Characterization and Control of Fabric Properties in Textile and Apparel Manufacturing PIs: P. Banks-Lee,

The apparel segment of the U.S. textile industrial complex is under tremendous pressure from foreign competition. The apparel industry is trying to respond to this pressure by changing its production philosophy to accommodate the consumer demand for ever increasing style variation and retailer demands for more frequent Just-In-Time (JIT) deliveries of smaller orders. The apparel industry must be able to respond to these demands to remain competitive in the U.S. and abroad. Apparel manufacturing in a Quick Response (QR) environment must have the ability to quickly optimize its processes when faced with rapidly changing fabrics with variable material properties. This variability is inherent (statistical) within a given fabric and between different types of fabric. In order to deal successfully with this challenge, it is necessary to understand how important material properties permeate through the manufacturing chain. We must develop technologies to measure these important properties quickly and reliably (not dependent on traditional laboratory techniques and constraints). It is important to lay the groundwork for dealing with property variability in the design of apparel fabrics as well as in the manufacturing and finishing of these products. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Textile Engineering (TE), Electrical Engineering (EE), Mechanical Engineering (ME), and Textile Technology (TT) are conducting research to collectively address the following research themes: 1) model fabric behavior, 2) on-line characterization of material properties, and 3) on-line manufacturing control. New developments in computer modeling and sensor technology are being applied to address these themes.