Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Textile and Apparel Industry

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Textile:

Are you surprised to hear? Of course, we all know that technological advances and innovations are constantly on the rise around the world. One of the staggering invention of  modern era is the robot. It is an invention through which we can accomplish many impossible things including our daily necessities. In the same way, the use of robots in the textile sector can bring an unprecedented success and unimaginable change in this sector. The use of robots in the textile industry can bring many benefits such as labor savings, reduction of cycles, improved parts quality, improved safety, productivity and efficiency. These robots are operated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The proper use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be of significant benefit to the textile industry. Huge amounts of work require a high level of efficiency for continuity and accuracy in production equipment. To achieve this we need to have “Artificial Intelligence”.

We know how important manufacturing is in the textile sector. Textile manufacturing is a very big industry. It forms the basis of the conversion of fiber into yarn, yarn into fabric. These are later dyed or printed to make garments. Different types of fibers are used to make yarn. There are various processes with the complexity of finishing and finishing processes for a wide range of product. If we get the help of artificial intelligence to perform these textile processes, the speed of our work will increase a lot and we will be able to benefit a lot more quickly.

Use of Robotics in Garment Processing:
Clothing should be modified according to the purpose and demand of the consumers, large scale production is labor intensive for these criteria. There are various principles in the literature for automating the sewing process. The following two challenges must be met in order to realize the automatic production of garments:

Robotics in Garment Manufacturing
Fig: Robotics in Garment Manufacturing

(1) Multiplication: In conjunction with three-dimensional (3D) sewing, the concept of a moving tool refers to very high quality, which reveals repeatability and minor production defects.

(2) Flexibility: In a product, for example, the size of a skirt is accurate due to its fast adjustable flexible body size. During sewing, much like the more expensive industry, a higher level of automation or robotics can replace manual work steps. One such device is the robot and automatic handling. The robot is not tired and can operate with constant accuracy 24 hours / day except maintenance and repair time. It can increase production performance and quality improvement.

Robotics for three-dimensional sewing operations:
Robots are used in many methods and research projects to guide textiles through the sewing process.

1. Integrated three-dimensional sewing system:
Integrated 3D-sewing system refers to a system where the cut elements are sewn in a room in a 3D manner. The system was created to sew a car seat head cushion cover.

2. Three-dimensional sewing with robot for performers:
A special advancement of the last decade has been the one-sided sewing process, in which the textile is fixed and the sewing head is operated over the textile. These sewing methods are mainly attractive for composite applications, especially because of the complex geometric stitching of the material. Since the movement is driven by the sewing head, very large elements can be sewn in one-sided sewing techniques and the bottom of the workpiece has a seamlessly moved gripper or low thread system. The use of robots to guide the sewing head has been established. Important sewing methods can all be managed by a robot or sewing portal.

T-shirt sewing robots
Fig: T-shirt sewing robots

Robot-based sewing systems have already been developed for small-scale production only. Therefore, on the one hand the method of producing garments and on the other hand the method of producing lots of products (such as headrests, airbags, etc.) have been invented. There are strict restrictions on its use in various fields of textiles. Further problems for production automation are sewing techniques (e.g., double locked stitching, double chain stitching), limited design possibilities, initial and subsequent process steps or handling times. Although there are several disadvantages before the use of automation and robotics, the days are not far away when the garment industry will be fully controlled by robots.

We know that our country is very rich in textiles. However, the textile industry of our country has not yet got the touch of modern technology like robotics. Our country is also moving towards advanced technology. Many new innovations are being made. The day is not far away when the work of most of the industrial establishments in our country will be managed through robotics.

References:

  1. https://www.textileblog.com/applications-of-artificial-intelligence-in-textile-industry/
  2. https://textilelearner.net/automation-and-robotics-in-apparel-industry/
  3. http://stitchdiary.com/artificial-intelligence-apparel-industry/
  4. Automation in Garment Manufacturing by by Rajkishore Nayak and Rajiv Padhye

Author of this Article:
Md. Redwan Ullah
Department of Apparel Engineering,
Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTex)
Email: asifredwan.04@gmail.com

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