Versatile Industrial Applications of Textile

Textile is not only about clothing, it has many other uses that we don't even think about. The more common uses of textile other than in making apparels is that of making home furnishings. Other uses include making of many textile accessories and trims like braids, bows, appliqués, Velcros etc. There are many other fashion accessories too that make an extensive use of fabrics such as bags, scarves etc. Among all these things, what is not included generally are the industrial textile products-the products that are used by other industries to support their whole manufacturing activity.
There are many such industrial products such as tarpaulins, tents, slings, display booths, conveyor belts etc. that are a necessity for proper functioning of industries. Tarpaulins or tarps are made up of water repellent fabrics and are used by the industries to cover the transportation trucks or to protect their movable or immovable belongings.In fact selecting truck tarp fabrics is a work of great concern. Cotton canvas and polyethylene fabrics are the popular fabrics for making tarps.

Apart from tarps, slings are also an important textile product that is used for lifting and handling various materials. There are many types of industrial slings namely chain slings, wire rope slings, metal mesh slings, natural and synthetic fiber rope slings, and synthetic web slings. They are selected by the industries according to the size, weight, shape, temperature, sensitivity of the material to be moved, and environmental conditions under which the sling has to be used. Nylon, Dacron, polyester, polypropylene etc. fibers and fabrics are widely used to make these industrial slings.
Yet another very useful textile product for industrial application is tent. The industrial tents are used as storage facilities, sales areas, exhibition halls, weather-protected space, production and workshop facilities, airport check-in halls or waiting rooms, and also as a cover for building sites and protection for tipped sand or gravel, etc. Cotton, nylon, polyester, and other UV protective and waterproof fabrics are used to make these tents.

Can Paper Bags Substitute Plastic Bags?

Bags hold an important place in our lives. They are sometimes referred to as the best personal carriers. They are made of various stuffs like cotton, synthetic, leather and so. But when it comes to general usage like for shopping, the names of two types of bags viz. plastic made and paper made bags come to our intellect. Both are fine, but the question is, which one is the best suited to our requirements. Lets discuss the peculiarities related with the two.

You might be thinking that paper bags are not as durable as those made of plastic. Also, we see that the latter are more commonly used than the former one. But, do you know plastic is a stuff which is really hazardous to the environment. It takes thousands of year to decompose. If burnt, it emits poisonous gases which again pollutes the environment. If buried in the ground, it makes the soil infertile. If thrown in the sea, it pollutes the sea water and proves to be a threat for the life of the sea creatures. One can imagine, how hazardous is plastic to our planet.

This perilous nature of plastic had forced the governments of many cities of the world to put a ban on the use of polybags, which are a major source of plastic pollution. Few cities of the world in which these polythene carriers are either completely or partially banned include San Francisco, New York, Texas, Germany, Dhaka, China, Kenya and Ireland to name a few. Even the government of Delhi had issued guidelines against the use of polythene. However, later on the government changed its decision to completely ban the polythene, due to some reasons. Government suggested the manufacturers to set up the recycling units on the basis of “polluter pays principles”. But the government has not completely given up the plan to ban these polythene carriers, it is in the pipeline.

In this context, paper bags are the best option. No doubt, they are unconventional, but they are eco-friendly and easy to recycle. Nowadays, there are various types of paper made bags available in the market. They are not only good looking, but also have ample of space to carry goods and are quite durable. The handmade paper bags available nowadays are designed to suit specific requirements which include carrying gifts, carrying wine, shopping etc. There is a separate bag to serve each purpose. Although, multipurpose bags are also made from paper. They are proving to be the best substitute for plastic or polythene carriers in the modern context.

Now, as we have told you every significant fact related to plastic and paper bags, It's upon you which one to choose. The hazardous and non-disposable polythene, or the environment friendly and elegant paper bags.

Fabric SigNature DNA- Unique Technology to Fight Fraudsters

There is a good news and a bad news, in fact a news that is good for the fashion and fabric industry and bad for the fraudsters. A revolutionary new DNA-based technology- unique label incorporating Signature DNA taggant- has been developed to put a stop to fakes and track down counterfeiters.

Counterfeit textile and clothing have become a trouble with billions of dollars worth of seizures and losses incurred all around the world. In such a situation, the textile suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and brand owners have the added burden of testing end products for determining their authenticity so that the end-user can be assured of getting genuine products.

Although many technological measures are used for this purpose such as holograms and other hard-to-copy trademarks, heat transfer labels, invisible inks, unique threads and merchandise-tracking technology, they all become useless if the companies are not able to control their labeling supply and conduct regular audits. It is, in fact, very difficult to make out the difference between genuine and fake products just by seeing them because counterfeiters also use technology and digitally reproduce identical labels within a few hours of the launch of an item.

Keeping all these factors in view, SigNature DNA has been developed to fight the fraudsters. This new DNA-based technology applies a unique SigNature DNA marker to inks and yarns in a label or piece of fabric. A mark is individual to a brand, just like DNA. This makes it the only label in the world that can't be copied, re-engineered or counterfeited. Forensic testing can be done to determine whether a garment or label is authentic by the presence of the brand’s SigNature DNA. As it is recognized by law as positive-proof of authenticity, evidence is admissible in a court of law which is quiet an effective way to check the fraudsters. This is a great achievement that'll benefit the textile and related industries as brand identity is of great value to them.

An Introduction to Industrial Knitting

Most of us love to wear knitted fabrics that are so comfortable due to their perfect fit and stretchability. However, I am doubtful as to how much each of us know about the knitting process followed by the apparel manufacturing companies for making highly popular clothing such as sports wear, underwear, sweaters, suits, coats, rugs and other home furnishings.


Industrial Knitting
Knitting is the second most popular method of fabric construction, after weaving. The complex knitting industry has two primary divisions, one of which manufactures knitted fabrics for garment manufacturers, sewing centers, consumers etc. and the other one produces completed apparels such as hosiery, sweaters, underwear etc.

A knitted fabric is made with yarns formed into interlocking loops with the help of hooked needles. Crocheted fabrics are the simplest form of knitting where a chain of loops is constructed from a single thread with the help of a hook. When the interlocking loops run lengthwise, each row is called a wale identified with the direction of warp in woven fabrics. When the loops run across the fabric, each row is called a course which corresponds to the filling or weft in woven fabrics.

Apart from the number of stitches or loops per square inch in a knitted fabric, the needle quality also decide its properties. With varying thickness and length of needles the stitches will also get thicker and longer respectively. There are three types of needles that are mostly used for industrial knitting- the latch needle, spring-beard needle, and compound needle.

Types of Knitted Fabrics

Depending upon the wales and courses, there are two types of knitted fabrics
1.Weft knit fabric, where one continuous yarn forms courses across the fabric.
2.
3.Warp knit fabric, where a series of yarns form wales in the lengthwise direction of the fabric.

Weft Knitting has three basic stitches- Plain-knit stitch; Purl stitch; and Rib stitch. Any other stitch is a variation of these three stitches. basic stitches of hand knitting can be identified with weft knitting. When done on weft knitting machines, individual yarn is fed to a single or multiple needles at a time.

In warp Knitting, each needle loops its own thread. The needles of warp knitting machines produce parallel rows of loops that are interlocked in a zigzag pattern. The stitches on the front side vertical with a slight angle. The stitches on the back are horizontal as floats at a slight angle. These floats are called laps or underlaps and are a distinguished features of warp knit fabrics. There are seven basic types of warp knitting- Tricot knit; Milanese knit; Simplex knit; Raschel knit; Ketten Raschel knit; Crochet and Weft-insertion warp.

Warp knit fabrics are smooth, sheer, wrinkle resistant, shrink strength and abrasion resistant as such they are very popular with the masses. Warp knit fabrics are considered better than the weft knit fabrics as these fabrics do not ravel easily, are less prone to sagging and have superior dimensional ability.