Automation in Apparel Manufacturing Process:
Efforts should be diverted to mechanize or automate all the manual works. For example, collar point cutting, collar or cuff turning, collar or cuff forming, collar bottom cutting, label cutting & creasing, etc. are generally manual processes in the apparel manufacturing industry.
Most of the folding & creasing works also come under manual jobs in conventional thinking. For instance, pocket folding & creasing, sleeve placket folding & creasing in dress shirts are done manually. All these manual jobs should be mechanized or automated.
Manual works not only take more time, they also spoil the apparel, make them dirty, and sometimes convert them into rejects. Manual works sometimes unnecessarily increase the number of working heads and add to production costs. We may enumerate a number of machines and equipment, which mechanize or automate manual works. Many clothing manufacturing factories in Bangladesh are in a position to induct them into their production lines.
Work Aids, Folders, and Attachments for Industrial Sewing Machines:
Imagine the bottom rolling of a dress shirt. Without a bottom rolling folder or a bottom rolling pressure foot, the job becomes strenuous, difficult, and time-consuming. Or imagine, elastic tape attaching process of a panty. Without the right attachment, the job is an exhausting one. These work aids not only improve textile and apparel productivity to a large extent but also make substantial value addition in terms of quality.
Another type of work aids is a thread trimming tool. Most of the modern sewing machines are equipped with automatic thread trimming technology. They also add to the productivity of machinery and labor. A minute or very small process like tacking, label sewing, or label attaching, taking up to 7” seconds must be performed with machinery equipped with an automatic thread trimmer.
What Types of Sewing Automation Equipment Used in Apparel Sector?
There are so many automatic or automated machines used in the apparel manufacturing industry. Those are listed below:
- Automatic pocket creasing machine,
- Automatic sleeve placket creasing machine,
- Automatic label cutting & creasing machine,
- Automatic poly bagging machine,
- Collar point cutting & turning machine,
- Collar & cuff forming press,
- Automatic workstation for collar or cuff run stitching or topstitching,
- 1-needle lock stitch machine with automatic thread trimmer,
- 1-needle lock stitch machine equipped with program control & automatic thread trimmer,
- Automatic cycle machines for attaching velcros in jackets,
- Microcomputer controlled buttonholing machine,
- Button sewing machine with automatic button feeder,
- Micro computer controlled bar tacking machine.
