resin.
•         Dirty coolant leads to clogging.
•         Dust and other substances ruin the painting process.
•         Bad connections ate made because the electrical contacts are dirty.
•         Fires are caused because garbage short-circuited the electrical equipment.
•         Computer always plays up because dirt is accumulated inside.
In an office or a factory, you might start by graphing out the individual areas of responsibility. In doing this, it is important that all assignments be absolutely clear and that there is no undefined, unallocated, or grey areas. Unless each and every person takes these admonitions to heart and accepts personal responsibility, you are not going to get anywhere. 

Seiketsu(Standardization)        
The fourth step of "5S", or seiketsu, more or less translates to 'standardized clean-up'. It consists of defining the standards by which personnel must measure and maintain 'cleanliness'.  Seiketsu encompasses both personal and environmental cleanliness. Personnel must therefore practice 'seiketsu' starting with their personal tidiness. Visual management is an important ingredient of seiketsu.  Color-coding and standardized coloration of surroundings are used for easier visual identification of anomalies in the surroundings. Personnel are trained to detect abnormalities using their five senses and to correct such abnormalities immediately.

Main Features of Seiketsu
  • Maintain high standards of housekeeping and workplace organization at all times
  • Maintain cleanliness and orderliness

Standardization means continually and repeatedly maintaining your organization, neatness and cleaning. As such, it embraces both personal cleanliness and the cleanliness of the environment. The emphasis here is on visual management and 5-S standardization. Innovation and total visual management are used to attain and maintain standardized conditions so that you can always act quickly.

Visual management
Visual management has recently come into the limelight as and effective means of continuous improvement. It has been used for production, quality, safety, and customer services. Colour management has also come in for considerable attention lately. This has been used not only for colour-coding, but also to create a more pleasant work environment. There are more and more workers opting for white and other light-coloured clothes. Because these clothes show the dirt quickly, they provide a good indicator of how clean the workplace is. They highlight the need for cleaning.
One effective method of visual management is to put up appropriate labels.

Examples are:
•         Lubrication oil label- Indicate the type, grade, colour, and where it is for.
•         Annual inspection label-Should be attached to all equipment.
•         Temperature label –Indicate abnormality or overheat.
•         Responsibility label-Show who is responsible for what.
•         Identification label – Tell people what things are.
•         Safety label – Remind people of special safety considerations.
•         Zone label on meters – Normal zone and danger zone should be differentiated by different colours.
•         Ok mark- After things have been inspected, an OK mark will tell others that the part is acceptable.
•         Position mark- Put little position marks for where things go. Place footprints where people should stand. Place lines to indicate where things are supposed to stop. Put up lots of visual clues so that everybody will be able to see what is happening and to anticipate what will happen next.
Transparency
Another important consideration for standardization is ‘transparency’. In most factories and offices, tools and files are put in lockers, on closed shelves, and under covers to be off sight. Just like sweeping things under the carpet this is known as “out of sight, out of mind” practice. Those closed spaces are often among the most disorderly places, because they are not a constant eyesore. So it will be a good idea to take the wraps off these messes. Make the covers transparent. If you must have metal panels, put inspection windows in them. Make it so that everybody can see what is stored and how good (or bad ) things look.

Visualising Conditions
Many places have little ribbons on the fans so you can see the breeze. Sometimes, this method is called ‘visualizing conditions’. As a variation of this, some plant maintenance people put windows and plastic strips in some of the drain pipes so that other people can see the effluent flowing. There are many other things you can do to help people visualize a process.

Trouble Maps
When there are problems, you can show them on a map of the workplace. Just as many sales departments have pins in maps to show where their people are, you can also have pins to show problems, emergency exits, fire-fighting equipment, and other locations. Put the maps where they are visible to everyone. A trouble map can also be used to indicate those workplaces and processes that are trouble-free.

Quantification
By constantly measuring things, quantifying the results, and analyzing the data statistically, you can quickly identify the limits to management and spot deviations before they become major headaches.

   

Shitsuke (Sustain/ Discipline)       
The last step of "5S", Shitsuke, means 'Discipline.' It denotes commitment to maintain orderliness and to practice the first 4 S as a way of life.  The emphasis of shitsuke is elimination of bad habits and constant practice of good ones.  Once true shitsuke is achieved, personnel voluntarily observe cleanliness and orderliness at all times, without having to be reminded by management.

Main Features of Shitsuke-
  •  To keep in working order
  • Also translates to "Self-Discipline" meaning to do without being told

Discipline means instilling the ability of doing things the way they are supposed to be done. The emphasis here is on creating a workplace with good habits. By teaching everyone what needs to be done and having everyone practicing it bad habits are broken and good ones are formed. This process helps people form habits of making and following the rules.

The word shitsuke originally comes from the guiding stitches that are done before a garment is properly sewn. If accepted that way, discipline is an underlying tool in making life go smoother. It is recognized by the Japanese as the minimum the society needs in order to function properly.

Self –discipline is important because it reaches beyond discipline. If a person is ‘disciplined’ to do something at one time there is a chance that he may not be disciplined next time. However, self-discipline guarantees the continuity of a daily routine. The Japanese are a very self-disciplined race: they have one of the lowet crime rates in the world and are well-known as ‘obedient’ tourists.

Discipline is process of repetition and practice. Think of discipline as an integral part of industrial safety helmet, their safety shoes, or their goggles? Far too many. How many have had accidents because they stuck their hands into the machinery without shutting it off first? Again, too many. It is important that everyone has the habit of obeying simple safety rules. 


6S Process:
The name 5S comes from the 5 Japanese words that make up the 5 stages of 5S, each one starting with the letter “S”. 6S has added the additional “S” of safety to the original 5.  So the 6S is;

The 6th “S”; Safety, we now concentrate on safety aspects of our initiative, reviewing every action and each area to ensure that we have not overlooked any potential hazards.

Use of 5S to Ensure Well Organised and Safer Workplace in Textile Production | Application of 5S in Garments Industry

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 The 5 'S' Process: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, Shitsuke
     
The 5S Process, or simply "5S", is a structured program to systematically achieve total organization, cleanliness, and standardization in the workplace. A well-organized workplace results in a safer, more efficient, and more productive operation.  It boosts the morale of the workers, promoting a sense of pride in their work and ownership of their responsibilities.

According to the Free Encyclopedia (Wikepedia) -
5S is the name of a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke. Transliterated or translated into English, they all start with the letter "S". The list describes how to organize a work space for efficiency and effectiveness by identifying and storing the items used, maintaining the area and items, and sustaining the new order. The decision-making process usually comes from a dialogue about standardization, which builds understanding among employees of how they should do the work.

"5S" was invented in Japan, and stands for five (5) Japanese words that start with the letter 'S': Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke.  Table 1 shows what these individual words mean. An equivalent set of five 'S' words in English have likewise been adopted by many, to preserve the "5S" acronym in English usage. These are: Sort, Set (in place), Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.  Some purists do not agree with these English words -
they argue that these words have lost the essence of the original 5 Japanese words.

The 5S practice is a technique used to establish and maintain quality environment in an organization. The name stands for five Japanese words: Seiri , Seiton, Seiso , Seiketsu and Shitsuke .  The English equivalent , their meanings and typical examples are shown in the following table:


Objectives of 5S
  • Promote Safety
  • Improve Work Flow
  • Better Product Quality
  • Reduce Inventory Waste
  • Give People Control of Their Workplace

Benefits of 5S   
  • Clean work place
  • Reduction in materials handling
  • Reduced lead time and cycle time
  • Reduced search time
  • Reduced changeover time
  • Decrease in flow distance
  • Increased floor space
  • Reduced equipment breakdowns
  • Improves workplace safety
  • Fewer hazards
  • Establishes standards for operating equipment and conducting processes Less spending on          replacing lost or damaged items
  • Less stress and tiredness
  • Improved morale and pride in the workplace
  • Greater self-esteem
  • Improvement of communication
  • Increase in productivity
  • Fast work
  • Improved appearance of the facility and expectation for compliance to maintain that condition
  • Better and constant quality of products, services
  • Training time reduced for new employees
  • Greater efficiency in achieving goals
  • Greater readiness for new tasks
  • Better impression on clients
  
Explanation of 5-S Process
                      
Seiri (Sort/Organization)     
The first step of the "5S" process, seiri, refers to the act of throwing away all unwanted, unnecessary, and unrelated materials in the workplace.  People involved in Seiri must not feel sorry about having to throw away things. The idea is to ensure that everything left in the workplace is related to work. Even the number of necessary items in the workplace must be kept to its absolute minimum. Because of seiri, simplification of tasks, effective use of space, and careful purchase of items follow.

Main Features of Seiri-
  • Remove unnecessary items and dispose of them properly
  • Make work easy by eliminating obstacles
  • Provide no chance of being disturbed with unnecessary items
  • Prevent accumulation of unnecessary items

 Organization is about separating the things which are necessary for the job from those that are not and keeping the number of the necessary once as low as possible and at a convenient location.
Stratification Management
The art of organization is in stratification management. It involves deciding how important something is and then reducing the non essential inventory. At the same time stratification management ensures that the essential things are close at hand for maximum efficiency. Thus the key to good stratification management is the ability to make these decisions about usage frequency and to ensure that things are in their proper places. It is just as important to have the things you do not need far from hand as it is to have the things you do close at hand. It is just as important to be able to throw out a broken or defective part as it is to be able to fix it. A summary of organizing things is shown in table below.



Differentiation between Need and Want
Many people do confuse between need and  want. Most of us have a colleague who has collected 60 trade magazines in his shelf over the last five years and claims that he wants to keep all of them for reference. If you ask him “Which of the 60 magazines do you need ?”, he would probably scratch his head and say “ I do not know what you are talking about .” However , if you formulate you question the following way: “Which of these 60 magazines have you not been touching over the last year?”, you should not be surprised to find that the answer is 50.
Most people tend to err in the beginning , on the conservative side of saving things ‘just in case’. But it is crucial that management make a decision. Is it needed? If not, get rid of it. If yes, how much of it is needed? Get rid of the rest. If something is borrowed , return it to its owner.



Seiton ( Shine/ Neatness)
Seiton, or orderliness, is all about efficiency.  This step consists of putting everything in an assigned place so that it can be accessed or retrieved quickly, as well as returned in that same place quickly.  If everyone has quick access to an item or materials, work flow becomes efficient, and the worker becomes productive.  The correct place, position, or holder for every tool, item, or material must be chosen carefully in relation to how the work will be performed and who will use them.  Every single item must be allocated its own place for safekeeping, and each location must be labeled for easy identification of what it's for. 

Main Features of Seiton-
  • Arrange necessary items in order so they can be easily picked for use
  •  Prevent loss and waste of time
  • Make it easy to find and pick up necessary items
  • Ensure first-come-first-serve basis
  • Make work flow smooth and easy
  • Can also be translated as "set in order"

Neatness is a study of efficiency. It is question of how quickly you can get the things you need and how quickly you can put them away. Just making an arbitrary decision on where things go is not going to make you any faster. Instead, you have to analyze why getting things out and putting them away takes so long. You have to study this for both the people using the things frequently and those who seldom use them. You have to devise a system that everyone can understand. There are four steps in achieving neatness:

Step1. Analyze the status quo
Start by analyzing how people get things out and put them away, and why it takes so long. This is especially important in workplaces where a lot of different tools and materials are used, because time spent getting things out and putting them away is time lost. For example , If a person gets something out or puts something out or puts something away 200 times a day and each time takes 30 seconds , you are talking about 100 minutes a day. If the average time could be reduced to 10 seconds , more than an hour could be saved.

Typical problems  in retrieving things are :

1.       Not knowing what things are called
2.       Not sure where things are kept.
3.       Storage site far away.
4.       Storage site scattered all around.
5.       Repeated trips
6.       Hard to find because many things are there.
7.       Not labeled.
8.       Not there, but not clear whether it is finished or somebody is using it.
9.       Unclear if spare parts exist (no ledger and nowhere to ask)
10.   One brought was defective.
11.   Hard to get out.
12.   Too big to carry.
13.   Need to set or assemble.
14.   Too heavy to carry.
15.   No gangway to transport.



Step 2.Decide where things belong.
The  second step is to decide where things belong. It often happens that an object can have two names: Its real name and what everybody call it. In such cases , make a decision  which one you are going to use and stick to it. It only confuses people to have two names for the same object. On the other hand, during stock-take , you may find out that there are many things that do not have a name. There may be times when two different things have the same name, even when there are minor differences between them. You should rectify all these problems as soon as possible.

Step 3 Decide how things should be put away.
The third step is to decide how things should be put away. This is critical to functional storage. For example, files and tools should be put away so that they are easy to find and easy to access. Storage has to be done with retrieval in mind.
Having a name for everything is not yet sufficient. Things must have a location, just like everybody would have a home. It is in fact quite amazing to send a letter through the world-wide mailing system. As long as you put on the right address, it will go to its destination, anywhere in the world.  The principle is very simple – there is a name on your letter and then there is a name on the location which matches with that on the letter. Therefore in doing your ‘neatness’ , it is imperative that every object should have both a name an a location.
In assigning storage space, designate not only the location, but even the shelf. Decide where things should be, and make sure that they are at their home. This is crucial. When the storage location is on the tool and the tool’s name is on the storage location, you know you are doing it right. The following procedures should be adhered to:

1.       Everything should have a name.
2.       A place for everything and everything in its place [PEEP] 
•         No more homeless items.
•         Even if someone is just using something temporarily, it should be clear where it is.
3.       Quick identification
•         Arrows and lamps
•         Frequent –use items to be retrieved easily
4.       Safe storage
•         Heavy things on the bottom
•         Heavy things on dollies
•         Benches and ladders
5.       Height considerations
•         Knee to shoulder height most convenient.



Step 4.Obey the put –away rules.
The last step is to obey the rules. This means always putting things back where they belong. It sounds simple, and it is as if you would be doing it. It is just doing it that is difficult. Whether or not this is done will determine whether or not organization and neatness succeeds. At the same time, inventory management is important to see that you do not run out of parts or products. In order to achieve this, the rules are:

1.       Out of stock
  • Decide on minimum stock level
  • Indicate that more are on order
2.       Somebody is using it
  • Have an indication of who is using it and when they will return it.
3.       Lost
  • Decide how many there should be
  • Draw a shadow outline indicating clearly what is missing

Seiso ( Set in order )        
Seiso, the third step in "5S", says that 'everyone is a janitor.'  Seiso consists of cleaning up the workplace and giving it a 'shine'.  Cleaning must be done by everyone in the organization, from operators to managers. It would be a good idea to have every area of the workplace assigned to a person or group of persons for cleaning. No area should be left uncleaned. Everyone should see the 'workplace' through the eyes of a visitor - always thinking if it is clean enough to make a good impression.

Features of Seiso
  • Clean your workplace completely
  • Use cleaning as inspection
  • Prevent machinery and equipment deterioration
  • Keep workplace safe and easy to work
  • Can also be translated as "sweep"


Everyone is a Janitor’—Cleaning should be done by everyone in the organization, from the managing director to the cleaner. This is why in Japan, they do not need street cleaners in residential areas. Every family is responsible for cleaning the pavement in front of their houses. Therefore, what they need are rubbish collectors. The Japanese believe that while they are doing cleaning, they are cleaning their minds, too.  If  you have done your annual cleaning at home before the New Year, you would probably have this feeling of freshness.

There are even companies that have taken steps towards putting little gardens in their workplace rest areas as hygiene has ramifications well beyond the factories and offices to the surrounding environment. The mottoes for cleaning are:

•        I will not get things dirty.
•        I will not spill.
•        I will not scatter things around.
•        I will clean things right away.
•        I will rewrite things that have got erased.
•        I will tape up things that have come down.
An orderly progression of cleaning in the factory environment by piece of equipment and by location will often identify causes of various problems in the production process, such as :
•         Dirty air – conditioning filters lead to defects in printing.
•         Filing in the conveyance chutes lead to scratching.
•         Scraps in the die leading to faulty pressings.
•         Things fall off the equipment and get into the products.
•         Things get dented or bent in conveyance.
•         Filings and other particles contaminate the resin.
•         Dirty coolant leads to clogging.
•         Dust and other substances ruin the painting process.
•         Bad connections ate made because the electrical contacts are dirty.
•         Fires are caused because garbage short-circuited the electrical equipment.
•         Computer always plays up because dirt is accumulated inside.
In an office or a factory, you might start by graphing out the individual areas of responsibility. In doing this, it is important that all assignments be absolutely clear and that there is no undefined, unallocated, or grey areas. Unless each and every person takes these admonitions to heart and accepts personal responsibility, you are not going to get anywhere. 

Seiketsu(Standardization)        
The fourth step of "5S", or seiketsu, more or less translates to 'standardized clean-up'. It consists of defining the standards by which personnel must measure and maintain 'cleanliness'.  Seiketsu encompasses both personal and environmental cleanliness. Personnel must therefore practice 'seiketsu' starting with their personal tidiness. Visual management is an important ingredient of seiketsu.  Color-coding and standardized coloration of surroundings are used for easier visual identification of anomalies in the surroundings. Personnel are trained to detect abnormalities using their five senses and to correct such abnormalities immediately.

Main Features of Seiketsu
  • Maintain high standards of housekeeping and workplace organization at all times
  • Maintain cleanliness and orderliness

Standardization means continually and repeatedly maintaining your organization, neatness and cleaning. As such, it embraces both personal cleanliness and the cleanliness of the environment. The emphasis here is on visual management and 5-S standardization. Innovation and total visual management are used to attain and maintain standardized conditions so that you can always act quickly.

Visual management
Visual management has recently come into the limelight as and effective means of continuous improvement. It has been used for production, quality, safety, and customer services. Colour management has also come in for considerable attention lately. This has been used not only for colour-coding, but also to create a more pleasant work environment. There are more and more workers opting for white and other light-coloured clothes. Because these clothes show the dirt quickly, they provide a good indicator of how clean the workplace is. They highlight the need for cleaning.
One effective method of visual management is to put up appropriate labels.

Examples are:
•         Lubrication oil label- Indicate the type, grade, colour, and where it is for.
•         Annual inspection label-Should be attached to all equipment.
•         Temperature label –Indicate abnormality or overheat.
•         Responsibility label-Show who is responsible for what.
•         Identification label – Tell people what things are.
•         Safety label – Remind people of special safety considerations.
•         Zone label on meters – Normal zone and danger zone should be differentiated by different colours.
•         Ok mark- After things have been inspected, an OK mark will tell others that the part is acceptable.
•         Position mark- Put little position marks for where things go. Place footprints where people should stand. Place lines to indicate where things are supposed to stop. Put up lots of visual clues so that everybody will be able to see what is happening and to anticipate what will happen next.
Transparency
Another important consideration for standardization is ‘transparency’. In most factories and offices, tools and files are put in lockers, on closed shelves, and under covers to be off sight. Just like sweeping things under the carpet this is known as “out of sight, out of mind” practice. Those closed spaces are often among the most disorderly places, because they are not a constant eyesore. So it will be a good idea to take the wraps off these messes. Make the covers transparent. If you must have metal panels, put inspection windows in them. Make it so that everybody can see what is stored and how good (or bad ) things look.

Visualising Conditions
Many places have little ribbons on the fans so you can see the breeze. Sometimes, this method is called ‘visualizing conditions’. As a variation of this, some plant maintenance people put windows and plastic strips in some of the drain pipes so that other people can see the effluent flowing. There are many other things you can do to help people visualize a process.

Trouble Maps
When there are problems, you can show them on a map of the workplace. Just as many sales departments have pins in maps to show where their people are, you can also have pins to show problems, emergency exits, fire-fighting equipment, and other locations. Put the maps where they are visible to everyone. A trouble map can also be used to indicate those workplaces and processes that are trouble-free.

Quantification
By constantly measuring things, quantifying the results, and analyzing the data statistically, you can quickly identify the limits to management and spot deviations before they become major headaches.

   

Shitsuke (Sustain/ Discipline)       
The last step of "5S", Shitsuke, means 'Discipline.' It denotes commitment to maintain orderliness and to practice the first 4 S as a way of life.  The emphasis of shitsuke is elimination of bad habits and constant practice of good ones.  Once true shitsuke is achieved, personnel voluntarily observe cleanliness and orderliness at all times, without having to be reminded by management.

Main Features of Shitsuke-
  •  To keep in working order
  • Also translates to "Self-Discipline" meaning to do without being told

Discipline means instilling the ability of doing things the way they are supposed to be done. The emphasis here is on creating a workplace with good habits. By teaching everyone what needs to be done and having everyone practicing it bad habits are broken and good ones are formed. This process helps people form habits of making and following the rules.

The word shitsuke originally comes from the guiding stitches that are done before a garment is properly sewn. If accepted that way, discipline is an underlying tool in making life go smoother. It is recognized by the Japanese as the minimum the society needs in order to function properly.

Self –discipline is important because it reaches beyond discipline. If a person is ‘disciplined’ to do something at one time there is a chance that he may not be disciplined next time. However, self-discipline guarantees the continuity of a daily routine. The Japanese are a very self-disciplined race: they have one of the lowet crime rates in the world and are well-known as ‘obedient’ tourists.

Discipline is process of repetition and practice. Think of discipline as an integral part of industrial safety helmet, their safety shoes, or their goggles? Far too many. How many have had accidents because they stuck their hands into the machinery without shutting it off first? Again, too many. It is important that everyone has the habit of obeying simple safety rules. 


6S Process:
The name 5S comes from the 5 Japanese words that make up the 5 stages of 5S, each one starting with the letter “S”. 6S has added the additional “S” of safety to the original 5.  So the 6S is;

The 6th “S”; Safety, we now concentrate on safety aspects of our initiative, reviewing every action and each area to ensure that we have not overlooked any potential hazards.

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Apparel or Garments Merchandising: Merchandising is generally related to trading where buying and selling is done. Apparel merchandising is related to the entire task related with buyer, suppliers even with factory itself. Further it means the day to day correspondence with buyers for price negotiation, order confirmation, any other approval and updates as well, on the other hand correspondence with suppliers to place orders, follow up with them to get the timely delivery and also to make the payment. It is also related with production planning team, garments production team, washing team and commercial or C&F agents as well. Co-ordination with shipping and documentation department for forwarding the approved shipment and finally keeping track of style status and updating the same to top management and buyer representatives.



Apparel Merchandiser: The person who is responsible to, negotiating to, corresponding to and managing to buyer, suppliers as well as factory people to ship the garments smoothly is known as apparel merchandiser. This is the basic concept of merchandising but the activities and responsibilities of a merchandiser depend on his work place, buyer and vendor rules or regulations.

There are different types of merchandisers available in apparel manufacturing section where job responsibilities may of different.
  • Production Merchandiser
  • Factory Merchandiser
  • Buying Office Merchandiser (Trading and Liaison office)
  • Procurement Merchandiser
  • Fabric Merchandiser
Production Merchandising covers all the area of merchandising except buying or fashion house merchandising.


Key Responsibilities and Activities of a Production/Factory Merchandiser:

i.    An order starts through sample development where merchandiser is responsible to develop the product/garment according to BOM (Bill of Materials) and GSS (Garment Specification Sheet) along with measurement chart sent by buyer.

ii.    Buyer will make comment on development sample whereby they need to change at any section such as fabrication, styling or measurement or any trims where merchandiser will responsible to follow the same and implement them to next sampling.

iii.    Now buyer will ask for costing incorporating with fabric cost, trim cost, CM & wash cost, embroidery cost as well as print cost and the concern merchant will give the same.

iv.    After getting confirmation of an order, merchandiser will book all the raw materials and trims covering this style where fabric will be booked first.

v.    Making production Time and action calendar - based on the process flow of order merchants prepare time and action calendar and indicates who is responsible for the task. This helps merchant to execute an order whether it is on time or behind schedule. Merchants chase department who are running late.

vi.    Handover the Bill of material to sourcing department - Based on tech pack (technical sheet), merchant prepares material requirement sheet. In some cases, merchants develop and purchase few trim by themselves.

vii.    Execution of sourcing trims / accessories - merchants do follow up with supplier for the raw material.

viii.    Preparing production file - Prepares production file with details documents, approvals, samples and swatches and comments on sample from buyer.

ix.     Conduct PP meeting with quality team and production team - merchants conduct pre-production (PP) meeting with production team and quality team. In this meeting merchants discuss style construction details, production plan, PCD and handover production file to the production team. One copy of production file is also made for quality team.

x.    Giving approval of printing, embroidery production and other subcontracting work.

xi.    Execution of orders whether it is running on time.

xii.    Coordination with buyer or buying house if any clarification is required during production.

xiii.    Giving clarification to production and quality team if required related to style workmanship/trims etc.

xiv.    Coordinating with buying house QA or 3rd Party QA for initial/mid and final inspection of shipment.

xv.    Coordination with shipping and documentation department for forwarding the approved shipment.

xvi.    Keeping track of style status and updating the same to top management and buyer representatives.  



Day to Day Job Responsibilities of a Buying Office Merchandiser:

i.    Communicating with buyers by mail (mostly) for new queries as well as updates

ii.    Meeting with vendors and explaining new development requirement to vendor team

iii.    Planning for new season sampling and production orders 

iv.    Collecting of garment samples, trims and different types of swatches from the vendors 

v.    Submission of samples to buyer through courier 

vi.    Follow up with vendors for samples 

vii.    Follow up with buyers for approvals and feedback 
 
viii.    Giving approval on samples where buyer intervention is not required 

ix.    Updating latest comments on particular styles or order to vendor representative 

x.    Update the buyers with the order status at all stages 

xi.    Execution of running orders (production) 

xii.    Visit to vendor site 

xiii.    Sourcing of materials for new development 

xiv.    Preparation of material requirement 

xv.    Selection and finalizing of vendors for the upcoming orders based on vendor’s experience of making similar products 

xvi.    Preparing Purchase order 

xvii.    Costing and negotiation with trim & accessory suppliers 

xviii.    Handle quality issues for sampling as well as production 

xix.    Preparing inspection schedule for shipment and notifying to quality department in the buying house or third party QA. 

xx.    Maintaining files and Accounts 

xxi.    Updating Time and Action calendar


Sampling
The samples decide the ability of an exporter. The buyer will access the exporter and his organization only by the samples. If the samples are of good quality and with reasonable price naturally the buyers will be forced to place the order. So it is essential that the samples should be innovative and with optimum quality. The purpose of sampling is not only to get bulk orders and also give some additional benefits to the exporters. By doing sampling the exporter can estimate the yarn consumption for developing the fabric, a clear idea on costing more ever the manufacturing difficulties. Besides by doing sampling only the exporter can optimize the processing parameters for bulk production, which helps to avoid all kind of bottlenecks. All these works are carried out by the sampling department, which us led by a sampling in charge.

The Details Attached to the Garment Sample
After the confirmation of order, each sample sent t 0 the buyer has the following details attached to it, with the help of a tag. It contains the details pertaining to both, what the buyer has demanded and what supplement fabric/trim etc they have used (if applicable).
  • Date
  • Style No
  • Attention Person
  • Color
  • Fabric
  • Composition
  • Description
  • Quantity
  • Size
  • Store
There may be a separate sampling department in a company. But as the merchandiser is the person who is interacting with the buyers regarding samples and other requirements, this sampling department will work under the supervision of merchandising department. Also as the samples are to be made according to the buyers’ price ranges and quality levels, merchandiser has to advise sampling department suitably.

Work Flowchart of Sampling


The Common Types of Samples Used in Apparel Making are mentioned below-
  • Proto Sample
  • Development Sample
  • Salesmen samples or promotional samples
  • Fit samples
  • Size Set Samples
  • Counter samples or reference samples or approval samples
  • Wash test/Lab test samples
  • Fashion show samples
  • Shade Band Samples
  • Pre-production samples
  • Tag/Sealer Sample
  • Production samples
  • Shipment samples

Garments Merchandising | Day to Day Job Responsibilities of A Buying House and A Factory Merchandiser

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Apparel or Garments Merchandising: Merchandising is generally related to trading where buying and selling is done. Apparel merchandising is related to the entire task related with buyer, suppliers even with factory itself. Further it means the day to day correspondence with buyers for price negotiation, order confirmation, any other approval and updates as well, on the other hand correspondence with suppliers to place orders, follow up with them to get the timely delivery and also to make the payment. It is also related with production planning team, garments production team, washing team and commercial or C&F agents as well. Co-ordination with shipping and documentation department for forwarding the approved shipment and finally keeping track of style status and updating the same to top management and buyer representatives.



Apparel Merchandiser: The person who is responsible to, negotiating to, corresponding to and managing to buyer, suppliers as well as factory people to ship the garments smoothly is known as apparel merchandiser. This is the basic concept of merchandising but the activities and responsibilities of a merchandiser depend on his work place, buyer and vendor rules or regulations.

There are different types of merchandisers available in apparel manufacturing section where job responsibilities may of different.
  • Production Merchandiser
  • Factory Merchandiser
  • Buying Office Merchandiser (Trading and Liaison office)
  • Procurement Merchandiser
  • Fabric Merchandiser
Production Merchandising covers all the area of merchandising except buying or fashion house merchandising.


Key Responsibilities and Activities of a Production/Factory Merchandiser:

i.    An order starts through sample development where merchandiser is responsible to develop the product/garment according to BOM (Bill of Materials) and GSS (Garment Specification Sheet) along with measurement chart sent by buyer.

ii.    Buyer will make comment on development sample whereby they need to change at any section such as fabrication, styling or measurement or any trims where merchandiser will responsible to follow the same and implement them to next sampling.

iii.    Now buyer will ask for costing incorporating with fabric cost, trim cost, CM & wash cost, embroidery cost as well as print cost and the concern merchant will give the same.

iv.    After getting confirmation of an order, merchandiser will book all the raw materials and trims covering this style where fabric will be booked first.

v.    Making production Time and action calendar - based on the process flow of order merchants prepare time and action calendar and indicates who is responsible for the task. This helps merchant to execute an order whether it is on time or behind schedule. Merchants chase department who are running late.

vi.    Handover the Bill of material to sourcing department - Based on tech pack (technical sheet), merchant prepares material requirement sheet. In some cases, merchants develop and purchase few trim by themselves.

vii.    Execution of sourcing trims / accessories - merchants do follow up with supplier for the raw material.

viii.    Preparing production file - Prepares production file with details documents, approvals, samples and swatches and comments on sample from buyer.

ix.     Conduct PP meeting with quality team and production team - merchants conduct pre-production (PP) meeting with production team and quality team. In this meeting merchants discuss style construction details, production plan, PCD and handover production file to the production team. One copy of production file is also made for quality team.

x.    Giving approval of printing, embroidery production and other subcontracting work.

xi.    Execution of orders whether it is running on time.

xii.    Coordination with buyer or buying house if any clarification is required during production.

xiii.    Giving clarification to production and quality team if required related to style workmanship/trims etc.

xiv.    Coordinating with buying house QA or 3rd Party QA for initial/mid and final inspection of shipment.

xv.    Coordination with shipping and documentation department for forwarding the approved shipment.

xvi.    Keeping track of style status and updating the same to top management and buyer representatives.  



Day to Day Job Responsibilities of a Buying Office Merchandiser:

i.    Communicating with buyers by mail (mostly) for new queries as well as updates

ii.    Meeting with vendors and explaining new development requirement to vendor team

iii.    Planning for new season sampling and production orders 

iv.    Collecting of garment samples, trims and different types of swatches from the vendors 

v.    Submission of samples to buyer through courier 

vi.    Follow up with vendors for samples 

vii.    Follow up with buyers for approvals and feedback 
 
viii.    Giving approval on samples where buyer intervention is not required 

ix.    Updating latest comments on particular styles or order to vendor representative 

x.    Update the buyers with the order status at all stages 

xi.    Execution of running orders (production) 

xii.    Visit to vendor site 

xiii.    Sourcing of materials for new development 

xiv.    Preparation of material requirement 

xv.    Selection and finalizing of vendors for the upcoming orders based on vendor’s experience of making similar products 

xvi.    Preparing Purchase order 

xvii.    Costing and negotiation with trim & accessory suppliers 

xviii.    Handle quality issues for sampling as well as production 

xix.    Preparing inspection schedule for shipment and notifying to quality department in the buying house or third party QA. 

xx.    Maintaining files and Accounts 

xxi.    Updating Time and Action calendar


Sampling
The samples decide the ability of an exporter. The buyer will access the exporter and his organization only by the samples. If the samples are of good quality and with reasonable price naturally the buyers will be forced to place the order. So it is essential that the samples should be innovative and with optimum quality. The purpose of sampling is not only to get bulk orders and also give some additional benefits to the exporters. By doing sampling the exporter can estimate the yarn consumption for developing the fabric, a clear idea on costing more ever the manufacturing difficulties. Besides by doing sampling only the exporter can optimize the processing parameters for bulk production, which helps to avoid all kind of bottlenecks. All these works are carried out by the sampling department, which us led by a sampling in charge.

The Details Attached to the Garment Sample
After the confirmation of order, each sample sent t 0 the buyer has the following details attached to it, with the help of a tag. It contains the details pertaining to both, what the buyer has demanded and what supplement fabric/trim etc they have used (if applicable).
  • Date
  • Style No
  • Attention Person
  • Color
  • Fabric
  • Composition
  • Description
  • Quantity
  • Size
  • Store
There may be a separate sampling department in a company. But as the merchandiser is the person who is interacting with the buyers regarding samples and other requirements, this sampling department will work under the supervision of merchandising department. Also as the samples are to be made according to the buyers’ price ranges and quality levels, merchandiser has to advise sampling department suitably.

Work Flowchart of Sampling


The Common Types of Samples Used in Apparel Making are mentioned below-
  • Proto Sample
  • Development Sample
  • Salesmen samples or promotional samples
  • Fit samples
  • Size Set Samples
  • Counter samples or reference samples or approval samples
  • Wash test/Lab test samples
  • Fashion show samples
  • Shade Band Samples
  • Pre-production samples
  • Tag/Sealer Sample
  • Production samples
  • Shipment samples
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Brief History:
Bangladesh is a developing country where textile and garment industries provide the single source of economic growth in its rapidly developing economy.

Textiles, Clothing and RMG cover about 77% of total exports. About 4 million people, most of them are women, work to this sector, earned 21.51 billion USD in the Fiscal Year 2012-13 (Source-Export promotion bureau).


Bangladesh started its first export oriented garment industry in 1977 as Desh Garments Ltd. Which was a joint venture with Daewoo (south Korea). Meanwhile many Bangladeshi’s took training for RMG business from Korea, then established new factories with local investors. Bangladesh was made its first shipment of woven garment in 1977. (Wikipedia, BKMEA Website)

Sixty percent of the export contracts of western brands are with European buyers and about forty percent with the American buyers. WTO declared Bangladesh as the 2nd Largest garment exporters after china in FY 2011-12, whereas it is becoming 2nd largest Denim exporters across the world but it is only 4.8% of the global RMG trade of $412 billion (Source-Wikipedia, seagroupbd & denimandjeans).

Contribution of Woven and knit  garment is almost similar, respectively 41% and 39% of total export, where 80 percent knit garment goes to Europe market and here retention is almost 60%. (BKMEA Website)

1950 was the beginning of RMG in the Western world. In order to control the level of imported RMG products from developing countries into developed countries, the Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) was made in 1974. The MFA agreement imposed an export rate 6 percent increase every year from a developing country to a developed country. In the early 1980s Bangladesh started receiving investment in the RMG sector. Some Bangladeshis received free training from the Korean Company Daewoo. After these workers came back to Bangladesh, many of them broke ties with the factory they were working for and started their own factories.


Bangladesh Textile and Garment Industry Highlights:

Bangladesh enters 2013 with a firm footing as the world's second largest garment exporter, raising hopes for a new wave of business despite turbulent times in parts of the globe.

The World Trade Organization (WTO)  declared Bangladesh as the second largest RMG exporter after China in 2010-11 when the country's export grew 43.36 percent year on year to $15.66 billion in spite of global recession in 2007-2008.

Bangladesh retained its position in the following fiscal 2011-12 by exporting garments worth $19.09 billion. And the outlook for the current fiscal is set to exceed $20 billion.Bangladesh now claims 4.8 percent of the global RMG trade of $412 billion.

According to McKinsey & Company, an international management-consulting firm, Bangladesh's apparel exports will reach $36 billion by 2020.But all these prospects appear to have been shaken by one fire tragedy in late November at Tazreen Fashions Ltd, where 112 workers were killed. This single incident exposed inadequate fire safety and poor working conditions that still exist in many factories.

On April 24 1137 textile workers factories making clothes for Western brands, were killed when a garment factory collapsed. The Savar building collapse was in the Rana Plaza complex, in Savar, an industrial corner 20 miles northwest of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.The incident was widely covered worldwide mainly because of Bangladesh's position as the number two apparel exporter. The buyers are now pressing factory owners to improve working conditions, hike wages of workers, and ensure labour rights and other compliance issues.The strength of the country's apparel sector is well understood through its ability to supply high-end items to famous global brands such as Hugo Boss, Adidas, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, G-Star, Diesel, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Nike, Benetton and Mango. Currently, more than 30 percent of the total RMG export is high-end products.The primary textile sector also saw a wave of investments for increasing demands for fabrics. The sector with a total investment of over 4.5 billion pounds is now capable of supplying 90 percent of fabrics for the knitwear sub-sector and 40 percent of fabrics for the woven sub-sector.

The country has more than 5,500 woven garment factories, 1,700 knitwear factories and 1,300 spinning, finishing and dyeing factories. At present, the sector employs 3.5 million workers, 80 percent of whom are women.The country's 60 percent RMG products enter the EU, 23 percent goes to the USA, 4.8 percent to Canada and 12.1 percent to other destinations worldwide. Bangladeshi Knitwear is exported to 93 countries of the world where EU and the USA are the major importers.

According to data of Export Promotion Bureau, the RMG sector's contribution to the country's export was 3.9 percent in fiscal 1983-84, which now stands at nearly 80 percent. The core strength of the knitwear sector is its backward linkage. The entrepreneurs of the sector not only increased their stitching capacity overtime but also invested in the allied industry to augment the overall capacity of the total sector with the same pace. Over the period of time knitwear sector gradually became almost self sufficient in fabric and yarn. This improvement has become possible because of the integrated growth of spinning factories in line of the growth of country's stitching capacity and increased need of the yarn and fabric. As the export increased in the knitwear sector, the capacity of backward linkage also increased accordingly.The result is local suppliers can provide now 95% of the total fabric requirement of the sector (source: BTMEA).

The growth of spinning mills also stepped with the growth of knitwear exports. In 2010-11 total number of Yarn Manufacturing Member Mills was 383, whereas Fabric Manufacturer Member Mills was 743.As of now the total investment in the backward linkage in knitting, dyeing and spinning industry is more than US$ 5.03 billion or € 4.00 billion.Knitwear is the highest contributor in terms of both gross and net export earnings. In 2010-11, the contribution of knitwear in national export earnings is 41.36%. This has resulted because of the backward linkage industry that has grown over time which helped the knitwear sector to have the higher value addition and therefore a much higher net retention rate. In addition to, relaxation of Rules of Origin (RoO) has accelerated the export growth.There are more than 261 composite knitwear factories in Bangladesh, currently listed with Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA) who are supplying 95% of the knit fabric requirements of the sector.Local spinners supply yarn to fulfill around 75% of the total requirement of yarn for this industry.


The Bangladesh Knitwear industry is highly competitive where most of the knit composites have similar manufacturing capabilities. However, there are about 50 to 60 factories which are fully compliant and offer slight product differentiation and offer large capacity to the high volume buyers who source high quality goods at competitive prices within this region.

Over the decades the growth of knitwear sector has been incessant rising over 20% at CAGR base and continuously grabbing more portions in the export pie of Bangladesh. This recent robust growth is partly achieved owing to preferential support from the European Commission’s GSP & Relaxation of Rules of Origin (ROO) and the Duty Free Quota Free (DFQF) access granted by Canada, Australia, Japan and members of European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA). Along this growth momentum favorable policies from the government of Bangladesh in the form of export subsidies i.e. cash incentives also contributed greatly for making it the most attractive sourcing hub.

Statistical Data of Textile & Garment Industry of Bangladesh:

According to the statistics of BGMEA, BKMEA and Bangladesh Hand Loom Board, Bangladesh has the below established factory.



Industry Type    Total Established Industry

Spinning Mills    400

Weaving Mills    1500

Knit Composite    1700

Garment Industry    5600

Hand Loom Unit    0.183 Million


According to BGMEA, BKMEA and Export Promotion Bureau Bangladesh has exported the below in the previous 12 years.




Traditionally, the exports basket of Bangladesh has been leaning towards EU and the USA. So far the EU is the largest destination for Bangladesh knitwear, worth of value $7.3 billion with share of 69.74% exported in the year 2012-13 followed by the USA with $1.13 billion and a share of 10.79%. The one-stage transformation requirement of ROO in 2011 boosted signs for market penetration in the EU further; hence a growth of 46.63% in the FY 2010-11 over 2009-10 was remarkably noticeable.

Bangladesh RMG sector mainly comprises of Knit and woven garments competing vigorously to surpass each other for taking up the leadership yoke within the economy. It was in FY 2003-04 the knit garments for the first time exceeded woven wear and became the leader in terms of quantity exports with 91.6 million dozens as against 90.48 million dozens of woven garments. And from FY 2007-08, knitwear continues to widen the gap with woven both in terms of value and quantity. To the end the RMG sector, engine of our economic growth, has largely compensated with evolutionary mechanism in the overall designing of factory management - successfully leaving aside all the bottlenecks and making the economy a resilient one despite of natural disasters, poor infrastructure, weak governance and political turbulence.

Historical Background of Garment Industry in Bangladesh | Current Data On Export of Garments(Woven and Knit)

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Brief History:
Bangladesh is a developing country where textile and garment industries provide the single source of economic growth in its rapidly developing economy.

Textiles, Clothing and RMG cover about 77% of total exports. About 4 million people, most of them are women, work to this sector, earned 21.51 billion USD in the Fiscal Year 2012-13 (Source-Export promotion bureau).


Bangladesh started its first export oriented garment industry in 1977 as Desh Garments Ltd. Which was a joint venture with Daewoo (south Korea). Meanwhile many Bangladeshi’s took training for RMG business from Korea, then established new factories with local investors. Bangladesh was made its first shipment of woven garment in 1977. (Wikipedia, BKMEA Website)

Sixty percent of the export contracts of western brands are with European buyers and about forty percent with the American buyers. WTO declared Bangladesh as the 2nd Largest garment exporters after china in FY 2011-12, whereas it is becoming 2nd largest Denim exporters across the world but it is only 4.8% of the global RMG trade of $412 billion (Source-Wikipedia, seagroupbd & denimandjeans).

Contribution of Woven and knit  garment is almost similar, respectively 41% and 39% of total export, where 80 percent knit garment goes to Europe market and here retention is almost 60%. (BKMEA Website)

1950 was the beginning of RMG in the Western world. In order to control the level of imported RMG products from developing countries into developed countries, the Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) was made in 1974. The MFA agreement imposed an export rate 6 percent increase every year from a developing country to a developed country. In the early 1980s Bangladesh started receiving investment in the RMG sector. Some Bangladeshis received free training from the Korean Company Daewoo. After these workers came back to Bangladesh, many of them broke ties with the factory they were working for and started their own factories.


Bangladesh Textile and Garment Industry Highlights:

Bangladesh enters 2013 with a firm footing as the world's second largest garment exporter, raising hopes for a new wave of business despite turbulent times in parts of the globe.

The World Trade Organization (WTO)  declared Bangladesh as the second largest RMG exporter after China in 2010-11 when the country's export grew 43.36 percent year on year to $15.66 billion in spite of global recession in 2007-2008.

Bangladesh retained its position in the following fiscal 2011-12 by exporting garments worth $19.09 billion. And the outlook for the current fiscal is set to exceed $20 billion.Bangladesh now claims 4.8 percent of the global RMG trade of $412 billion.

According to McKinsey & Company, an international management-consulting firm, Bangladesh's apparel exports will reach $36 billion by 2020.But all these prospects appear to have been shaken by one fire tragedy in late November at Tazreen Fashions Ltd, where 112 workers were killed. This single incident exposed inadequate fire safety and poor working conditions that still exist in many factories.

On April 24 1137 textile workers factories making clothes for Western brands, were killed when a garment factory collapsed. The Savar building collapse was in the Rana Plaza complex, in Savar, an industrial corner 20 miles northwest of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.The incident was widely covered worldwide mainly because of Bangladesh's position as the number two apparel exporter. The buyers are now pressing factory owners to improve working conditions, hike wages of workers, and ensure labour rights and other compliance issues.The strength of the country's apparel sector is well understood through its ability to supply high-end items to famous global brands such as Hugo Boss, Adidas, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, G-Star, Diesel, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Nike, Benetton and Mango. Currently, more than 30 percent of the total RMG export is high-end products.The primary textile sector also saw a wave of investments for increasing demands for fabrics. The sector with a total investment of over 4.5 billion pounds is now capable of supplying 90 percent of fabrics for the knitwear sub-sector and 40 percent of fabrics for the woven sub-sector.

The country has more than 5,500 woven garment factories, 1,700 knitwear factories and 1,300 spinning, finishing and dyeing factories. At present, the sector employs 3.5 million workers, 80 percent of whom are women.The country's 60 percent RMG products enter the EU, 23 percent goes to the USA, 4.8 percent to Canada and 12.1 percent to other destinations worldwide. Bangladeshi Knitwear is exported to 93 countries of the world where EU and the USA are the major importers.

According to data of Export Promotion Bureau, the RMG sector's contribution to the country's export was 3.9 percent in fiscal 1983-84, which now stands at nearly 80 percent. The core strength of the knitwear sector is its backward linkage. The entrepreneurs of the sector not only increased their stitching capacity overtime but also invested in the allied industry to augment the overall capacity of the total sector with the same pace. Over the period of time knitwear sector gradually became almost self sufficient in fabric and yarn. This improvement has become possible because of the integrated growth of spinning factories in line of the growth of country's stitching capacity and increased need of the yarn and fabric. As the export increased in the knitwear sector, the capacity of backward linkage also increased accordingly.The result is local suppliers can provide now 95% of the total fabric requirement of the sector (source: BTMEA).

The growth of spinning mills also stepped with the growth of knitwear exports. In 2010-11 total number of Yarn Manufacturing Member Mills was 383, whereas Fabric Manufacturer Member Mills was 743.As of now the total investment in the backward linkage in knitting, dyeing and spinning industry is more than US$ 5.03 billion or € 4.00 billion.Knitwear is the highest contributor in terms of both gross and net export earnings. In 2010-11, the contribution of knitwear in national export earnings is 41.36%. This has resulted because of the backward linkage industry that has grown over time which helped the knitwear sector to have the higher value addition and therefore a much higher net retention rate. In addition to, relaxation of Rules of Origin (RoO) has accelerated the export growth.There are more than 261 composite knitwear factories in Bangladesh, currently listed with Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA) who are supplying 95% of the knit fabric requirements of the sector.Local spinners supply yarn to fulfill around 75% of the total requirement of yarn for this industry.


The Bangladesh Knitwear industry is highly competitive where most of the knit composites have similar manufacturing capabilities. However, there are about 50 to 60 factories which are fully compliant and offer slight product differentiation and offer large capacity to the high volume buyers who source high quality goods at competitive prices within this region.

Over the decades the growth of knitwear sector has been incessant rising over 20% at CAGR base and continuously grabbing more portions in the export pie of Bangladesh. This recent robust growth is partly achieved owing to preferential support from the European Commission’s GSP & Relaxation of Rules of Origin (ROO) and the Duty Free Quota Free (DFQF) access granted by Canada, Australia, Japan and members of European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA). Along this growth momentum favorable policies from the government of Bangladesh in the form of export subsidies i.e. cash incentives also contributed greatly for making it the most attractive sourcing hub.

Statistical Data of Textile & Garment Industry of Bangladesh:

According to the statistics of BGMEA, BKMEA and Bangladesh Hand Loom Board, Bangladesh has the below established factory.



Industry Type    Total Established Industry

Spinning Mills    400

Weaving Mills    1500

Knit Composite    1700

Garment Industry    5600

Hand Loom Unit    0.183 Million


According to BGMEA, BKMEA and Export Promotion Bureau Bangladesh has exported the below in the previous 12 years.




Traditionally, the exports basket of Bangladesh has been leaning towards EU and the USA. So far the EU is the largest destination for Bangladesh knitwear, worth of value $7.3 billion with share of 69.74% exported in the year 2012-13 followed by the USA with $1.13 billion and a share of 10.79%. The one-stage transformation requirement of ROO in 2011 boosted signs for market penetration in the EU further; hence a growth of 46.63% in the FY 2010-11 over 2009-10 was remarkably noticeable.

Bangladesh RMG sector mainly comprises of Knit and woven garments competing vigorously to surpass each other for taking up the leadership yoke within the economy. It was in FY 2003-04 the knit garments for the first time exceeded woven wear and became the leader in terms of quantity exports with 91.6 million dozens as against 90.48 million dozens of woven garments. And from FY 2007-08, knitwear continues to widen the gap with woven both in terms of value and quantity. To the end the RMG sector, engine of our economic growth, has largely compensated with evolutionary mechanism in the overall designing of factory management - successfully leaving aside all the bottlenecks and making the economy a resilient one despite of natural disasters, poor infrastructure, weak governance and political turbulence.

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Transportation or automobile industry is the largest user of technical textiles with about 20 kg in each of the 45 million or so cars made every year world-wide.Textiles provide a means of decoration and a warm soft touch to surfaces that are necessary features for human well being and comfort, but textiles are also essential components of the more functional parts of all road vehicles, trains, aircraft and sea vessels. Textiles in transportation are classed as technical because of the very high performance specifications and special properties required. Seat coverings, for example, are not easily removable for cleaning and indeed in automobiles they are fixed in place and must last the lifetime of the car without ever being put in a washing machine. In trains, aircraft and passenger vessels they are exposed to much more rigorous use than domestic furniture. In addition they have to withstand much higher exposure to daylight and damaging ultraviolet radiation (UV) and because they are for public use they must satisfy stringent safety requirements such as flame retardant.

Application of Textiles in a Car or Vehicle
  • Car seat fabrics
  • Tyres
  • Seat belts
  • Door panel
  • Headliner
  • Sunvisor
  • Parecel Self
  • ABC Pillars
  • Bootliners
  • Air filter
  • Airbags
  • Heater hoses
  • Battery separators
  • Brake and clutch linings
  • Gaskets
  • Part of the suspension
  • Gears
  • Dash board
  • Carpet
  • Head board lining
  • Part of the car body
  • Crash Helmets

The most familiar technical textile in transportation is car seat fabric which is amongst the largest in volume and is growing annually in the developing world of the Pacific rim, Eastern Europe and South America Car seat fabric requires considerable technical input to produce both the aesthetic and also the very demanding durability requirements.The processes developed for car seat fabric and the technical specifications provide some indication of the requirements for seat materials in other transport applications.

Tyre:

Prime Fibers Used in Tire Making
Nylon 6,6
Nylon 6
Polyester
Rayon

 


Airbag
An airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint system consisting of a flexible fabric envelope or cushion designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision. Its purpose is to cushion occupants during a crash and provide protection to their bodies when they strike interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window.

Air bags have been used in automobiles since the 1980s.The trend gathered momentum in the early and mid 1990s, during which major car manufacturers repeatedly boasted putting airbags in their new models for the driver. Beginning in 1998, driver-and passenger-side air bags have been required by law for all new cars in the United States.

When a car comes to a sudden stop, such as crash, the momentum of passengers depends on the speed of the car and the mass of the passenger. Because of the short time involved, the force required to stop the passengers can be very large. The goal of any supplemental restraint system is to help stop the passenger while doing as little damage to him or her as possible.

Typical Collision Force
Example:
A car travelling at 30 mph (48.6 km/h=13.5m/s) collided with another car travelling at the same speed from the opposite direction. Both cars stopped in 0.25 sec. Suppose the car weighs 2000kg.

Then the deceleration of the car is
(0-27.0)/0.25 = -108 m/s2
 
and the colliding force is
2000x108 = 216,000 N
 
If the passenger weighs 75kg, the inertia force on him/her is
75x108/2 =4,050 N

What happens to the air bag at a collision
The air bag system ignitesa solid propellant, which burns extremely rapidly to create a large volume of gas to inflate the bag. The bag then literally burstsfrom its storage site at up to 200 mph (322 kph).The gas quickly dissipates through tiny holes in the bag a second later, thus deflatingthe airbag.

The Airbag Mechanism
The bag itself is made of a thin, nylon fabric, which is folded into the steering wheel or dashboard or, more recently, the seat or door. The sensor is the device that tells the bag to inflate. Inflation happens when there is a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16 to 24 km per hour). A mechanical switch is flipped when there is a mass shift that closes an electrical contact, telling the sensors that a crash has occurred. The sensors receive information from an accelerometerbuilt into a microchip. The air bag's inflation systemreacts sodium azide (NaN3) with potassium nitrate (KNO3) to produce nitrogen gas. Hot blasts of the nitrogeninflate the airbag.

Generation of Nitrogen Gas
The main chemical component in the airbag is sodium azide (NaN3) together with KNO3and SiO2. In the gas generator a mixture of NaN3, KNO3, and SiO2is ignited through an electrical impulse and causes a relatively slow kind of detonation, called a "deflagration", that liberates a pre-calculated volume of nitrogen gas, which fills the air bag.

2 NaN3---> 2Na + 3N2
 
The sodium by-product of reaction 1, and the potassium nitrate generate additional nitrogen for the airbag in a second reaction
10 Na + 2 KNO3---> K20 + 5 Na2O + N2
 
These two reactions leave potassium oxide and sodium oxide to react with the third compound of the mixture, silicon dioxide, forming alkaline silicate ("glass"), which is a safe and stable, non-ignitable compound.
K2O + Na2O + SiO2---> alkaline silicate (glass)

Seat Belt 
Seat belts are multiple layer woven narrow fabrics in twill or satin construction from high tenacity polyester yarns, typically 320 ends of 1100dtex or 260 ends of 1670 dtex yarn. These constructions allow maximum yarn packing within a given area for maximum strength and the trend is to use coarser yarns for better abrasion resistance. For comfort they need to be softer and more flexible along the length, but rigidity is required across the width to enable them to slide easily between
buckles and to retract smoothly into housings. Edges need to be scuff resistant but not unpleasantly hard and the fabric must be resistant to microorganisms. Nylon was used in some early seat belts but because of its better UV degradation resistance, polyester is now used almost exclusively worldwide.


The use of seat belts is to prevent the forward movement of the wearer in a controlled manner during sudden deceleration of the vehicle.
Cars:lap and chest
Planes:lap
Racing cars:lap and shoulders


Seat fabrics 
Textile fabrics and leather are the main materials used for seat covering in the automotive industry. Fabrics have the advantage of being inexpensive and diversity for patterning. Car seat fabric design has been one of the main influences on new car buyers

The two most important technical factors governing the selection of fibres for car seat cover are the resistance to light (UV radiation) and abrasion. 
 
Fibres used include:
Nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 –rapid sunlight degradation Acrylic –low abrasion resistanceWool –expensivePolyester–good on both accounts, and occupying 90% of the market

Fabric types
Flat woven (200-400 g/m2)
Flat woven velvet (360-450 g/m2)
Warp knit tricot (piled surface, 160-340 g/m2)
Raschel double needle bar knitted (pile surface, 280-370 g/m2)
Circular knits (piled surface, 160-230 g/m2)

Manufacturing Processes
Manufacturing processesProcessing routes for the production of woven and knitted fabrics can be summarised as follows:
  • Yarn, texturise, package dye, warp/beam, weave, scour, stenter/finish, laminate, cut/sew, fit to seat;
  • Yarn, texturise, warp/beam, warp knit, brush/crop, stenter preset, scour/dye, stenter, brush, stenter finish, laminate, cut/sew, fit to seat;
  • Yarn, texturise, package dye, cone, weft knit, shear, scour, stenter/finish, laminate, cut/sew, fit to seat;
  • Yarn, texturise, package dye, cone, 3D knit, heat stabilise, fit to seat.

Composition of Car Seat Fabric
A typical car seat cover is composed of three laminated layers. The face layer is either woven or knitted

The middle layer, made from polyurethane, provides the softness of the seat cover and makes the seat cover crease free

 The backing layer, a warp knitted fabric from nylon or polyester, acts as a “slide aid” between the seat cover and the seat structure

New seat technology
The traditional way of seat making, involving cutting and sewing panels into a cover that is then pulled over the squab (seat back) and cushion (seat bottom), is time consuming and cumbersome in the modern age. Efforts have been made to develop alternative quicker and more efficient methods. Three-dimensional knitting is an option but this has had only limited usage so far.

Future development in automotive textiles

Car production was expected to remain generally static up to 2005 in the developed world, but is likely to expand considerably in the developing nations. Globally there are excellent opportunities for the multinational OEMs and their suppliers, especially those with the imagination and will to innovate new products and design features that will make car journeys more comfortable, safe and pleasant. The following paragraphs discuss the possibilities that are believed to exist. The largest growth area in automotive textiles will be in air bags as they become standard equipment in more cars. Development is needed to improve their safe functioning, however, legislation may spur on such developments in a similar way to the USA. The latest system is an air bag that deploys outwards from the occupant’s seat belt. Possible new applications for textiles within the car include the dashboard, sunvisor and seat pockets and circular knitted fabrics may be especially suited to these outlets.


Reference:
Handbook of Technical textiles (A R Horrocks and S C Anand)
Textiles in Automotive Engineering (Fung and Hardcastle)
Class Lecture Technical Textiles

Textiles in Automotive Engineering | Application of Textiles in Transportation

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Transportation or automobile industry is the largest user of technical textiles with about 20 kg in each of the 45 million or so cars made every year world-wide.Textiles provide a means of decoration and a warm soft touch to surfaces that are necessary features for human well being and comfort, but textiles are also essential components of the more functional parts of all road vehicles, trains, aircraft and sea vessels. Textiles in transportation are classed as technical because of the very high performance specifications and special properties required. Seat coverings, for example, are not easily removable for cleaning and indeed in automobiles they are fixed in place and must last the lifetime of the car without ever being put in a washing machine. In trains, aircraft and passenger vessels they are exposed to much more rigorous use than domestic furniture. In addition they have to withstand much higher exposure to daylight and damaging ultraviolet radiation (UV) and because they are for public use they must satisfy stringent safety requirements such as flame retardant.

Application of Textiles in a Car or Vehicle
  • Car seat fabrics
  • Tyres
  • Seat belts
  • Door panel
  • Headliner
  • Sunvisor
  • Parecel Self
  • ABC Pillars
  • Bootliners
  • Air filter
  • Airbags
  • Heater hoses
  • Battery separators
  • Brake and clutch linings
  • Gaskets
  • Part of the suspension
  • Gears
  • Dash board
  • Carpet
  • Head board lining
  • Part of the car body
  • Crash Helmets

The most familiar technical textile in transportation is car seat fabric which is amongst the largest in volume and is growing annually in the developing world of the Pacific rim, Eastern Europe and South America Car seat fabric requires considerable technical input to produce both the aesthetic and also the very demanding durability requirements.The processes developed for car seat fabric and the technical specifications provide some indication of the requirements for seat materials in other transport applications.

Tyre:

Prime Fibers Used in Tire Making
Nylon 6,6
Nylon 6
Polyester
Rayon

 


Airbag
An airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint system consisting of a flexible fabric envelope or cushion designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision. Its purpose is to cushion occupants during a crash and provide protection to their bodies when they strike interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window.

Air bags have been used in automobiles since the 1980s.The trend gathered momentum in the early and mid 1990s, during which major car manufacturers repeatedly boasted putting airbags in their new models for the driver. Beginning in 1998, driver-and passenger-side air bags have been required by law for all new cars in the United States.

When a car comes to a sudden stop, such as crash, the momentum of passengers depends on the speed of the car and the mass of the passenger. Because of the short time involved, the force required to stop the passengers can be very large. The goal of any supplemental restraint system is to help stop the passenger while doing as little damage to him or her as possible.

Typical Collision Force
Example:
A car travelling at 30 mph (48.6 km/h=13.5m/s) collided with another car travelling at the same speed from the opposite direction. Both cars stopped in 0.25 sec. Suppose the car weighs 2000kg.

Then the deceleration of the car is
(0-27.0)/0.25 = -108 m/s2
 
and the colliding force is
2000x108 = 216,000 N
 
If the passenger weighs 75kg, the inertia force on him/her is
75x108/2 =4,050 N

What happens to the air bag at a collision
The air bag system ignitesa solid propellant, which burns extremely rapidly to create a large volume of gas to inflate the bag. The bag then literally burstsfrom its storage site at up to 200 mph (322 kph).The gas quickly dissipates through tiny holes in the bag a second later, thus deflatingthe airbag.

The Airbag Mechanism
The bag itself is made of a thin, nylon fabric, which is folded into the steering wheel or dashboard or, more recently, the seat or door. The sensor is the device that tells the bag to inflate. Inflation happens when there is a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16 to 24 km per hour). A mechanical switch is flipped when there is a mass shift that closes an electrical contact, telling the sensors that a crash has occurred. The sensors receive information from an accelerometerbuilt into a microchip. The air bag's inflation systemreacts sodium azide (NaN3) with potassium nitrate (KNO3) to produce nitrogen gas. Hot blasts of the nitrogeninflate the airbag.

Generation of Nitrogen Gas
The main chemical component in the airbag is sodium azide (NaN3) together with KNO3and SiO2. In the gas generator a mixture of NaN3, KNO3, and SiO2is ignited through an electrical impulse and causes a relatively slow kind of detonation, called a "deflagration", that liberates a pre-calculated volume of nitrogen gas, which fills the air bag.

2 NaN3---> 2Na + 3N2
 
The sodium by-product of reaction 1, and the potassium nitrate generate additional nitrogen for the airbag in a second reaction
10 Na + 2 KNO3---> K20 + 5 Na2O + N2
 
These two reactions leave potassium oxide and sodium oxide to react with the third compound of the mixture, silicon dioxide, forming alkaline silicate ("glass"), which is a safe and stable, non-ignitable compound.
K2O + Na2O + SiO2---> alkaline silicate (glass)

Seat Belt 
Seat belts are multiple layer woven narrow fabrics in twill or satin construction from high tenacity polyester yarns, typically 320 ends of 1100dtex or 260 ends of 1670 dtex yarn. These constructions allow maximum yarn packing within a given area for maximum strength and the trend is to use coarser yarns for better abrasion resistance. For comfort they need to be softer and more flexible along the length, but rigidity is required across the width to enable them to slide easily between
buckles and to retract smoothly into housings. Edges need to be scuff resistant but not unpleasantly hard and the fabric must be resistant to microorganisms. Nylon was used in some early seat belts but because of its better UV degradation resistance, polyester is now used almost exclusively worldwide.


The use of seat belts is to prevent the forward movement of the wearer in a controlled manner during sudden deceleration of the vehicle.
Cars:lap and chest
Planes:lap
Racing cars:lap and shoulders


Seat fabrics 
Textile fabrics and leather are the main materials used for seat covering in the automotive industry. Fabrics have the advantage of being inexpensive and diversity for patterning. Car seat fabric design has been one of the main influences on new car buyers

The two most important technical factors governing the selection of fibres for car seat cover are the resistance to light (UV radiation) and abrasion. 
 
Fibres used include:
Nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 –rapid sunlight degradation Acrylic –low abrasion resistanceWool –expensivePolyester–good on both accounts, and occupying 90% of the market

Fabric types
Flat woven (200-400 g/m2)
Flat woven velvet (360-450 g/m2)
Warp knit tricot (piled surface, 160-340 g/m2)
Raschel double needle bar knitted (pile surface, 280-370 g/m2)
Circular knits (piled surface, 160-230 g/m2)

Manufacturing Processes
Manufacturing processesProcessing routes for the production of woven and knitted fabrics can be summarised as follows:
  • Yarn, texturise, package dye, warp/beam, weave, scour, stenter/finish, laminate, cut/sew, fit to seat;
  • Yarn, texturise, warp/beam, warp knit, brush/crop, stenter preset, scour/dye, stenter, brush, stenter finish, laminate, cut/sew, fit to seat;
  • Yarn, texturise, package dye, cone, weft knit, shear, scour, stenter/finish, laminate, cut/sew, fit to seat;
  • Yarn, texturise, package dye, cone, 3D knit, heat stabilise, fit to seat.

Composition of Car Seat Fabric
A typical car seat cover is composed of three laminated layers. The face layer is either woven or knitted

The middle layer, made from polyurethane, provides the softness of the seat cover and makes the seat cover crease free

 The backing layer, a warp knitted fabric from nylon or polyester, acts as a “slide aid” between the seat cover and the seat structure

New seat technology
The traditional way of seat making, involving cutting and sewing panels into a cover that is then pulled over the squab (seat back) and cushion (seat bottom), is time consuming and cumbersome in the modern age. Efforts have been made to develop alternative quicker and more efficient methods. Three-dimensional knitting is an option but this has had only limited usage so far.

Future development in automotive textiles

Car production was expected to remain generally static up to 2005 in the developed world, but is likely to expand considerably in the developing nations. Globally there are excellent opportunities for the multinational OEMs and their suppliers, especially those with the imagination and will to innovate new products and design features that will make car journeys more comfortable, safe and pleasant. The following paragraphs discuss the possibilities that are believed to exist. The largest growth area in automotive textiles will be in air bags as they become standard equipment in more cars. Development is needed to improve their safe functioning, however, legislation may spur on such developments in a similar way to the USA. The latest system is an air bag that deploys outwards from the occupant’s seat belt. Possible new applications for textiles within the car include the dashboard, sunvisor and seat pockets and circular knitted fabrics may be especially suited to these outlets.


Reference:
Handbook of Technical textiles (A R Horrocks and S C Anand)
Textiles in Automotive Engineering (Fung and Hardcastle)
Class Lecture Technical Textiles
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Medical Textile a general term which describes a textile structure which has been designed and produced for use in any of a variety of medical applications, including implantable applications.

An important and growing part of the textile industry is medical, hygiene and health sector. The extent of growth is due to the development and improvement of knowledge in both textile as well as medical sector.

The engineering approach to develop textile products that will be suitable for medical and surgical application should possess a combination of the following properties

e.g. strength, flexibility, and sometimes moisture and air permeability.

Materials include natural fibre, mono-filament as well as multifilament yarns. 

 
The number of application is huge and diverse, ranging from a single thread suture to the complex composite structures for bone replacement, and from the simple cleaning wipe to advanced barrier fabrics used in operation rooms. Thus the textiles used in medical and surgical purposes can be classified as follows;

1.    Nonplantable materials-Wound dressing, bandages, plasters etc.
2.    Extracorporeal devices- artificial kidney, liver, and lung
3.    Implantable materials-suture, vascular grafts, artificial ligaments, artificial joints, etc.
4.    Healthcare/hygine products-bedding, clothing, surgical gowns, cloths, wipes etc.

The majority of the healthcare products are disposable while some are reused. The medical product based on textiles is around $ 76 billion in the year 2000.


Fibres used:

Fibres used in medical application may be classified as follows;

1. According to source of origin:


i.    Natural- Cotton and silk most widely used
ii.    Synthetic- Viscose, polyester, polyamide, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polypropylene, carbon, glass, and so on.


2. According to biological resistance:
  
Biodegradable- Fibres which are absorbed by the body within 2-3 months time after implantation and include Cotton, Viscose rayon, polyamide, polyurathene, collagen, and alginate, polycaprolactone, polypropiolactone.
 Non biodegradable-Fibres that are absorbed by the body slowly and take more than six months time to degrade are considered as non biodegradable. Non-biodegradable fibres and include polyester (e.g. Dacron), polypropylene, PTFE and carbon.

Fibre used in medical textiles must full fill the following criterion
  •  the fibres must be nontoxic
  • must be non-allergenic
  • must be non-carcinogenic
  • must be able to be sterilised without impairing any change in their physical or chemical characteristics.
  • where necessary biodegradable
  • where necessary non biodegradable

Traditionally cotton, silk and viscose have long been used for medical and surgical purposes. One such area of application is wound care, where moisture and liquid exude from the wound is absorbed by the fibrous structure to promote healing in relatively dry conditions.

However upon healing small fibrous elements protruding from the wound dressing are usually trapped in the pores of the newly formed tissues which make their removal distressing to the patients.

Research show that wound under moist condition would in fact heal better and faster, which would also remove the problem of fibres being trapped in the healing wound.

The concept of moist healing has since been responsible for the development of many fibres which have vastly improved wound management techniques and patient care.
A variety of polymers such as collagen, alginate, chitin, chitosan have been used to be essential materials for modern wound dressings.

Collagen which has been obtained from bovine skin is used to produce biodegradable fibres used as suture which is as strong as silk.

The fibre can also be converted to transparent gel like film structure used as contact lens which has very good oxygen permeability.

Alginate (obtained from sea weeds) and chitin (obtained from shrimp shells) are widely used for treatment of wound healing.  Chitin nonwoven fabric is used as artificial skin.


A. Nonplantable materials:
These materials are used for external application on the body and may or may not make contact with skin.

The following table illustrates a range of materials used as non-implantable madical textiles.

(i) Wound care products– The purpose of these products are to provide protection against infection, absorb blood and exudates, promote healing and in some instances apply medication into the wound.

Common wound dressings are composite materials consisting of an absorbent layer held between a wound contact layer and a flexible base material.

The absorbent pad absorbs blood or liquids and provides cushioning effect to protect the wound.

The wound contact layer should prevent adherence of the dressing to the wound and be easily removed without disturbing new tissue growth. The base materials are normally coated with acrylic adhesive to provide the means by which the dressing is applied to the wound.

The use of collagen, alginate, and chitin fibres contribute significantly to the healing process.



When alginate fiber is used as wound contact layer the interaction between the alginate and the exuding wound creates a sodium alginate gel which is hydrophilic and permeable to oxygen and impermeable to the bacteria and contribute to the formation pf new tissue.

(ii) Gauze: It is an open weave absorbent fabric, when coated with paraffin wax is used for the treatment of burns and scalds. In surgical application gauze serves as an absorbent material.

(iii) Lint:  It is a plain weave cotton fabric that is used as protective dressing for first aid and mild burn application.
(iv) Wadding:  It is a highly absorbent material that is covered with a nonwoven fabric to prevent wound adhesion or fibre loss.

(v) Bandages: Bandages are designed to perform a whole variety of specific functions depending upon the final medical requirements.

They can be 
         -woven,
         -knitted,
         -or nonwoven and are
         -either elastic or nonelastic.

the most common application of bandages is to hold the dressing in place over wound.

These are light weight knitted or woven fabrics made of cotton or viscose –scoured, bleached and sterilized.

Elasticized yarns are incorporated to the structure to impart support and conforming characteristics. 

Knitted bandages are produced either in weft knitting machine to produce tubular fabric of varying diameter or in warp knitting machine.

Woven light support fabrics are used in the management of sprains or strains and the elasticated properties are obtained by weaving crepe yarns having a very high twist.

Similar properties can also be obtained by weaving fabric from two warp beam one in low tension and the other in high tension.

Compression bandages are used for the treatment and prevention of deep vein thrombosis, leg ulceration, and varicose veins and are designed to exert a required amount of compression on leg when applied at a constant tension.

Compression bandages are classified by the amount of compression they can exert at the ankle and include extra –high, high, moderate and light compression can be either woven and contain cotton and elastomeric yarns or warp and weft knitted in both tubular or fully fashioned forms.

Orthopedic cushion bandages are used under plaster casts and compression bandages to provide padding and prevent discomfort.

Non-woven orthopedic cushion bandages are produced from polyurethane foam, polyester, or polypropylene fibres and contain blends of natural or synthetic fibres.

Non woven bandages are lightly needle punched to maintain bulk and loft. 
      

B. Extra-corporeal devices:


These are mechanical organs that are used for blood purification and include the artificial kidney (dialyser), the artificial liver, mechanical lung. The function and performances of these devices benefit from fibre and textile.

The function of artificial kidney is achieved by circulating the blood through a membrane, which may be either a flat sheet or a bundle of hollow regenerated cellulose fibres in the form of cellophane that retain the unwanted waste materials.

Multilayred filters composed of numerous layers of needle punched fabrics with varying densities may also be used and are designed to remove the waste materials rapidly and efficiently.

The artificial liver utilizes hollow fibres or membranes similar to those used in artificial kidney to perform high permeability to gases but low permeability to liquids and function in the same manner as in the natural lung allowing oxygen to come into contact with the patient’s blood.



C. Implantable materials:
These materials are used in effecting repair to the body whether it be wound closure (Sutures) or replacement surgery (Vascular grafts, artificial ligaments etc.). Table 15.3 show the list of implantable materials.

Bio-compatibility is of prime importance if the textile materials are to be accepted by the body and four key factors will determine how the body reacts to the implant, these are as follows

1.    The most important factor is porosity which determines the rate at which human tissue will grow and encapsulate the implant.
2.    Small circular fibres are better encapsulated with human tissue than larger fibres with irregular cross section.
3.    Toxic substances must not be released by the fibre polymer, and the fibres should be free from surface contaminations such as lubricants and sizing agents.
4.    The properties of the polymer will influence the success of the implantation in terms of its biodegradability.

Polyamide is the most reactive material losing its overall strength after only two years as a result of biodegradation. PTFE is the least reactive with polypropylene and polyester is in between



SUTURES:

Sutures are used for closure of wounds. They are either monofilament or multifilament. Nonbiodegradable sutures are used for closure of external wounds and after healing of the wounds, they are removed. Biodegradable sutures are used for closure of internal wounds; these sutures are gradually absorbed by the body.

SOFT TISSUE IMPLANTS:

Textile materials are used for constructive and corrective surgery of tendons ligaments and cartilage.

Artificial tendons are woven or braided porous meshes or tapes surrounded by a silicone sheath. During implantation the natural tendon can be looped through artificial tendon and then sutured to itself in order to connect the muscle to the bone.

Textile materials used for artificial knee ligaments should not only possess biocompatibility properties but must also have the physical characteristics needed for such a demanding application.

Artificial ligaments are braided composite materials containing carbon and polyester filaments.

There are two types of cartilages found in the human body e.g-(i) Hayline cartilages- these are dense and hard and used where rigidity is needed. (ii) Elastic cartilage- are soft

Low density polyethylene is used to replace facial, nose, ear and throat cartilage.

Carbon fibre reinforced composites structures are used for hay-line cartilage. 



Orthopedics implants:
Orthopedic implants are those materials that are used for hard tissue applications to replace bones and joints. Fiber-reinforced composite materials may be designed with the required high structural strength and bio-compatibility properties needed for these applications and are now replacing metal implants for artificial joints and bones.

To promote tissue in-growths around the implant a non-woven
mat made from graphite and PTFE (e.g. Teflon) is used, which acts as an interface between the implant and the adjacent hard and soft tissue. Composite structures composed of poly (d, l-lactide urethane) and reinforced with polyglycolic acid have excellent physical properties.

The composite can be formed into shape during surgery at a temperature of 60 °C and is used for both hard and soft tissue applications. Braided surgical cables composed of steel filaments ranging from 13–130mm are used to stabilize fractured bones or to secure orthopedic implants to the skeleton.

Cardiovascular implants:
Vascular grafts are used in surgery to replace damaged thick arteries or veins 6mm, 8mm, or 1 cm in diameter. Commercially available vascular grafts are produced from polyester (e.g. Dacron) or PTFE (e.g. Teflon) with either woven or knitted structures.

Straight or branched grafts are possible by using either weft or warp knitting technology. Polyester vascular grafts can be heat set into a crimped configuration that improves the handling characteristics.

During implantation the surgeon can bend and adjust the length of the graft, which, owing to the crimp, allows the graft to retain its circular cross-section.

Knitted vascular grafts have a porous structure which allows the graft to become encapsulated with new tissue but the porosity can be disadvantageous since blood leakage (hemorrhage) can occur through the interstices directly after implantation.

This effect can be reduced by using woven grafts but the lower porosity of these grafts hinders tissue ingrowths; in addition, woven grafts are also generally stiffer than the knitted equivalents.

In an attempt to reduce the risk of hemorrhage, knitted grafts have been developed with internal and external velour surfaces in order to fill the interstices of the graft. Another method is to seal or preclot the graft with the patient’s blood during implantation.

This is a time-consuming process and its effectiveness is dependent upon the patient’s blood chemistry and the skill of the surgeon.

Presealed grafts have zero porosity when implanted but become porous allowing tissue ingrowths to occur. The graft is impregnated with either collagen or gelatin that, after a period of 14 days, degrades to allow tissue encapsulation. Artificial blood vessels with an inner diameter of 1.5 mm have been developed using porous PTFE tubes. The tube consists of an inner layer of collagen and heparin to prevent blood clot formation and an outer biocompatible layer of collagen with the tube itself providing strength.

Artificial heart valves, which are caged ball valves with metal struts, are
covered with polyester (e.g. Dacron) fabrics in order to provide a means of suturing the valve to the surrounding tissue.



D. Healthcare/hygiene products:
Healthcare and hygiene products are an important sector in the field of medicine
and surgery. The range of products available is vast but typically they are used either in the operating theatre or on the hospital ward for the hygiene, care, and safety of staff and patients. Table 15.4 illustrates the range of products used in this category and includes the fibre materials used and the method of manufacture.



Alginate Wound Dressings
Alginates  are naturally occurring substances formed only in brown sea weed. Among the many species of brown sea weed the most widely used are the species of

1. Laminaria (British isles,France,N.America & Japan).
2. Macocystics (USA)&
3. Asco phylum (British isles)

Alginate is a copolymer of a two epimer units.

(a)    α –L guluronic acid (G)
  • Mainly instems.
  • Binding Calcium ions more firmly.
  • Fibre swelling only slightly.
  • Forming a stronger gel

(b)  β-D Mannuronic acid (M)
  • Mainly in leaves.
  • Binding Calcium ions Less firmly.
  • Fibre swelling enormously.
  • Forming a softer gel.

Likely combinations are – GG,MM,MG at various lengths and proportions.

Making of alginate fibres:

Sodium alginate solutions.(water soluble)
Extruding solution into a calcium chloride bath (ion exchange)
Calcium alginate filament (water ionsoluble)
Washiong.
Drafting.
Drying.
Crimping.
Cutting.

Alginate properties: The wide spread use of alginate fibres in the production of

High tech wound dressing:
  • Sodium ion in wound exudates.
  • Calcium ion in calcium alginate fibre.
  • Fibre becoming partial sodium partial calcium.
  • Water soluble sodium alginate fibers show small effect on ion exdchange.
  • High M alginate fibres swells enormously at the result of the exchange.

Alginate Dressings:
  • To prevent strike.
  • To keep wound in a dry and clean condition.
  • Gauze used as the main wound dressing material.

General Requirements for the High tech wound dressings:
  • To remove excess exudates and toxic component.
  • To maintain a high humidity at wound dressing interface.
  • To allow gaseous exchange.
  • To provide thermal insulation.
  • To offer protection against secondary infection.
  • To be free from particulate or toxic contaminants.
  • To allow removal without trauma at dressing change.

Structure of alginate dressing:
  • Primarily non woven pads of different sizes.
  • Also considered for particular properties.
  • Woven.
  • Knitted
  • Braided structures.

Problem of the non woven alginate dressing:
  • High M alginate dressing lacking integrity when wetted.
  • Difficult to remove as one piece.
  • Warm saline solution used to wash away dressing.(This action may cause pain when damage new tissue or contaminant the wound)
  • High G alginate better but less absorbent.

Reinforced dressings: Woven structures:

When dressing is wetted the filaments forms a woven web within the gel therefore making dressing easy to remove.
For absorbency thicker yarns used suitably high densities is used to maximize absorbency.
Zs contact layer thinner yarns is used to remove layer of alginate gel.

Braided structures:
  • Useful for cavity wound.
  • Braidede tubes.
  • Braided tubes with alginate sliver as core

Knitted Structures:  Circular dressings.

Medical Textile | Use of Technical Textiles in Health and Hygiene Products

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Medical Textile a general term which describes a textile structure which has been designed and produced for use in any of a variety of medical applications, including implantable applications.

An important and growing part of the textile industry is medical, hygiene and health sector. The extent of growth is due to the development and improvement of knowledge in both textile as well as medical sector.

The engineering approach to develop textile products that will be suitable for medical and surgical application should possess a combination of the following properties

e.g. strength, flexibility, and sometimes moisture and air permeability.

Materials include natural fibre, mono-filament as well as multifilament yarns. 

 
The number of application is huge and diverse, ranging from a single thread suture to the complex composite structures for bone replacement, and from the simple cleaning wipe to advanced barrier fabrics used in operation rooms. Thus the textiles used in medical and surgical purposes can be classified as follows;

1.    Nonplantable materials-Wound dressing, bandages, plasters etc.
2.    Extracorporeal devices- artificial kidney, liver, and lung
3.    Implantable materials-suture, vascular grafts, artificial ligaments, artificial joints, etc.
4.    Healthcare/hygine products-bedding, clothing, surgical gowns, cloths, wipes etc.

The majority of the healthcare products are disposable while some are reused. The medical product based on textiles is around $ 76 billion in the year 2000.


Fibres used:

Fibres used in medical application may be classified as follows;

1. According to source of origin:


i.    Natural- Cotton and silk most widely used
ii.    Synthetic- Viscose, polyester, polyamide, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polypropylene, carbon, glass, and so on.


2. According to biological resistance:
  
Biodegradable- Fibres which are absorbed by the body within 2-3 months time after implantation and include Cotton, Viscose rayon, polyamide, polyurathene, collagen, and alginate, polycaprolactone, polypropiolactone.
 Non biodegradable-Fibres that are absorbed by the body slowly and take more than six months time to degrade are considered as non biodegradable. Non-biodegradable fibres and include polyester (e.g. Dacron), polypropylene, PTFE and carbon.

Fibre used in medical textiles must full fill the following criterion
  •  the fibres must be nontoxic
  • must be non-allergenic
  • must be non-carcinogenic
  • must be able to be sterilised without impairing any change in their physical or chemical characteristics.
  • where necessary biodegradable
  • where necessary non biodegradable

Traditionally cotton, silk and viscose have long been used for medical and surgical purposes. One such area of application is wound care, where moisture and liquid exude from the wound is absorbed by the fibrous structure to promote healing in relatively dry conditions.

However upon healing small fibrous elements protruding from the wound dressing are usually trapped in the pores of the newly formed tissues which make their removal distressing to the patients.

Research show that wound under moist condition would in fact heal better and faster, which would also remove the problem of fibres being trapped in the healing wound.

The concept of moist healing has since been responsible for the development of many fibres which have vastly improved wound management techniques and patient care.
A variety of polymers such as collagen, alginate, chitin, chitosan have been used to be essential materials for modern wound dressings.

Collagen which has been obtained from bovine skin is used to produce biodegradable fibres used as suture which is as strong as silk.

The fibre can also be converted to transparent gel like film structure used as contact lens which has very good oxygen permeability.

Alginate (obtained from sea weeds) and chitin (obtained from shrimp shells) are widely used for treatment of wound healing.  Chitin nonwoven fabric is used as artificial skin.


A. Nonplantable materials:
These materials are used for external application on the body and may or may not make contact with skin.

The following table illustrates a range of materials used as non-implantable madical textiles.

(i) Wound care products– The purpose of these products are to provide protection against infection, absorb blood and exudates, promote healing and in some instances apply medication into the wound.

Common wound dressings are composite materials consisting of an absorbent layer held between a wound contact layer and a flexible base material.

The absorbent pad absorbs blood or liquids and provides cushioning effect to protect the wound.

The wound contact layer should prevent adherence of the dressing to the wound and be easily removed without disturbing new tissue growth. The base materials are normally coated with acrylic adhesive to provide the means by which the dressing is applied to the wound.

The use of collagen, alginate, and chitin fibres contribute significantly to the healing process.



When alginate fiber is used as wound contact layer the interaction between the alginate and the exuding wound creates a sodium alginate gel which is hydrophilic and permeable to oxygen and impermeable to the bacteria and contribute to the formation pf new tissue.

(ii) Gauze: It is an open weave absorbent fabric, when coated with paraffin wax is used for the treatment of burns and scalds. In surgical application gauze serves as an absorbent material.

(iii) Lint:  It is a plain weave cotton fabric that is used as protective dressing for first aid and mild burn application.
(iv) Wadding:  It is a highly absorbent material that is covered with a nonwoven fabric to prevent wound adhesion or fibre loss.

(v) Bandages: Bandages are designed to perform a whole variety of specific functions depending upon the final medical requirements.

They can be 
         -woven,
         -knitted,
         -or nonwoven and are
         -either elastic or nonelastic.

the most common application of bandages is to hold the dressing in place over wound.

These are light weight knitted or woven fabrics made of cotton or viscose –scoured, bleached and sterilized.

Elasticized yarns are incorporated to the structure to impart support and conforming characteristics. 

Knitted bandages are produced either in weft knitting machine to produce tubular fabric of varying diameter or in warp knitting machine.

Woven light support fabrics are used in the management of sprains or strains and the elasticated properties are obtained by weaving crepe yarns having a very high twist.

Similar properties can also be obtained by weaving fabric from two warp beam one in low tension and the other in high tension.

Compression bandages are used for the treatment and prevention of deep vein thrombosis, leg ulceration, and varicose veins and are designed to exert a required amount of compression on leg when applied at a constant tension.

Compression bandages are classified by the amount of compression they can exert at the ankle and include extra –high, high, moderate and light compression can be either woven and contain cotton and elastomeric yarns or warp and weft knitted in both tubular or fully fashioned forms.

Orthopedic cushion bandages are used under plaster casts and compression bandages to provide padding and prevent discomfort.

Non-woven orthopedic cushion bandages are produced from polyurethane foam, polyester, or polypropylene fibres and contain blends of natural or synthetic fibres.

Non woven bandages are lightly needle punched to maintain bulk and loft. 
      

B. Extra-corporeal devices:


These are mechanical organs that are used for blood purification and include the artificial kidney (dialyser), the artificial liver, mechanical lung. The function and performances of these devices benefit from fibre and textile.

The function of artificial kidney is achieved by circulating the blood through a membrane, which may be either a flat sheet or a bundle of hollow regenerated cellulose fibres in the form of cellophane that retain the unwanted waste materials.

Multilayred filters composed of numerous layers of needle punched fabrics with varying densities may also be used and are designed to remove the waste materials rapidly and efficiently.

The artificial liver utilizes hollow fibres or membranes similar to those used in artificial kidney to perform high permeability to gases but low permeability to liquids and function in the same manner as in the natural lung allowing oxygen to come into contact with the patient’s blood.



C. Implantable materials:
These materials are used in effecting repair to the body whether it be wound closure (Sutures) or replacement surgery (Vascular grafts, artificial ligaments etc.). Table 15.3 show the list of implantable materials.

Bio-compatibility is of prime importance if the textile materials are to be accepted by the body and four key factors will determine how the body reacts to the implant, these are as follows

1.    The most important factor is porosity which determines the rate at which human tissue will grow and encapsulate the implant.
2.    Small circular fibres are better encapsulated with human tissue than larger fibres with irregular cross section.
3.    Toxic substances must not be released by the fibre polymer, and the fibres should be free from surface contaminations such as lubricants and sizing agents.
4.    The properties of the polymer will influence the success of the implantation in terms of its biodegradability.

Polyamide is the most reactive material losing its overall strength after only two years as a result of biodegradation. PTFE is the least reactive with polypropylene and polyester is in between



SUTURES:

Sutures are used for closure of wounds. They are either monofilament or multifilament. Nonbiodegradable sutures are used for closure of external wounds and after healing of the wounds, they are removed. Biodegradable sutures are used for closure of internal wounds; these sutures are gradually absorbed by the body.

SOFT TISSUE IMPLANTS:

Textile materials are used for constructive and corrective surgery of tendons ligaments and cartilage.

Artificial tendons are woven or braided porous meshes or tapes surrounded by a silicone sheath. During implantation the natural tendon can be looped through artificial tendon and then sutured to itself in order to connect the muscle to the bone.

Textile materials used for artificial knee ligaments should not only possess biocompatibility properties but must also have the physical characteristics needed for such a demanding application.

Artificial ligaments are braided composite materials containing carbon and polyester filaments.

There are two types of cartilages found in the human body e.g-(i) Hayline cartilages- these are dense and hard and used where rigidity is needed. (ii) Elastic cartilage- are soft

Low density polyethylene is used to replace facial, nose, ear and throat cartilage.

Carbon fibre reinforced composites structures are used for hay-line cartilage. 



Orthopedics implants:
Orthopedic implants are those materials that are used for hard tissue applications to replace bones and joints. Fiber-reinforced composite materials may be designed with the required high structural strength and bio-compatibility properties needed for these applications and are now replacing metal implants for artificial joints and bones.

To promote tissue in-growths around the implant a non-woven
mat made from graphite and PTFE (e.g. Teflon) is used, which acts as an interface between the implant and the adjacent hard and soft tissue. Composite structures composed of poly (d, l-lactide urethane) and reinforced with polyglycolic acid have excellent physical properties.

The composite can be formed into shape during surgery at a temperature of 60 °C and is used for both hard and soft tissue applications. Braided surgical cables composed of steel filaments ranging from 13–130mm are used to stabilize fractured bones or to secure orthopedic implants to the skeleton.

Cardiovascular implants:
Vascular grafts are used in surgery to replace damaged thick arteries or veins 6mm, 8mm, or 1 cm in diameter. Commercially available vascular grafts are produced from polyester (e.g. Dacron) or PTFE (e.g. Teflon) with either woven or knitted structures.

Straight or branched grafts are possible by using either weft or warp knitting technology. Polyester vascular grafts can be heat set into a crimped configuration that improves the handling characteristics.

During implantation the surgeon can bend and adjust the length of the graft, which, owing to the crimp, allows the graft to retain its circular cross-section.

Knitted vascular grafts have a porous structure which allows the graft to become encapsulated with new tissue but the porosity can be disadvantageous since blood leakage (hemorrhage) can occur through the interstices directly after implantation.

This effect can be reduced by using woven grafts but the lower porosity of these grafts hinders tissue ingrowths; in addition, woven grafts are also generally stiffer than the knitted equivalents.

In an attempt to reduce the risk of hemorrhage, knitted grafts have been developed with internal and external velour surfaces in order to fill the interstices of the graft. Another method is to seal or preclot the graft with the patient’s blood during implantation.

This is a time-consuming process and its effectiveness is dependent upon the patient’s blood chemistry and the skill of the surgeon.

Presealed grafts have zero porosity when implanted but become porous allowing tissue ingrowths to occur. The graft is impregnated with either collagen or gelatin that, after a period of 14 days, degrades to allow tissue encapsulation. Artificial blood vessels with an inner diameter of 1.5 mm have been developed using porous PTFE tubes. The tube consists of an inner layer of collagen and heparin to prevent blood clot formation and an outer biocompatible layer of collagen with the tube itself providing strength.

Artificial heart valves, which are caged ball valves with metal struts, are
covered with polyester (e.g. Dacron) fabrics in order to provide a means of suturing the valve to the surrounding tissue.



D. Healthcare/hygiene products:
Healthcare and hygiene products are an important sector in the field of medicine
and surgery. The range of products available is vast but typically they are used either in the operating theatre or on the hospital ward for the hygiene, care, and safety of staff and patients. Table 15.4 illustrates the range of products used in this category and includes the fibre materials used and the method of manufacture.



Alginate Wound Dressings
Alginates  are naturally occurring substances formed only in brown sea weed. Among the many species of brown sea weed the most widely used are the species of

1. Laminaria (British isles,France,N.America & Japan).
2. Macocystics (USA)&
3. Asco phylum (British isles)

Alginate is a copolymer of a two epimer units.

(a)    α –L guluronic acid (G)
  • Mainly instems.
  • Binding Calcium ions more firmly.
  • Fibre swelling only slightly.
  • Forming a stronger gel

(b)  β-D Mannuronic acid (M)
  • Mainly in leaves.
  • Binding Calcium ions Less firmly.
  • Fibre swelling enormously.
  • Forming a softer gel.

Likely combinations are – GG,MM,MG at various lengths and proportions.

Making of alginate fibres:

Sodium alginate solutions.(water soluble)
Extruding solution into a calcium chloride bath (ion exchange)
Calcium alginate filament (water ionsoluble)
Washiong.
Drafting.
Drying.
Crimping.
Cutting.

Alginate properties: The wide spread use of alginate fibres in the production of

High tech wound dressing:
  • Sodium ion in wound exudates.
  • Calcium ion in calcium alginate fibre.
  • Fibre becoming partial sodium partial calcium.
  • Water soluble sodium alginate fibers show small effect on ion exdchange.
  • High M alginate fibres swells enormously at the result of the exchange.

Alginate Dressings:
  • To prevent strike.
  • To keep wound in a dry and clean condition.
  • Gauze used as the main wound dressing material.

General Requirements for the High tech wound dressings:
  • To remove excess exudates and toxic component.
  • To maintain a high humidity at wound dressing interface.
  • To allow gaseous exchange.
  • To provide thermal insulation.
  • To offer protection against secondary infection.
  • To be free from particulate or toxic contaminants.
  • To allow removal without trauma at dressing change.

Structure of alginate dressing:
  • Primarily non woven pads of different sizes.
  • Also considered for particular properties.
  • Woven.
  • Knitted
  • Braided structures.

Problem of the non woven alginate dressing:
  • High M alginate dressing lacking integrity when wetted.
  • Difficult to remove as one piece.
  • Warm saline solution used to wash away dressing.(This action may cause pain when damage new tissue or contaminant the wound)
  • High G alginate better but less absorbent.

Reinforced dressings: Woven structures:

When dressing is wetted the filaments forms a woven web within the gel therefore making dressing easy to remove.
For absorbency thicker yarns used suitably high densities is used to maximize absorbency.
Zs contact layer thinner yarns is used to remove layer of alginate gel.

Braided structures:
  • Useful for cavity wound.
  • Braidede tubes.
  • Braided tubes with alginate sliver as core

Knitted Structures:  Circular dressings.
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 Technical Textiles: Textile materials & products manufactured primarily for their technical & performance properties rather than their esthetic or decorative characteristics.

A technical textile is a textile product manufactured for non-aesthetic purposes, where function is the primary criterion. Now a days, it is a large and growing sector and supports a vast array of other industries.


According textile terms & definition- Industrial textiles is now more often viewed as a subgroup of wider category of technical textiles, referring specially to those textile products-

   -used in the course of manufacturing operations (e.g. filters, machine clothing, conveyor belts, abrasive substrates)
   -incorporated into other industrial products (e.g. electrical component & cable, flexible seals & acoustic & thermal insulation)

Technical textiles include textiles for automotive applications, medical textile (e.g. implants), geo textiles (e.g. reinforcement of embankments), agrotextiles (textiles for crop protection), industrial textile and protective clothing.

Best alternative name of technical textile-
  • Industrial textile
  • Performance textile
  • Functional textile
  • Engineering textile
  • Hi-Tech textile

Product Group of Technical Textile:

Coated Textiles: Laminated textiles, tent/canvas materials, packaging, materials, sacking, tarpaulin fabric, covering & accessories, awning materials.

Composite Textiles: Reinforcement textiles, fiber reinforced composites, textile reinforced plastic & concrete components.

Bond Tech Textiles: Finishing technologies, including sealing, bonding and coating.


Application Area of Technical Textile:

Summery of technical textile applications:
  • agrotech: agriculture, aquaculture, horticulture and forestry
  • buildtech: building and construction
  • clothtech: technical components of footwear and clothing
  • geotech: geotextiles and civil engineering
  • hometech: technical components of furniture, household textiles and
    floorcoverings
  • indutech: filtration, conveying, cleaning and other industrial uses
  • medtech: hygiene and medical
  • mobiltech: automobiles, shipping, railways and aerospace
  • oekotech: environmental protection
  • packtech: packaging
  • protech: personal and property protection
  • sporttech: sport and leisure.

Transport textiles
Transport applications (cars, lorries, buses, trains, ships and aerospace) represent the largest single end-use area for technical textiles, accounting for some 20% of the total. Products range from carpeting and seating (regarded as technical rather than furnishing textiles because of the very stringent performance characteristics which they must fulfil), through tyre, belt and hose reinforcement, safety belts and air bags, to composite reinforcements for automotive bodies, civil and military aircraft bodies, wings and engine components, and many other uses. The fact that volume and value growth rates in these applications appear to be amongst the lowest of any application area needs to be interpreted with caution. The automotive industry (which accounts for a high proportion of all transport textiles) is certainly one of the most mature in market terms.

Industrial products and components
Set to rival transport textiles for first place by the year 2005 or shortly thereafterm(in volume terms, although not yet in value) is the diverse field of ‘industrial’ textiles. As now more precisely defined, this includes textiles used directly in industrial processes or incorporated into industrial products such as filters, conveyor belts and abrasive belts, as well as reinforcements for printed circuit boards, seals and gaskets, and other industrial equipment.

Growth rates are generally well above average in most areas. Because of the universal nature of many industrial requirements, some large companies have emerged with worldwide manufacturing and distribution to dominate markets for industrial textile products. They include companies such as Scapa (UK) and Albany (US), leaders in papermaking felts and related product areas, Milliken (USA) in textiles for rubber reinforcement and other industrial applications and BWF (Germany) in filtration.

Medical and hygiene textiles
The fact that medical and hygiene textiles are expected to show below average growth in volume but above average growth in value reflects the contrasting prospects of at least two main areas of the market. The largest use of textiles is for hygiene applications such as wipes, babies’ diapers (nappies) and adult sanitary and incontinence products.With the possible exception of the last of these, all are relatively mature markets whose volume growth has peaked. Manufacturers and converters now seek to develop them further by adding value to increasingly sophisticated products. Nonwovens dominate these applications which account for over 23% of all nonwoven use, the largest proportion of any of the 12 major markets for technical textiles.

The other side of the medical and hygiene market is a rather smaller but higher value market for medical and surgical products such as operating gowns and drapes, sterilisation packs, dressings, sutures and orthopaedic pads.At the highest value end of this segment are relatively tiny volumes of extremely sophisticated textiles for uses such as artificial ligaments, veins and arteries, skin replacement, hollow fibres for dialysis machines and so on. Growth prospects in these areas are potentially considerable although the proving and widespread introduction of new life-criticalproducts takes time.

Home textiles
Nonwovens and composite reinforcements, over 35% of the total weight of fibres and textiles in that category, lies in the field of household textiles and furnishing and especially in the use of loose fibres in wadding and fibrefill applications. Hollow fibres with excellent insulating properties are widely used in bedding and sleeping bags.Other types of fibre are increasingly being used to replace foams in furniture because of concern over the fire and health hazards posed by such materials. Woven fabrics are still used to a significant extent as carpet and furniture backings and in some smaller, more specialised areas such as curtain header tapes. However, nonwovens such as spunbondeds have made significant inroads into these larger markets while various drylaid and hydroentangled products are now widely used in household cleaning applications in place of traditional mops and dusters.

Clothing components
This category includes fibres, yarns and textiles used as technical components in the manufacture of clothing such as sewing threads, interlinings, waddings and insulation; it does not include the main outer and lining fabrics of garments, nor does it cover protective clothing. As for home textile applications, this is a major market for fibrefill products.Some of the latest and most sophisticated developments have seen the incorporation of temperature phase change materials into such insulation products to provide an additional degree of control and resistance to sudden extremes of temperature, be they hot or cold.

Agriculture, horticulture and fishing
Textiles have always been used extensively in the course of food production, most notably by the fishing industry in the form of nets, ropes and lines but also by agriculture and horticulture for a variety of covering, protection and containment applications. Although future volume growth rates appear to be relatively modest, this is partly due to the replacement of heavier weight traditional textiles, including jute and sisal sacking and twine, by lighter, longer lasting synthetic substitutes, especially polypropylene.Lightweight spunbonded fleeces are now used for shading, thermal insulation and weed suppression. Heavier nonwoven, knitted and woven constructions are employed for wind and hail protection. Capillary nonwoven matting is used in horticulture to distribute moisture to growing plants.

At sea, fish farming is a growing industry which uses specialised netting and other textile products. High performance fibres such as HMPE (High Modulus Poly Ethylene) are finding their way into the fishing industry for the manufacture of lightweight, ultra-strong lines and nets.

Construction – building and roofing
Textiles are employed in many ways in the construction of buildings, both permanent and temporary, dams, bridges, tunnels and roads.A closely related but distinct area of use is in geotextiles by the civil engineering sector. Temporary structures such as tents, marquees and awnings are some of the most
obvious and visible applications of textiles.Where these used to be exclusively made from proofed heavy cotton, a variety of lighter, stronger, rot-, sunlight- and weatherproof (also often fireproof) synthetic materials are now increasingly required.

A relatively new category of ‘architectural membrane’ is coming to prominence in the construction of semipermanent structures such as sports stadia, exhibition centres and other modern buildings. Nonwoven glass and polyester fabrics are already widely used in roofing applications while other textiles are used as breathable membranes to prevent moisture penetration of walls. Fibres and textiles also have a major role to play in building and equipment insulation.

Packaging and containment
Important uses of textiles include the manufacturing of bags and sacks, traditionally from cotton, flax and jute but increasingly from polypropylene. Tea and coffee bags use wet-laid nonwovens. Meats, vegetables and fruits are now frequently packed with a nonwoven insert to absorb liquids. Other fruits and vegetable products are supplied in knitted net packaging.

Sport and leisure
Even excluding the very considerable use of textiles in performance clothing and footwear, there are plenty of opportunities for the use of technical textiles throughout the sports and leisure market

Geotextiles in civil engineering
The geosynthetics market (comprising geotextiles, geogrids and geomembranes) is nevertheless expected to show some of the highest growth rates of any sector over the foreseeable future. The economic and environmental advantages of using textiles to reinforce, stabilise, separate, drain and filter are already well proven. Geotextiles allow the building of railway and road cuttings and embankments with steeper sides, reducing the land required and disturbance to the local environment. Nonwovens already account for up to 80% of geotextile applications. Current interest is in ‘composite’ fabrics which combine the advantages of different textile constructions such as woven, knitted, nonwoven and membrane materials.To supply the diversity of fabrics needed for the many different applications of geotextiles, leading specialist manufacturers are beginning to assemble a wide range of complementary capabilities by acquisition and other means.

Protective and safety clothing and textiles

Textiles for protective clothing and other related applications are another important growth area which has attracted attention and interest somewhat out of proportion to the size and value of the existing market. As in the case of sports textiles, a number of relatively high value and performance critical product areas have proved to be an ideal launch pad for a new generation of high performance fibres, most notably the aramids, but including many other speciality materials. The variety of protective functions that needs to be provided by different textile products is considerable and diverse. It includes protection against cuts, abrasion, ballistic and other types of severe impact including stab wounds and explosions, fire and extreme heat, hazardous dust and particles, nuclear, biological and chemical hazards, high voltages and static electricity, foul weather, extreme cold and poor visibility.

Ecological protection textiles
Technical textiles can contribute towards the environment in almost every sphere of their use, for example by reducing weight in transport and construction and thereby saving materials and energy. Improved recycleability is becoming an important issue not only for packaging but also for products such as cars.


Milestones of Technical textiles:

Natural Fibers: Cotton, flax, jute, hemp, sisal used for heavy canvas rope with limited resistance to water or fungal attack & poor flame retardency.
Viscose Rayon: Developed in 1910 used as reinforcement to tires and other rubber goods ( drive belt, conveyors and hoses) for their tenacity & modulus and heat resistance. Absorbency led to the use in paper making, non woven for cleaning & hygiene.

Nylon and Polyester: Nylon developed in 1939, high strength & abrasion resistance, good elasticity, excellent energy absorption used for climbing ropes, parachute fabrics, sails and tire cords.- Polyester developed in 1950 which is low cost & used as alternative to viscose & poly-amide in technical applications.

Technical Textile | Application and Milestone of Technical Textile

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 Technical Textiles: Textile materials & products manufactured primarily for their technical & performance properties rather than their esthetic or decorative characteristics.

A technical textile is a textile product manufactured for non-aesthetic purposes, where function is the primary criterion. Now a days, it is a large and growing sector and supports a vast array of other industries.


According textile terms & definition- Industrial textiles is now more often viewed as a subgroup of wider category of technical textiles, referring specially to those textile products-

   -used in the course of manufacturing operations (e.g. filters, machine clothing, conveyor belts, abrasive substrates)
   -incorporated into other industrial products (e.g. electrical component & cable, flexible seals & acoustic & thermal insulation)

Technical textiles include textiles for automotive applications, medical textile (e.g. implants), geo textiles (e.g. reinforcement of embankments), agrotextiles (textiles for crop protection), industrial textile and protective clothing.

Best alternative name of technical textile-
  • Industrial textile
  • Performance textile
  • Functional textile
  • Engineering textile
  • Hi-Tech textile

Product Group of Technical Textile:

Coated Textiles: Laminated textiles, tent/canvas materials, packaging, materials, sacking, tarpaulin fabric, covering & accessories, awning materials.

Composite Textiles: Reinforcement textiles, fiber reinforced composites, textile reinforced plastic & concrete components.

Bond Tech Textiles: Finishing technologies, including sealing, bonding and coating.


Application Area of Technical Textile:

Summery of technical textile applications:
  • agrotech: agriculture, aquaculture, horticulture and forestry
  • buildtech: building and construction
  • clothtech: technical components of footwear and clothing
  • geotech: geotextiles and civil engineering
  • hometech: technical components of furniture, household textiles and
    floorcoverings
  • indutech: filtration, conveying, cleaning and other industrial uses
  • medtech: hygiene and medical
  • mobiltech: automobiles, shipping, railways and aerospace
  • oekotech: environmental protection
  • packtech: packaging
  • protech: personal and property protection
  • sporttech: sport and leisure.

Transport textiles
Transport applications (cars, lorries, buses, trains, ships and aerospace) represent the largest single end-use area for technical textiles, accounting for some 20% of the total. Products range from carpeting and seating (regarded as technical rather than furnishing textiles because of the very stringent performance characteristics which they must fulfil), through tyre, belt and hose reinforcement, safety belts and air bags, to composite reinforcements for automotive bodies, civil and military aircraft bodies, wings and engine components, and many other uses. The fact that volume and value growth rates in these applications appear to be amongst the lowest of any application area needs to be interpreted with caution. The automotive industry (which accounts for a high proportion of all transport textiles) is certainly one of the most mature in market terms.

Industrial products and components
Set to rival transport textiles for first place by the year 2005 or shortly thereafterm(in volume terms, although not yet in value) is the diverse field of ‘industrial’ textiles. As now more precisely defined, this includes textiles used directly in industrial processes or incorporated into industrial products such as filters, conveyor belts and abrasive belts, as well as reinforcements for printed circuit boards, seals and gaskets, and other industrial equipment.

Growth rates are generally well above average in most areas. Because of the universal nature of many industrial requirements, some large companies have emerged with worldwide manufacturing and distribution to dominate markets for industrial textile products. They include companies such as Scapa (UK) and Albany (US), leaders in papermaking felts and related product areas, Milliken (USA) in textiles for rubber reinforcement and other industrial applications and BWF (Germany) in filtration.

Medical and hygiene textiles
The fact that medical and hygiene textiles are expected to show below average growth in volume but above average growth in value reflects the contrasting prospects of at least two main areas of the market. The largest use of textiles is for hygiene applications such as wipes, babies’ diapers (nappies) and adult sanitary and incontinence products.With the possible exception of the last of these, all are relatively mature markets whose volume growth has peaked. Manufacturers and converters now seek to develop them further by adding value to increasingly sophisticated products. Nonwovens dominate these applications which account for over 23% of all nonwoven use, the largest proportion of any of the 12 major markets for technical textiles.

The other side of the medical and hygiene market is a rather smaller but higher value market for medical and surgical products such as operating gowns and drapes, sterilisation packs, dressings, sutures and orthopaedic pads.At the highest value end of this segment are relatively tiny volumes of extremely sophisticated textiles for uses such as artificial ligaments, veins and arteries, skin replacement, hollow fibres for dialysis machines and so on. Growth prospects in these areas are potentially considerable although the proving and widespread introduction of new life-criticalproducts takes time.

Home textiles
Nonwovens and composite reinforcements, over 35% of the total weight of fibres and textiles in that category, lies in the field of household textiles and furnishing and especially in the use of loose fibres in wadding and fibrefill applications. Hollow fibres with excellent insulating properties are widely used in bedding and sleeping bags.Other types of fibre are increasingly being used to replace foams in furniture because of concern over the fire and health hazards posed by such materials. Woven fabrics are still used to a significant extent as carpet and furniture backings and in some smaller, more specialised areas such as curtain header tapes. However, nonwovens such as spunbondeds have made significant inroads into these larger markets while various drylaid and hydroentangled products are now widely used in household cleaning applications in place of traditional mops and dusters.

Clothing components
This category includes fibres, yarns and textiles used as technical components in the manufacture of clothing such as sewing threads, interlinings, waddings and insulation; it does not include the main outer and lining fabrics of garments, nor does it cover protective clothing. As for home textile applications, this is a major market for fibrefill products.Some of the latest and most sophisticated developments have seen the incorporation of temperature phase change materials into such insulation products to provide an additional degree of control and resistance to sudden extremes of temperature, be they hot or cold.

Agriculture, horticulture and fishing
Textiles have always been used extensively in the course of food production, most notably by the fishing industry in the form of nets, ropes and lines but also by agriculture and horticulture for a variety of covering, protection and containment applications. Although future volume growth rates appear to be relatively modest, this is partly due to the replacement of heavier weight traditional textiles, including jute and sisal sacking and twine, by lighter, longer lasting synthetic substitutes, especially polypropylene.Lightweight spunbonded fleeces are now used for shading, thermal insulation and weed suppression. Heavier nonwoven, knitted and woven constructions are employed for wind and hail protection. Capillary nonwoven matting is used in horticulture to distribute moisture to growing plants.

At sea, fish farming is a growing industry which uses specialised netting and other textile products. High performance fibres such as HMPE (High Modulus Poly Ethylene) are finding their way into the fishing industry for the manufacture of lightweight, ultra-strong lines and nets.

Construction – building and roofing
Textiles are employed in many ways in the construction of buildings, both permanent and temporary, dams, bridges, tunnels and roads.A closely related but distinct area of use is in geotextiles by the civil engineering sector. Temporary structures such as tents, marquees and awnings are some of the most
obvious and visible applications of textiles.Where these used to be exclusively made from proofed heavy cotton, a variety of lighter, stronger, rot-, sunlight- and weatherproof (also often fireproof) synthetic materials are now increasingly required.

A relatively new category of ‘architectural membrane’ is coming to prominence in the construction of semipermanent structures such as sports stadia, exhibition centres and other modern buildings. Nonwoven glass and polyester fabrics are already widely used in roofing applications while other textiles are used as breathable membranes to prevent moisture penetration of walls. Fibres and textiles also have a major role to play in building and equipment insulation.

Packaging and containment
Important uses of textiles include the manufacturing of bags and sacks, traditionally from cotton, flax and jute but increasingly from polypropylene. Tea and coffee bags use wet-laid nonwovens. Meats, vegetables and fruits are now frequently packed with a nonwoven insert to absorb liquids. Other fruits and vegetable products are supplied in knitted net packaging.

Sport and leisure
Even excluding the very considerable use of textiles in performance clothing and footwear, there are plenty of opportunities for the use of technical textiles throughout the sports and leisure market

Geotextiles in civil engineering
The geosynthetics market (comprising geotextiles, geogrids and geomembranes) is nevertheless expected to show some of the highest growth rates of any sector over the foreseeable future. The economic and environmental advantages of using textiles to reinforce, stabilise, separate, drain and filter are already well proven. Geotextiles allow the building of railway and road cuttings and embankments with steeper sides, reducing the land required and disturbance to the local environment. Nonwovens already account for up to 80% of geotextile applications. Current interest is in ‘composite’ fabrics which combine the advantages of different textile constructions such as woven, knitted, nonwoven and membrane materials.To supply the diversity of fabrics needed for the many different applications of geotextiles, leading specialist manufacturers are beginning to assemble a wide range of complementary capabilities by acquisition and other means.

Protective and safety clothing and textiles

Textiles for protective clothing and other related applications are another important growth area which has attracted attention and interest somewhat out of proportion to the size and value of the existing market. As in the case of sports textiles, a number of relatively high value and performance critical product areas have proved to be an ideal launch pad for a new generation of high performance fibres, most notably the aramids, but including many other speciality materials. The variety of protective functions that needs to be provided by different textile products is considerable and diverse. It includes protection against cuts, abrasion, ballistic and other types of severe impact including stab wounds and explosions, fire and extreme heat, hazardous dust and particles, nuclear, biological and chemical hazards, high voltages and static electricity, foul weather, extreme cold and poor visibility.

Ecological protection textiles
Technical textiles can contribute towards the environment in almost every sphere of their use, for example by reducing weight in transport and construction and thereby saving materials and energy. Improved recycleability is becoming an important issue not only for packaging but also for products such as cars.


Milestones of Technical textiles:

Natural Fibers: Cotton, flax, jute, hemp, sisal used for heavy canvas rope with limited resistance to water or fungal attack & poor flame retardency.
Viscose Rayon: Developed in 1910 used as reinforcement to tires and other rubber goods ( drive belt, conveyors and hoses) for their tenacity & modulus and heat resistance. Absorbency led to the use in paper making, non woven for cleaning & hygiene.

Nylon and Polyester: Nylon developed in 1939, high strength & abrasion resistance, good elasticity, excellent energy absorption used for climbing ropes, parachute fabrics, sails and tire cords.- Polyester developed in 1950 which is low cost & used as alternative to viscose & poly-amide in technical applications.
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Sample is very important for garments industry either to buyer or to vendors/factory. Sampling is a very common step must be conducted by each factory through the instruction of buyer, it is done  from development stage to go through bulk production. Sample type and significant characteristics of different samples depend on buyer. I am sharing most of the samples what I have known.



Textile Aid Always Ready to Serve You the Best


Proto Sample: This type of sample is made at the development stage when just pattern has been developed on the basis of tech pach or PDM. Buyers sometimes want this type of sample before development sample where measurement of all points would be in tolerance. If you consider it for denim there wash will not be affected significantly.

Development Sample: Buyers first time give tech pach or PDM to vendors just for making pattern and samples as per sketch. Sometimes it is called LA sample. Buyers just need to review the style or the design to make changes in this sample where fabric will actual but other trims may not be actual.

Fit Sample: All most every buyer want this sample where measurement is the key feature which will be in tolerance according to the measurement sheet given by buyer just attached with tech pach. In some cases fit sample require 100% measurement along with perfect wash in case of denim. Sometimes this type of samples are called as photo sample.

Wash Sample: Wash samples are very important for denim garments. Buyers send wash target to follow in washing and submit accurately as much as possible. Some times wash samples are to be taken as PP(Pre-Production) sample but there every trims would be actual. Measurement is not so important for wash samples.

Size Set Sample: After approval of fit sample, size set sample is required by buyer. Indeed, this type of sample requires when any significant correction is necessary on fit sample. Before bulk production this is used as final for measurement and styling issue. Some buyers might suggest for other two types of sample after size set, they are Reference sample & Sealer sample(For Bulk Production).

GPT/Lab Test Sample: Garments Performance/Package Test(GPT) or lab test sample is very important for each buyer as well as vendors. Third party testing company tests this sample and give a test report where product harmful chemical, safety issue and compliance issue is maintained. To know more about test sample you can go to GPT, FPT, GCR sample of Apparel.

Pre-Production (PP) Sample: PP is the final most important and mandatory sample in case of all styles. All kinds of buyer follow this sample for bulk production. Before PP, all the samples mentioned above this post would be passed by the review of buyer. If any comment receive from buyer to the above samples you should be aware to rectify it in PP by following the comments. PP sample is basically used for all kinds of actual trims approval, wash or dye approval, styling or aesthetic look final approval. If buyer approves it without any comment, you will not have any problem to go through bulk production.

Shade Band Sample: Shade band is very important to go through bulk. In case of denim, it bears highly importance in washing where main bulk will go through following shade band sample. After approval of wash sample and PP, factory submit shade band in between these two types of sample. Fabric comes from supplier with different shades where shade band will help the factory to submit shade band based on shade of bulk fabric. Normally 5-7 shades categorized by available shade of fabric wash, then submit to buyer for approval.

AD sample/Salesman Sample: AD or advertisement sample and salesman sample are same, required for definite showrooms of buyers. Before bulk production ad sample is asked by buyer for a campaign to their store as well as showrooms to give up an update to customers what they are launching in the next season. Buyers may be asked for different sizes and colors for this sample. During bulk factory may send it to buyer's specific destination as well.

TOP sample: Top of Production is the another important sample received by buyer from bulk of any style. Buyer's QA will choose this type of sample randomly from bulk production and send them to buyer for reviewing and aware of the bulk production. Normally, before TOP sample approval comments, vendor could not ship the goods. It might be called shipment sample as well.


Besides these samples, there are too many samples are made based on requirement of buyers and styles. Some other samples are sealer sample, pull out sample, formaldehyde test sample, gold/yellow tag sample, counter sample etc.

Mock Up: Buyers frequently ask for mock up sample. Mock up is the piece of sample where a definite part of any full garment used for thread approval or wash approval or embroidery approval. To reduce time and cost sometimes buyers work on this.

Samples of Garments | Sampling Types & Procedures Before Bulk Production

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Sample is very important for garments industry either to buyer or to vendors/factory. Sampling is a very common step must be conducted by each factory through the instruction of buyer, it is done  from development stage to go through bulk production. Sample type and significant characteristics of different samples depend on buyer. I am sharing most of the samples what I have known.



Textile Aid Always Ready to Serve You the Best


Proto Sample: This type of sample is made at the development stage when just pattern has been developed on the basis of tech pach or PDM. Buyers sometimes want this type of sample before development sample where measurement of all points would be in tolerance. If you consider it for denim there wash will not be affected significantly.

Development Sample: Buyers first time give tech pach or PDM to vendors just for making pattern and samples as per sketch. Sometimes it is called LA sample. Buyers just need to review the style or the design to make changes in this sample where fabric will actual but other trims may not be actual.

Fit Sample: All most every buyer want this sample where measurement is the key feature which will be in tolerance according to the measurement sheet given by buyer just attached with tech pach. In some cases fit sample require 100% measurement along with perfect wash in case of denim. Sometimes this type of samples are called as photo sample.

Wash Sample: Wash samples are very important for denim garments. Buyers send wash target to follow in washing and submit accurately as much as possible. Some times wash samples are to be taken as PP(Pre-Production) sample but there every trims would be actual. Measurement is not so important for wash samples.

Size Set Sample: After approval of fit sample, size set sample is required by buyer. Indeed, this type of sample requires when any significant correction is necessary on fit sample. Before bulk production this is used as final for measurement and styling issue. Some buyers might suggest for other two types of sample after size set, they are Reference sample & Sealer sample(For Bulk Production).

GPT/Lab Test Sample: Garments Performance/Package Test(GPT) or lab test sample is very important for each buyer as well as vendors. Third party testing company tests this sample and give a test report where product harmful chemical, safety issue and compliance issue is maintained. To know more about test sample you can go to GPT, FPT, GCR sample of Apparel.

Pre-Production (PP) Sample: PP is the final most important and mandatory sample in case of all styles. All kinds of buyer follow this sample for bulk production. Before PP, all the samples mentioned above this post would be passed by the review of buyer. If any comment receive from buyer to the above samples you should be aware to rectify it in PP by following the comments. PP sample is basically used for all kinds of actual trims approval, wash or dye approval, styling or aesthetic look final approval. If buyer approves it without any comment, you will not have any problem to go through bulk production.

Shade Band Sample: Shade band is very important to go through bulk. In case of denim, it bears highly importance in washing where main bulk will go through following shade band sample. After approval of wash sample and PP, factory submit shade band in between these two types of sample. Fabric comes from supplier with different shades where shade band will help the factory to submit shade band based on shade of bulk fabric. Normally 5-7 shades categorized by available shade of fabric wash, then submit to buyer for approval.

AD sample/Salesman Sample: AD or advertisement sample and salesman sample are same, required for definite showrooms of buyers. Before bulk production ad sample is asked by buyer for a campaign to their store as well as showrooms to give up an update to customers what they are launching in the next season. Buyers may be asked for different sizes and colors for this sample. During bulk factory may send it to buyer's specific destination as well.

TOP sample: Top of Production is the another important sample received by buyer from bulk of any style. Buyer's QA will choose this type of sample randomly from bulk production and send them to buyer for reviewing and aware of the bulk production. Normally, before TOP sample approval comments, vendor could not ship the goods. It might be called shipment sample as well.


Besides these samples, there are too many samples are made based on requirement of buyers and styles. Some other samples are sealer sample, pull out sample, formaldehyde test sample, gold/yellow tag sample, counter sample etc.

Mock Up: Buyers frequently ask for mock up sample. Mock up is the piece of sample where a definite part of any full garment used for thread approval or wash approval or embroidery approval. To reduce time and cost sometimes buyers work on this.
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