Garment automation and robotics; garment manufacturing knocks at Europe’s door

Citation

Stylios, G.K. (2012), "Garment automation and robotics; garment manufacturing knocks at Europe’s door", International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 24 No. 2/3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijcst.2012.05824baa.001

Garment automation and robotics; garment manufacturing knocks at Europe’s door

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Volume 24, Issue 2/3

Over the last 30 years considerable research has been carried out with the focus of this problem; BRITE/EURAM in Europe (BRITE-EURAM Programme, 1991), TRASS in Japan (Iguchi, 1990) and Drapers in the USA (Tyler, 1989). A number of automated machines and even processes (robotic sewing arm Kochan, 1996) have been invented as a result of this effort but the very much needed universal flexible solution for the manipulation and the joining of the fabric numerically has yet to be realised.

All these attempts including the recent Leapfrog (2011) project do not consider the fabric effectively as a non-linear, non-homogenous, diverse engineering material that has its own mechanics which define its behaviour under stresses and strains usually small, and being capable of taking up large curvatures, in cutting, handling and sewing.

The mechanics of fabric have been researched in the last 30 years consistently and the efforts of Grosberg (1966), Kawabata and Niwa (1991), Postle (1991) and Stylios and Sotomi (1996) have to be commended and in the context of clothing the work of the latter in partnership with Kawabata and Niwa, during their collaboration in the White Rose Initiative, between 1995 and 1998. However, the interaction of the material with sewing in the so-called fabric/machine interface needs still to be established and in my view this is a fundamental stumbling block for further advances, such as in mass customisation (Pine, 1993).

The concept of intelligent garment manufacture (Stylios et al., 1992) which is a means of introducing flexibility, quality, production efficiency and maximization of resources to the apparel industry, emphasizes the importance of fabric properties and their interaction with the whole manufacturing process, the labour force and especially with sewing. In order to achieve this, computational intelligence and engineering is applied to research, develop and implement intelligent textile and apparel environments, and introduce desired flexibility into the whole area of textile and apparel processes.

Arguably there is reasonable progress in relating fabric properties to sewing machine settings and stitching quality but, there are still areas that have not been numerically defined because of the complexity of the dynamic interactions between fabric-machine parameters (Stylios et al., 1994). The influence of low stresses and strains on a fabric alter its physical or mechanical properties and hence the behaviour of a textile material which is non-linear. Owing to incomplete mathematical understanding of these non-linear interactions, the behaviour of each material cannot be effectively modelled using conventional techniques. Fabrics can be modelled as non-linear discrete parametric engineering materials by modification of the Dahl’s dynamic frictional model underlined by:

Where s is the slope coefficient, Fr is the dynamic friction force, x is the displacement and Fr is the Coulomb friction force. Coupled with new fabric measurement systems (Stylios, 2005) that can automatically and reliably define fabric mechanics and with the increasing demand for customisation of garments are we ready to tackle this challenge?

I wander whether or not we now see a new techological reneisonce in this area. There are large project demands in Europe, which indicates that garment manufacturing knocks at Europe’s door! Why? “The Far East is getting expensive, we started making up in the UK and we make more money” said to me recently a leading and respected figure of the UK garment making. I will leave the rest to your imagination and to just say that it would be a tramendous excitement to see this area of the textile chain to modernise, develop and innovate.

George K. StyliosEditor-in-Chief