Volker Lutz

Automation in quality monitoring of fabrics and garment seams

Abstract By increasing fraction of automation technologies, it is necessary to implement capable quality monitoring systems along the textile productions chain. In general, the observation of process parameters or the implementation of vision systems has been investigated. Because product quality is strongly depended on visual appearance the development of feasible vision systems is strongly pushed by industry demands. However, the use of cameras and proper lighting conditions needs to fulfill complex product requirements. Whenever defects occur during manufacturing products, extra costs incur due to the efforts and the time spent to fix these defects. So, it is a goal for manufacturers to minimize these costs by trying to detect those defects before they happen. Therefore, manufacturers started to equip their industrial machines with automatic defect detection systems. One of the major defects that can occur in weaving industry is yarn irregularity. Yarn irregularity presents a problem because it reduces the economic value of the woven product. The following chapter presents current technologies and innovative developments in the field of vision-based fabric and seam inspection.

Automation in material handling

Abstract Because of the high economic importance, the automated handling for the fulfillment of the growing demands on the textile industry is very important. Textiles as flexible materials have a multitude of special properties. These strongly deviate from the usual materials of mechanical engineering. Additionally there are large deviations and inhomogeneities between and within different materials. In particular for nongarment materials such as composite preforms there have been a strong automation approaches within the last decades. For process steps such as separation, handling, and forming different grippers have been developed and assembled to multifunctional end effectors. The main focus lays in the damage-free manipulation of the limb textiles. However, new promising transport technologies for light and nonrigid materials can close the gab of textile transport in garment manufacturing in the future. In addition, digital tracking with radio-frequency identification will improve the overall efficiency of material flow in production.